'Romeo and Juliet' Behind Apple's iPhone X Bottlenecks
Romeo and Juliet are the nicknames for the parts behind the iPhone X’s most anticipated new feature, Face ID. Unfortunately, just like the William Shakespeare characters with the same name, things aren’t going well in the production of these “yin-and-yang parts,” according to The Wall Street Journal.
In a Wednesday report, The Wall Street Journal says these 3-D sensors remain difficult to produce just a month before the iPhone X goes on sale around the world. The article seems to confirm a Tuesday report over at Asian Review that said the same.
They explain:
It has taken more time to assemble the Romeo modules than the Juliet modules, they said, creating an imbalance in supply. That has served as a bottleneck for the iPhone X’s mass production, according to one person, which could possibly crimp supplies beyond typical initial shortfalls when the phone is released Nov. 3.
First announced on Sept. 12, the iPhone X will be available through pre-orders beginning Oct. 27. Besides Face ID, the 5.8-inch handset includes an OLED display, wireless charging, dual cameras with improved depth sensing, and more.
There’s still no word whether the production issue could force Apple to delay the iPhone X launch. For now, that seems unlikely.
One person said the trouble with “Romeo” involved complications in assembling the various components into the module. Both people said that meant there weren’t enough “Romeos” to go with the number of “Juliets” on hand, although one of them said the Romeo assembly process is now moving smoothly.
