iPhone 5s shipping times now at 2 to 3 weeks
Eager Apple fans waiting for their iPhone 5s deliveries can now look forward to a relatively specific window, as Apple's online store now shows shipping times of two to three weeks.
The iPhone 5s and 5c debuted to record-breaking sales of more than nine million units sold during the launch weekend. The higher-end 5s quickly sold out, though, with the online Apple store showing ship dates pushed to "October" less than two days after it became available. Now, though, Apple's iPhone 5s page shows that 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB units are available to ship within two to three weeks for both carrier-locked units and unlocked units.
The ship times appear to apply to all color variants of the hot-selling device, including the highly popular gold variant, which was the first to see its delivery times slip. That unit, though, is still unavailable for in-store pickup. Unlocked units are also unavailable for in-store pickup.
Apple seemed to telegraph that the 5s would be available in limited quantities when it did not announce a pre-order period for the device at its unveiling. Analysts and observers noted prior to the device's debut that supplies could be tight, citing difficulties in mass-producing the Touch ID biometric sensor Apple built into the 5s.
While the new ship times mark some improvement in 5s supply, questions remain regarding the overall availability of the new high-end iPhone. In a note provided to AppleInsider, industry analyst Gene Munster claimed that supply is declining in the United States. Munster pointed to the impending launch of the handset in 51 new international markets on November 1 as a possible reason for the constraints.
The mid-range iPhone 5c, however, remains well-stocked both in physical Apple Stores and online. An examination of the polycarbonate-backed iPhone's page revealed that virtually all configurations are available to ship within 24 hours or for in-store pickup.
The iPhone 5s and 5c debuted to record-breaking sales of more than nine million units sold during the launch weekend. The higher-end 5s quickly sold out, though, with the online Apple store showing ship dates pushed to "October" less than two days after it became available. Now, though, Apple's iPhone 5s page shows that 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB units are available to ship within two to three weeks for both carrier-locked units and unlocked units.
The ship times appear to apply to all color variants of the hot-selling device, including the highly popular gold variant, which was the first to see its delivery times slip. That unit, though, is still unavailable for in-store pickup. Unlocked units are also unavailable for in-store pickup.
Apple seemed to telegraph that the 5s would be available in limited quantities when it did not announce a pre-order period for the device at its unveiling. Analysts and observers noted prior to the device's debut that supplies could be tight, citing difficulties in mass-producing the Touch ID biometric sensor Apple built into the 5s.
While the new ship times mark some improvement in 5s supply, questions remain regarding the overall availability of the new high-end iPhone. In a note provided to AppleInsider, industry analyst Gene Munster claimed that supply is declining in the United States. Munster pointed to the impending launch of the handset in 51 new international markets on November 1 as a possible reason for the constraints.
The mid-range iPhone 5c, however, remains well-stocked both in physical Apple Stores and online. An examination of the polycarbonate-backed iPhone's page revealed that virtually all configurations are available to ship within 24 hours or for in-store pickup.
Comments
Doom, despair and agony - if it weren't for Apple's bad luck, they'd have no luck at all.
Don't worry about it - Munster says that they stuffed millions of phones into the channel and Kuo says that demand has fallen off a cliff.
/s
Have to see what happens when China Mobile is announced. There will be significant shortage going into holiday season due to heavy demand, no matter how good the production will be!
But nobody in China can afford an iPhone. /s
I ordered mine on Tuesday, October 1st (10 days ago). I called Apple on Sunday, October 6th and got 2-3 Business Days shipping, instead of 5 business days. It said "Preparing for Shipment" early in the morning on Thursday, October 10th and shipped early in the morning on Friday, October 11th. According to UPS, it will be here on Tuesday, October 15th by the end of the day. FYI, I bought a Space Gray, 32 GB, Unlocked/T-Mobile iPhone 5s.
I guess they had to change it since 3 weeks takes you into November. Has anyone who ordered in September not gotten at least preparing for shipment notice?
I ordered mine on Tuesday, October 1st (10 days ago). Called Apple on Sunday, October 6th and got 2-3 Business Days shipping time, instead of 5 business days. On Thursday, October 10th, it was "Preparing for Shipment" and shipped early in the morning on Friday, October 11th. According to UPS, it will be delivered on Tuesday, October 15th, at the end of the day. FYI, I bought a Space Gray, 32 GB, Unlocked/T-Mobile iPhone 5s.
I guess they had to change it since 3 weeks takes you into November. Has anyone who ordered in September not gotten at least preparing for shipment notice?
Ordered 64 GB Gold on 9/23 [from AT&T] and it still shows a ship date of 10/31/13 - 11/20/13. If you order today and it is 2-3 weeks, I would think earlier orders should be filled soon.
Today I received notice the gold 64 gig iPhone I ordered on September 23 would ship October 24-28, with delivery notice to follow at that time. The Apple Store shows delivery on November 4. I am in Southern California.
History is repeating itself, I guess. Saw this same pattern last year with the 5: Apple was shipping 2-3 weeks out, while anyone walking into an AT&T or Best Buy would be walking out with a new phone 30 minutes later. Seems like they do a better job keeping their partners stocked than their own supply chain.
Do you have proof these are the same 64GB Gold models mentioned by buyers on this site?
Do you have proof these are the same 64GB Gold models mentioned by buyers on this site?
What part of the article mentioned gold 64GB SKU's?
What part of "buyers on this site" did you miss?
Let's be clear, we're talking about apple.com which will let you order ANY model with any capacity and any color from any carrier they offer. That means you need to wait for when all those specifics are available, not just the small spattering that get shipped to stores and retailers that they've dispersed from their associated warehouses. Do you honestly think Apple would say "Hey, Cash907, just ordered this particular iPhone so let's call up Best Buy and have them return one of them from the contract we fulfilled before we even started selling them." Of course not! And don't be so shortsighted to ignore that someone that happens upon a Wal-Mart that has an iPhone won't be getting to choose from nearly every option nor will they have the number of buyer that apple.com will support.
All the analysts will conclude from the good news is that demand must have fallen off for the iPhones.
Doom, despair and agony - if it weren't for Apple's bad luck, they'd have no luck at all.
no… Macky, you're much too condescending to our 'anal'ysts.
They will conclude Apple was stupid and grossly underestimated manufacturing and/or supply chain capacity for the 5s (because they dedicated too much capacity to the 5c, which they make way too little money on) and cannot meet demand, those buyers demanding a 5s will flock to other phone sets (which until there was no 5s available were unsatisfactory).
This site will tell you iPhone availability (it pulls the data from Apple.com) and can send you an email if the iPhone you want becomes available near you. I have been following this for a while. It seems Apple send their stores big shipments of iPhones on Mondays and small shipments Fridays.
Has anyone who ordered in September not gotten at least preparing for shipment notice?
Ordered a 16GB gold through Verizon on September 23rd and was given a ship by date of November 11. No change since.