On Friday, September 20th, Apple’s new iPhones will be released in ten select markets. One of those markets is the U.S., Apple’s home country. This is the first time that the company’s new smartphones will be launched on all four major U.S. carriers, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint, on the same day. This is also the first time that Apple has launched two new iPhones together. A new AllThingsD report cites a carrier source saying that they have “grotesquely” low iPhone 5S inventory, the same has reportedly been reiterated by other carrier sources as well. If this is really the case, it might be a titanic task to get your hands on an iPhone 5S come Friday.
This isn’t actually the first time we’ve heard of iPhone 5S supply constraints. Apple hasn’t offered the smartphone up for pre-order, which has sparked speculation that perhaps initial supply is indeed constrained. On the other hand, both Apple and its partners have been taking pre-orders for iPhone 5C since September 13th. According to the cited carrier sources, there’s significantly better inventory for the plastic iPhone. The sources also believe that there might be as intense demand for the iPhone 5S as initially anticipated. Apple hasn’t commented to this report as yet.