Hello, Apple says iPhone X orders ‘off the charts’
san francisco — Apple quashed concerns of muted demand for its iPhone X, saying pre-orders for the 10th-anniversary phone were “off the charts”.
The company’s shares, which have fallen steadily since it announced in early September it would launch two iPhones within two months, rose nearly three per cent in response.
Pre-orders for the much-anticipated 10th anniversary phone started from 0701GMT on Friday. “We can see from the initial response, customer demand is off the charts,” an Apple spokeswoman told Reuters.
“We’re working hard to get this revolutionary new product into the hands of every customer who wants one, as quickly as possible,” she added.
The technology giant’s website showed delivery times pushed out to five to six weeks for the phone, compared to an initial plan of November 3. Meanwhile, Best Buy, the retail giant and one of Apple’s most important sales channels, is charging consumers an extra $100 for the already pricey iPhone X.
Customers who on Friday began purchasing iPhone X models ahead of the November 3 release date noticed that Best Buy is charging $1,099 for base model configurations and $1,249 for models with more storage.
Apple’s comparable prices are $999 and $1,149. Best Buy confirmed that the higher pricing is intentional and defended the decision by saying the higher cost is due to the multiple iPhone X purchasing options available on its website.
“Our prices reflect the fact that no matter a customer’s desired plan or carrier, or whether a customer is on a business or personal plan, they are able to get a phone the way they want at Best Buy,” spokeswoman Danielle Schumann said in an email. — IANS/Bloomberg