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Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster today issued a new research report claiming that supplies of the iPhone 5s in Apple's U.S. retail stores have reached "100% availability", showing that his survey of 60 locations revealed full availability of all color/capacity/carrier combinations.

munster_5s_supplies_9dec13.jpg
Based on our own check of 120 stores, supplies are just slightly short of 100%, as we were able to find several locations lacking stock of a few combinations. The most frequently out of stock models were T-Mobile devices, which still posted 98.6% availability according to our survey. AT&T and Verizon each saw only two specific model/location combinations out of stock for 99.8% availability, while we found all Sprint models in stock at all surveyed stores.

Late last week, shipping estimates for the iPhone 5s on Apple's online stores improved to 1-3 business days, further signifying that Apple has essentially reached a balance of supply and demand. Only unlocked SIM-free models remain somewhat constrained following their appearance in the U.S. late last month, with new orders being quoted shipping estimates of 5-7 business days.

Article Link: iPhone 5s Nears 100% Availability in Apple's U.S. Retail Stores
 

keysofanxiety

macrumors G3
Nov 23, 2011
9,539
25,302
Just wait for the analysts to use this exact data to create sensationalist headlines.

"Demand for the new iPhone plummets as stock level rises"

"Apple sales are down, claims anonymous store attendant"

"Did Apple fake small stock to increase demand?"

"Apple fans already waiting for the iPhone 6"

... and so on ...
 

TallManNY

macrumors 601
Nov 5, 2007
4,727
1,580
But why isn't the most heavily produced piece of electronics in the world not selling out two months after its introduction? It must be lack of demand! Apple's going to be stuck with a whole bunch of these devices clogging shelves and taking up space. Wait until you see the discounts AFTER the holiday quarter when these fail to move.

Everyone is just going to be buying PS4 and Xbox Ones, right?
 

WaxedJacket

macrumors 6502a
Oct 18, 2013
690
1,071
Kind of off topic but I wonder when they'll start supplying refurbished retina ipad minis ;)
 

jayducharme

macrumors 601
Jun 22, 2006
4,517
5,935
The thick of it
Is there any surprise here?

I find it interesting that T-Mobile is showing the most shortage (not by much, though). I wonder if that indicates bigger demand for iPhones on that carrier. Maybe their new pricing strategy is paying off for them.

On the other hand, the report seems to indicate that Sprint is lagging.
 

brianvictor7

macrumors 65816
Oct 24, 2013
1,054
429
United States
But why isn't the most heavily produced piece of electronics in the world not selling out two months after its introduction? It must be lack of demand! Apple's going to be stuck with a whole bunch of these devices clogging shelves and taking up space. Wait until you see the discounts AFTER the holiday quarter when these fail to move.

Everyone is just going to be buying PS4 and Xbox Ones, right?

Hard to tell if you are being serious or not, but since others surely are using that reasoning, I'll respond: it took 2 months just for supply to catch up to the demand. Now Apple can fine tune its supply (ramp it down as needed) to sell most efficiently. They have people whose jobs it is to project demand for the lifecycle of the phones and adjust to how they have been initially selling. Case in point, they ramped down iPhone 5c production when it wasn't selling as well as they'd hoped. Bottom line, I don't think they are worried about phones clogging their shelves.
 

TallManNY

macrumors 601
Nov 5, 2007
4,727
1,580
Hard to tell if you are being serious or not, but since others surely are using that reasoning, I'll respond: it took 2 months just for supply to catch up to the demand. Now Apple can fine tune its supply (ramp it down as needed) to sell most efficiently. They have people whose jobs it is to project demand for the lifecycle of the phones and adjust to how they have been initially selling. Case in point, they ramped down iPhone 5c production when it wasn't selling as well as they'd hoped. Bottom line, I don't think they are worried about phones clogging their shelves.

I was not being serious. iPhone 5S will probably break records for both number of units sold (as compared to any other smartphone), dollar amount of sales revenue, and total profit.

Apple's main issue is that certain parts of the government consider their smartphone position so dominant that it raises anti-trust issues. There is a small but growing movement that is going to start pushing for Apple to be broken up. You aren't hearing about this now, but you will in a few years if general trends continue. Those PC sales are going to drop off a cliff in two years, the android devices aren't being actually used as smartphones, and if iOS continues to dominate the tablet market with the tablet market becoming the bulk of the computer market, Apple is going to have a truly dominant position. At least in the U.S. that seems to be where we are going.
 

Jbenn425

macrumors regular
Nov 16, 2013
164
0
New Jersey
You should wait for the 6S, supposed to be way better than the 6. :cool:

Maybe he already has a 5, and has no reason to upgrade to a 5S since it's barely an update over the 5. The 6 on the other hand will be a worthy update over the 5. For what iPhones cost, they are not meant to be replaced every generation.
 

TallManNY

macrumors 601
Nov 5, 2007
4,727
1,580
I find it interesting that T-Mobile is showing the most shortage (not by much, though). I wonder if that indicates bigger demand for iPhones on that carrier. Maybe their new pricing strategy is paying off for them.

On the other hand, the report seems to indicate that Sprint is lagging.

T-Mobile has some really cheap pricing for basic plans here in the US and they are providing great pricing for international calls. I think some international calls to Europe are being provided for free and as part of unlimited calling.

I'm probably switching my iPhone from AT&T to T-Mobile one of these days just to get the cheaper plan. I've got Verizon BBRY Q10 as a work device so even if I'm out of T-Mobile coverage I've got a great back up. Sound quality is better on the BBRY Q10 anyway, so iPhone is quickly just becoming an App Phone for me.
 

JHankwitz

macrumors 68000
Oct 31, 2005
1,911
58
Wisconsin
I find it interesting that T-Mobile is showing the most shortage (not by much, though). I wonder if that indicates bigger demand for iPhones on that carrier. Maybe their new pricing strategy is paying off for them.

On the other hand, the report seems to indicate that Sprint is lagging.

Both Sprint and T-Mobile need to vastly increase their 4G-LTE coverage if they expect to grab more market share. Using an iPhone on their network is a waste of money. It's like buying a new Mac Pro and a 4K monitor to run MS Office, surf the web, or send email.

----------

Maybe he already has a 5, and has no reason to upgrade to a 5S since it's barely an update over the 5. The 6 on the other hand will be a worthy update over the 5. For what iPhones cost, they are not meant to be replaced every generation.

I guess that's why they use a two-year numbering scheme.
 

brianvictor7

macrumors 65816
Oct 24, 2013
1,054
429
United States
I was not being serious. iPhone 5S will probably break records for both number of units sold (as compared to any other smartphone), dollar amount of sales revenue, and total profit.

Apple's main issue is that certain parts of the government consider their smartphone position so dominant that it raises anti-trust issues. There is a small but growing movement that is going to start pushing for Apple to be broken up. You aren't hearing about this now, but you will in a few years if general trends continue. Those PC sales are going to drop off a cliff in two years, the android devices aren't being actually used as smartphones, and if iOS continues to dominate the tablet market with the tablet market becoming the bulk of the computer market, Apple is going to have a truly dominant position. At least in the U.S. that seems to be where we are going.

Thanks. I had a Sheldon Couper moment there (just wish I were as smart as he). :D

Wow, the idea of breaking up Apple because of it being too successful is a spectre I hadn't thought of before. I can see how it is a possibility. Hopefully it remains a remote one since the increasingly unified ecosystem of Apple is one of the reasons why I like to use it so much. PC sales are likely to continue to trend down given that you can do so much with a well-built tablet. Personally, I need a Macbook for what I do, but I seriously considered an iPad Air or iPad Mini.
 

brianvictor7

macrumors 65816
Oct 24, 2013
1,054
429
United States
Screen size man, screen size.

LOL! Well, there is a lot to be said about a bigger screen size. Really looking forward to what Apple comes out with in then next few years. I love my iPhone 5S (moved up from a 4S) so I really appreciate the extra space at the top and wish I had even more. :)
 

linuxcooldude

macrumors 68020
Mar 1, 2010
2,480
7,232
Apple's main issue is that certain parts of the government consider their smartphone position so dominant that it raises anti-trust issues. There is a small but growing movement that is going to start pushing for Apple to be broken up. You aren't hearing about this now, but you will in a few years if general trends continue. Those PC sales are going to drop off a cliff in two years, the android devices aren't being actually used as smartphones, and if iOS continues to dominate the tablet market with the tablet market becoming the bulk of the computer market, Apple is going to have a truly dominant position. At least in the U.S. that seems to be where we are going.

Having the highest market share of a product does not make it antitrust. It has to prove it uses its dominant position to commit unfair trade practices against its competitors. Such as refusing to allow a retail store to sell iPhones if it sells other brands of phones as an example or some such.

Being/selling the most popular phone / tablet is not one of them.
 
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