Apple has taken its Asia-Pacific online stores offline for the time being, preparing for the launch of iPhone 5s orders in several markets there. Unlike with the iPhone 5c pre-order launch last week which took place at a uniform 12:01 AM Pacific Time, the iPhone 5s online order launches are staggered around the world in order to accommodate the in-store launches happening in many of the same countries at 8:00 AM local time.
Other markets will see similar overnight launches for online orders, with Apple having informed UK customers that orders would begin at 12:01 AM British Summer Time and U.S. customers that orders would begin at 12:01 AM Pacific Time.
Article Link: Apple's Asia-Pacific Online Stores Go Down Ahead of Staggered iPhone 5s Order Launches