Apple's $1,000 iPhone X has apparently proven to be a hard sell for many. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Apple will cut its planned production of its flagship iPhone through March by half, from the 40 million handsets originally planned to 20 million, which the paper speculates is due to "weaker-than-expected" demand.

In addition to cutting the number of handsets made, Apple also reportedly cut orders for components needed to make the iPhone X by 60 percent. Ars has reached out to Apple for further comment and will update if we hear back.

While Apple did not provide an official statement to The Wall Street Journal, a person familiar with the matter claims these types of cuts come when "things aren't selling well."

However, there are also conflicting reports suggesting that there are no significant drops in the supply chain, as is the case with Japanese component supplier Murata. Similar reports of Apple cutting production of new iPhone models occurred after the holidays in several previous years, and it has not always been a sign of disappointing sales.

We're only a few days away from Apple releasing its Q4 2017 earnings report on Thursday, which will likely reveal more information about iPhone sales through the end of last year. Those sales will include numbers for iPhone 6, 7, and 8 models in addition to iPhone X sales numbers.

Initial iPhone X production was hindered by component problems as the complex technology needed for FaceID, Apple's new facial recognition system, apparently held things up. The first batch of iPhone X models only contained 46,500 units, suggesting Apple might have had issues keeping up with initial launch demand.

The handset's $1,000 price tag may have deterred potential customers from upgrading. The iPhone X is the most expensive handset the company has released, and many customers may have opted for the slightly more affordable iPhone 7 or 8 models. Overall, that's not a bad thing for Apple. The company still sold iPhones—analysts anticipate total iPhone shipments for Q4 2017 to be up by 1.5 percent—but Apple may not have sold as many of its newest flagship as it had hoped.