When Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iPhone 5S hits store shelves on Friday, early supply is not going to be too good, according to multiple media outlets. Of course if you’ve been paying attention to reports about the iPhone 5S over the last few months, this might not come as a huge surprise.
iPhone 5S supply “grotesquely” low
Ina Fried of All Things D reports that one carrier source said they will have “grotesquely unavailable inventory” in relation to the iPhone 5S. BGR’s Jonathan Geller says something similar, reporting that his sources have indicated that iPhone 5S supply is “severely constrained.”
This ultra-low initial supply of the iPhone 5S may be why Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) chose not to make the handset available for preorder. The less expensive iPhone 5C though, has been available for preorder since Friday, and carriers have indicated that supply for the 5C appears to be better than it is for the 5S.
iPhone 5S had component problems
If you remember, in July there were reports that a couple of major components were causing problems for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). The reports suggested that problems with the fingerprint sensor would reduce the amount of iPhone 5S handsets that would be available at launch, which of course is now just days away.
Another report suggested a 4.3-inch screen was also causing problems, but of course if this one was true, it doesn’t apply to the iPhone 5S, which has the same 4-inch screen the iPhone 5 had.
New iPhones on sale Friday
The iPhone 5S and 5C are both expected to go on sale this week Friday at AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless in the U.S. Chris Burns of Slashgear reports that the iPhone 5S already went on sale in China and sold out in every color. Apparently people in New York even started standing in line for the new iPhone on Sept. 6—before the new phones were even announced.
