iPhone 5s Inventory Said to Be 'Severely Constrained' at Launch

iPhone 5s inventories are said to be very limited at launch, according to reports from several different publications sourcing employees at Apple Retail Stores and cellular carriers.

One source told AllThingsD that an unnamed carrier will have "grotesquely unavailable inventory" and another said they were disappointed with the shipments of the phone from Apple. BGR likewise said 5s supply would be "severely constrained".

iPhone 5s Order
9to5Mac's Mark Gurman claims three of four units shipped to Apple Stores will be the new Space Gray color -- gold and silver options will be more difficult to come by -- while phones meant for AT&T's network will be more plentiful than those for Verizon. He also says 16GB and 32GB models will be in greater supply than 64GB units.

A survey from earlier this year showed that the 16GB and 32GB models were far more popular than the 64GB version, with nearly 90% of iPhones purchased being the lower two capacities.

Finally, Gurman says Apple will be updating its Apple Store iOS app to show the in-stock status of various iPhone models at their local Apple Retail Stores.

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Top Rated Comments

friedmud Avatar
156 months ago
How hard is it to make a phone that's a minor variant of the phone they were already making?

What are you talking about? Even though the case is largely the same (with the exception of the home button) _everything_ inside that case is completely new:

1. New A7 chip
2. New M7 chip
3. New Camera
4. New Flash
5. New Fingerprint Sensor

"Minor Variant" my ass.

I swear that most of the posters on this forum surely must be plants by Samsung and Microsoft....
Score: 123 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheKrs1 Avatar
156 months ago
How hard is it to make a phone that's a minor variant of the phone they were already making?

Probably not very hard. Luckily this isn't a "minor variant" of their existing phone. Everything got retooled for the internals. Thanks.
Score: 57 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sniffies Avatar
156 months ago
My wife is at a hospital right now, about to give birth to our first child.

I feel so bad that I can't be with her right now as I've joined the line at the Apple store Fifth Avenue. So stoked!
Score: 51 Votes (Like | Disagree)
brand Avatar
156 months ago
My exwife is at a hospital right now, about to give birth to our first child.

I feel so bad that I can't be with her right now as I've joined the line at the Apple store Fifth Avenue. So stoked!
There I corrected it for you.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Klae17 Avatar
156 months ago
Who's surprised?
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chuckles:) Avatar
156 months ago
How hard is it to make a phone that's a minor variant of the phone they were already making?
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)