Realising that few people were buying the iPhone X despite being told it was wonderful, the Tame Apple Press decided to carry out an investigation to discover why.

A CNET reporter visited four carrier stores to ask their sales people if they'd recommend an iPhone X. But after visiting stores for Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon, "I couldn't even find a salesperson to tell me it was the best iPhone I could buy", he whined.

Realising that no sane customer loving sales person would recommend an Apple product, he thought he would go to an Apple store instead. There, at least a genius recommending the most expensive product on the list could reassure him.

Unfortunately not even in Apple land could he find anyone dumb or brainwashed enough to recommend the iPhone X.

"Well, it depends on what you like… The biggest problem I have with it is using Face ID for Apple Pay. You really have to put the phone at a certain angle or it doesn't work."

The reporter was outraged at the genius' sales pitch. “He started with a problem. I was already suspicious. I was in something of a hurry, but I asked him: 'So are you selling a lot more of these than other phones?'"

The sales genius suddenly sounded like a politician, moaned the hack. "All our phones sell well", he said. Which sounded not entirely reassuring. Indeed, it sounded like a "no".

Another Apple store "genius" (who was testing his iPhone 6), told the CNET reporter that: "The X and the 8 are the same phone... Inside, I mean. With the X, you're just paying the extra money for the design."

The hack noted that the sales man's $999 iPhone X was wrapped in an ugly pink case, because after four weeks he'd already cracked it. And a third Apple sales man - who touted the glories of an OLED screen - also kept his iPhone X in a case at all times "It's glass", he explained. "You'll definitely need a case."

This means that you can’t see the lovely phone and show it to your friends so they can see how beautiful it is, moaned the hack.

“Get a see through case," the Apple staff member advised.

Sales of the iPhone X are proving disappointing and it looks like Apple’s get punters to pay more for less strategy is finally not working.