Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) CEO Tim Cook was spotted at the company’s Palo Alto store this morning celebrating the company’s launch of the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c. The executive was followed by two of the company’s other senior executives, Phil Shiller and Eddie Cue. The iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c launch at the Palo Alto store attracted more than 200 fans, according to 9to5mac.com.
The iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c sale went live today at Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) stores around the world. In the United States, stores opened at 8:00 a.m. local time, and online orders opened just minutes ago at 2:15 a.m. Many of the Apple fans who showed up for the launch were disappointed as the company ran out of some models pretty quickly.
iPhone 5s shortages
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) acknowledged in a statement today that the iPhone 5s was almost completely sold out in some locations, and the device was only available on a limited basis in others. In the lead up to the release, analysts had predicted that supplies of the device would run out by the end of the weekend, though none were optimistic enough to suggest Friday afternoon shortages.
When the iPhone 5s sale went live in Australia it became clear that only limited quantities of the gold-colored iPhone 5s would be available to consumers. Gold is the new color in the iPhone range and demand appears to have been strong. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) did not reveal how many units of the iPhone 5s it made available this weekend.
The shortages in the iPhone 5s are likely due to a lack of components. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) introduced a new fingerprint reader and it appears that supply of vital components is constrained. That constraint has resulted in a large amount of disappointed Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) fans this morning.
Tim Cook presents
Tim Cook spent his time this morning greeting fans at the Palo Alto Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) location and consoling those who did not get their hands on a new iPhone 5s or iPhone 5c. The CEO shook the hands of those in line at the store and spoke to some of the company’s fans.
Palo Alto has a special place in the heart of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) because it was the hometown of glorified founder Steve Jobs.
