iPhone X may be in short supply for holiday season

Even Santa Claus might have trouble getting his hands on the iPhone X this Christmas.

The production delays facing Apple’s hotly anticipated handset may be worse than previous believed, according to an investor note from a chip analyst who recently toured Asian production facilities used by the tech titan.

Production of the $1,000 iPhone X won’t start until mid-October and won’t reach full steam until December, according to Raymond James’ Christopher Caso.

“That production start is about a month later when compared to expectations a month ago, and about 2 months later than expectations at the end of June,” Caso said in the note.

With pre-orders starting Oct. 27 and units shipping Nov. 3, the iPhone X will be in extremely short supply for the holiday season, and possibly for several months following it.

CFRA Research’s Angelo Zino believes that if significant delays do indeed occur, they might be substantial enough that customers will stick with the phones they have and wait to see what new iPhone is released in 2018. Or, he said, the delays may push customers away from Apple altogether.

“Existing iPhone users could potentially look to competitors like Samsung or Google,” Zino told The Post.

Another possible alternative is that the window created by delays will push customers to the new iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. While reviews of the 8 have been positive, most reviewers have suggested customers wait to check out the iPhone X.

But with half the current iPhone base using an iPhone 6 or older, according to Zino, the 8 may be able to capitalize on customers’ impatience.