iPhone 5s no longer available for in-store pickup at Apple retail stores

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
Likely indicating still steady demand for the iPhone 5s, Apple has removed pick-up-in-store availability for its high-end smartphone after just one day.



On Monday, both the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c became available for customers to order online and pick up at their local Apple Store, sometimes in as little as one hour. Now, though, a check of Apple's online store reveals that the iPhone 5s is unavailable for in-store pickup in any color or configuration.

The iPhone 5c, however, is still available for pickup in an Apple Store. Some reports have noted that the faster selling pace for the higher-end iPhone may be due largely to the rush of early adopters eager to have Apple's latest and greatest smartphone model.

Demand for the iPhone 5s has been particularly high, with initial supply exhausted in less than two days. Soon after the device launched, units ordered online went from shipping in days to shipping at an unspecified time in October.

Apple released figures on Monday revealing that it had sold nine million total iPhone 5s and 5c units in the devices' first three days of availability. The Cupertino company could likely have sold more of its high-end device had there been greater supply available, but Apple's 5s inventory is believed by many to have been lower than usual due to poor production yields of the built-in Touch ID biometric sensor.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 46
    poksipoksi Posts: 482member
    5C i selling like hell as well. Who thinks opposite, has no clue about Apple and its customers...
  • Reply 2 of 46
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    Apple <a href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/09/23/apple-announces-sales-of-9-million-iphone-5s-5c-units-in-first-3-days">released figures on Monday</a> revealing that it had sold nine million total iPhone 5s and 5c units in the devices' first three days of availability. The Cupertino company could likely have sold more of its high-end device had there been greater supply available, but Apple's 5s inventory is <a href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/09/13/citing-iphone-5s-yields-iphone-5c-pricing-jefferies-lowers-apple-target-to-425">believed by many</a> to have been lower than usual due to poor production yields of the built-in Touch ID biometric sensor.

    I wish people would stop repeating stupid rumors as if they were true.

    If supply were lower than normal, how did they sell record numbers of iPhones?

    Dropping of 5S in-store pickup seems odd. Maybe they expect supply to catch up with demand fairly quickly which would make the in-store pickup policy superfluous.

    OTOH, the analysts will say that the demand is so poor that they don't need to offer pickup any more. /s
  • Reply 3 of 46
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by poksi View Post



    5C i selling like hell as well. Who thinks opposite, has no clue about Apple and its customers...

     

    I think the 5c best time will be later in the cycle, when both phones becomes outdated, customer buying 6 months or less from the next upgrade are more cost sensitive and less after the lastest tech.

  • Reply 4 of 46

    Yeah, channel stuffing. /s

     

    Another foolish analyst -- Munster -- bites the dust.

  • Reply 5 of 46
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post





    I wish people would stop repeating stupid rumors as if they were true.

    If supply were lower than normal, how did they sell record numbers of iPhones?



     

     

    The arguments of some analysts (and it makes senses to some extend BTW) is that a chunk of the 9 millions phones are 5c's that went into the channel (merchants other than Apple, like Best Buy for example). Those phones may not be "sold" units yet. Like it or not, some of Apple "sold" numbers are actually "ship" numbers and not sold numbers. Phones "ship" into the channel are count as "sold" by Apple.  Phones sold on Apple online site and in Apple stores are real "sold" phones.

     

    Normally this would not matter if Apple would have sold the iphone 5 at a discount.  But because the 5c is a new phone, channel shipments are higher than usual. In the case of the 5s, since its sold out, its fair to say those units in the channel are "sold" units because, well, they are sold out.

     

    So some of the 9 millions "sold" phones are "ship" iphones 5c. But its almost impossible to know how many.

  • Reply 6 of 46
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post

     

    Yeah, channel stuffing. /s

     

    Another foolish analyst -- Munster -- bites the dust.


     

    Munster is right, like it or not. Read my post above

     

    edit:  Note: He is right that "some" units in the channel are unsold 5c's, but I NOT saying is numbers are accurate. He mention 2 to 3 millions units are unsold 5c's, imo its much lower than that. Also remember Apple doesnt count its Apple store channel like sold units. They only reports real sales done at Apple stores.

  • Reply 7 of 46

    Heh... my 64gb 5s will be here Thursday but for kicks I looked last night to see the availability...

     

    According to the online Apple store there was multiple configurations of the space gray unit in various stores... ONE silver unit in Lynnwood... and no gold units anywhere around the entire Seattle metro area.

     

    I feel fortunate I ordered a silver... I will have a unique iPhone!  LOL

  • Reply 8 of 46
    herbapou wrote: »
    The arguments of some analysts (and it makes senses to some extend BTW) is that a chunk of the 9 millions phones are 5c's that went into the channel (merchants other than Apple, like Best Buy for example). Those phones may not be "sold" units yet. Like it or not, some of Apple "sold" numbers are actually "ship" numbers and not sold numbers. Phones "ship" into the channel are count as "sold" by Apple.  Phones sold on Apple online site and in Apple stores are real "sold" phones.

    Normally this would not matter if Apple would have sold the iphone 5 at a discount.  But because the 5c is a new phone, channel shipments are higher than usual. In the case of the 5s, since its sold out, its fair to say those units in the channel are "sold" units because, well, they are sold out.

    So some of the 9 millions "sold" phones are "ship" iphones 5c. But its almost impossible to know how many.

    And yet supplies in carrier stores for both 5s and 5c were "grotesquely low" just earlier this week... and now they're stuffed? I'm betting most of the 5c inventory is in apple retail stores, which wouldn't figure into sell in anyway.
  • Reply 9 of 46
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    herbapou wrote: »
    The arguments of some analysts (and it makes senses to some extend BTW) is that a chunk of the 9 millions phones are 5c's that went into the channel (merchants other than Apple, like Best Buy for example). Those phones may not be "sold" units yet. Like it or not, some of Apple "sold" numbers are actually "ship" numbers and not sold numbers. Phones "ship" into the channel are count as "sold" by Apple.  Phones sold on Apple online site and in Apple stores are real "sold" phones.

    Normally this would not matter if Apple would have sold the iphone 5 at a discount.  But because the 5c is a new phone, channel shipments are higher than usual. In the case of the 5s, since its sold out, its fair to say those units in the channel are "sold" units because, well, they are sold out.

    So some of the 9 millions "sold" phones are "ship" iphones 5c. But its almost impossible to know how many.


    Several problems with your 'analysis':

    1. All reports are that 75-80% of the sales were the 5S, so even if ALL of the 5C units went into the channel, it was still a record setting figure.

    2. Most reports are that even the 5C is sold out - so there's little channel inventory left.

    3. Apple doesn't count 'shipment' numbers. They count sales. Maybe you have them confused with Android.

    4. If you are correct and there is channel inventory, what about their failure to replenish iPhone 5 inventory for weeks or months? The iPhone 5 inventory is down even if the 5C inventory is up, so EVEN IF your hypothesis is correct, it's meaningless.

    In the end, it was an incredible, record breaking performance no matter how much silly fools want to pretend otherwise.
  • Reply 10 of 46
    Quote:



    Originally Posted by th3burninator View Post





    And yet supplies in carrier stores for both 5s and 5c were "grotesquely low" just earlier this week... and now they're stuffed? I'm betting most of the 5c inventory is in apple retail stores, which wouldn't figure into sell in anyway.

     

    To the best of my knowledge, it would.

  • Reply 11 of 46
    Munster is very dependable. He's dependably wrong.

    This is the guy who said AAPL was going to 1000 last year.
  • Reply 12 of 46
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by th3burninator View Post





    And yet supplies in carrier stores for both 5s and 5c were "grotesquely low" just earlier this week... and now they're stuffed? I'm betting most of the 5c inventory is in apple retail stores, which wouldn't figure into sell in anyway.

     

    You can bet what you want, but retailers still have stock's of 5c. Like I said, its hard to tell how many are shipped 5c's. When Analyst's says they did a "channel check", what they are trying to do it estimates how many units in the channel are sold or ship units.

  • Reply 13 of 46
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post





    Several problems with your 'analysis':



    1. All reports are that 75-80% of the sales were the 5S, so even if ALL of the 5C units went into the channel, it was still a record setting figure.



    2. Most reports are that even the 5C is sold out - so there's little channel inventory left.



    3. Apple doesn't count 'shipment' numbers. They count sales. Maybe you have them confused with Android.



    4. If you are correct and there is channel inventory, what about their failure to replenish iPhone 5 inventory for weeks or months? The iPhone 5 inventory is down even if the 5C inventory is up, so EVEN IF your hypothesis is correct, it's meaningless.



    In the end, it was an incredible, record breaking performance no matter how much silly fools want to pretend otherwise.

     

    a. If the 75-80% figure is true then I think everyone would have to agree that's a shit load of 5s phones sold. [Cook has to be commended for that]

     


    b. If the 75-80% figure is true and Apple has stuffed the channel to some degree then that would be a sad tale for the 5c at the moment.
  • Reply 14 of 46
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post



    Several problems with your 'analysis':



    3. Apple doesn't count 'shipment' numbers. They count sales. Maybe you have them confused with Android.

     



     

    This is completly false, units in the channel are count as "sold" by Apple, regarless of them being sold or not.. This is how it works, but believe what you want.

     

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post

    4. If you are correct and there is channel inventory, what about their failure to replenish iPhone 5 inventory for weeks or months? The iPhone 5 inventory is down even if the 5C inventory is up, so EVEN IF your hypothesis is correct, it's meaningless.

     

     

    We can bet that Apple tryied to reduce channel inventory of the iphone 5 in the prior months. So this will results in less "sales" indeed. But when launching a new phone, Apple will have to restock the channel inventory if units are available.

     

    That being said, if you go various resellers and check the 5c availabilty, you are more of less doing a channel check to estimate sales... if the 5c is sold out too, you can assume most of the 5c in the channels are sold units.

     

    Other examples:

    Apply playing with its channel inventory prior to launches is nothing new. For example, at last earnings, Apple ipads sales were apparently lower because they started to reduce inventory ahead of the new ipads. It was even mention by Apple on the conference call... in that case, it was good for the sale numbers, because Apple "sold" x numbers of units taking into account it started to reduce channel inventory of ipads, meaning that if channel inventory would have stay the same, the numbers of "sold" ipads would have been higher.

  • Reply 15 of 46
    I'd want a gold one, but I'm not a proud large wig-wearing black woman.
  • Reply 16 of 46
    banchobancho Posts: 1,517member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by GoonerYoda View Post



    I'd want a gold one, but I'm not a proud large wig-wearing black woman.

     

    Judging by how quickly the gold ones sold out, their appeal is probably not restricted to one contrived stereotype (even though we don't know how many were available relative to the silver and grey models).

  • Reply 17 of 46
    I had a silver 32 5s ordered for "October" delivery. Stopped by my retail Apple at 2:30 yesterday and they had received a shipment 10 minutes before. Cancelled my online order, picked up the new phone, traded in my old phone and it took 37 minutes on the parking meter! Timing is everything. They said they never know when they will get shipments.
  • Reply 18 of 46
    D!ck head misk is at it again. I just wish he gets fired

    "Shares of Apple (AAPL) are up $1.61 at $492.25, after Jefferies & Co.‘s Peter Misek issued a skeptical view of the company’s reported 9 million in first-weekend sales of the iPhone 5S and 5C. Based on reviews of the supply chain, Misek estimates the company sold 4 million of the 5S and 2.5 million of the 5C, with the rest being sold into the channel, meaning non-Apple stores. Misek opines “While 6.5 million sell-through is still solid, it is not a huge amount of upside.” He reiterates a Hold rating on Apple shares and a $425 price target."
  • Reply 19 of 46

    Guess there are many such women in China you obvious racist!

  • Reply 20 of 46
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by herbapou View Post

     

    Munster is right, like it or not. Read my post above


    Nonsense. He's purely speculating, and has zero clue. Like you do.

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