Apple shares fall on iPhone X supply fears

iPhone 8 launch draws smaller crowds

The new Apple iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, as well as the updated Apple Watch, went on sale on Saturday. Giuseppe Cacace / AFP

Shares of Apple Inc dipped on Monday and flirted with correction territory following a report that the company had told suppliers to scale back shipments of parts for its upcoming iPhone X.

Digitimes, citing unnamed sources, reported that Apple suppliers were shipping just 40 per cent of the components originally ordered for the premium phone, which goes on sale in early November.

That added to concerns on Wall Street about demand for Apple’s new devices after the launch on Friday of the iPhone 8, a less expensive model than the iPhone X, drew smaller crowds than previous launches.

Apple declined to comment.

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Some investors saw the tepid iPhone 8 debut as a sign that customers were holding out for the iPhone X, which boasts an edge-to-edge display and will sell in the United States for US$999.

Amid a broad selloff in technology shares on Monday, Apple’s stock finished down 0.9 per cent. It earlier fell as much as 1.8 per cent, bringing its loss since a record high on September 1 to 9 per cent.

Many investors define a correction as a 10 per cent decline. A stock in correction may be viewed as either a buying opportunity or as likely to fall further.

“I’d buy Apple in this pullback,” said Wedbush trader Joel Kulina. “It’s a high-priced product but super high-end.”

While the number of people lining up outside Apple stores has dropped over the past several years with many buyers choosing to shop online, the weak turnout for the latest iPhone has partly been due to poor reviews.

Apple’s stock recently traded at 13.8 times expected earnings, its lowest valuation since February, according to Thomson Reuters Datastream.

Over the past two years, Apple’s average forward price-to-earnings ratio has been 12.6.