https://www.theverge.com/2017/10/25/16542614/apple-iphone-x-face-id-manufacturing-issues-report

We’ve known for months that the iPhone X will be very difficult to buy until 2018, but a new report is providing some details on what Apple is doing to improve the situation. Bloomberg reports that Apple has lowered the specifications for its Face ID components, to allow its supply chain to manufacture the iPhone X quicker. “It quietly told suppliers they could reduce the accuracy of the face-recognition technology to make it easier to manufacture,” says Bloomberg.

This reduction in accuracy appears to have taken place around the time of the iPhone X unveiling last month, but Bloomberg only says “early fall.” Apple announced the Face ID feature for the iPhone X on September 12th, noting its superior accuracy to Touch ID. Apple claims Face ID’s accuracy is 1,000,000:1, compared to 50,000:1 for Touch ID. If Apple has reduced the accuracy, the company will still be able to claim that Face ID is far more accurate than Touch ID.