iPhone Pre-Order Shipping Estimates Begin Slipping to 2-3 Weeks, Led by Rose Gold iPhone 6s Plus

[phoni]

Blah...

Apple is becoming a sloth, can't move under its own weight.

 

[tony little]

More supply this time?

One big factor is launching China this year with the same timing as the US. A lot of demand from resellers exporting to China will be killed off.

 

[koulmj]

 

[Bawstun]

Oh lol, the "hey look at my BRAND NEW iPhone!"-guys strike again. gold is soooo 2013/2014, rose gold is 2015 baby!

Would have been one of them though () if the rose gold would be more like copper Was disappointed it's so pink/salmon..

You're disappointed something called ROSE gold was more...pink, than copper? Hmm.

 

[BuffaloTF]

Last year they ran out within minutes, I bet you will be able to order one later this morning. I'll let you believe that Apple finally produced enough phones to meet demands this year.
Will see in a few days on the outcome.

Last year the site went down for something around 3 hours and East Coast early risers like myself were jamming on the orders as well as the left coast folks at the same time.

This year the site stayed up, ran quickly, and I was off 10 minutes after I started, back in bed at 3:12 am.

We really can't compare a crashed website to a functional one.

 

[MentalFloss]

"Rose gold" aka "Pink"

 

[Pbrutto]

This is the first order ever where I was able to navigate the site easily without having to reload constantly. I was even able to browse later and place a preorder for my girlfriend as well with 0 issues. I don't think there is less demand, I think Apple upgraded their servers. Also remember the website was updated a month or two back, I'm sure stability was a huge behind the scene focus.

 

[optophobia]

It's unclear if it's fewer sales or better stock. I wouldn't be surprised if the sales were taking a hit, though, at least in the USA. I think this is the first year where no major American carrier is offering any discount on the iPhones with a two-year contract. Those discounts used to knock off around $400-500 of the phone's cost, which is pretty substantial. My family used to upgrade on the contract cycle regularly, but now that we'll need to pay full price, we'll probably upgrade every three to four years instead. I'd imagine a lot of other people and families are finding themselves in the same situation.

Not sure where you got this info.
I ordered a 64GB 6S for $299 with a two year contract from ATT this morning, which is the same price as previous years....

 

[gatortpk]

Wow, there are many more available and the release date is 6 days further away than in previous years.

If you purchase through AT&T, and possibly other carriers then the first shipments dates appear to be mid October!

Last year I ordered from both the carrier and Apple, then canceled the delayed order. This year, I got it right away through the iOS App.

 

[dumastudetto]

Demand is off the charts with most models already sold out of the allocation for launch day delivery. Clearly this is not a disappointing upgrade in the eyes of most savvy customers. Everyone at Apple should be feeling very proud and happy today.

 

[BuffaloTF]

So why is it after the US carriers finally open up and guarantee interoperability that Apple goes back to releasing separate GSM and CDMA versions of the iPhone? It looks like people have to choose between CDMA compatibility and LTE Band 30, and that it won't be possible for AT&T and T-Mobile iPhone 6s buyers to switch to Verizon or Sprint without buying new phones. In all other respects, including overseas support, the phones are identical. Why can't Apple release a single version?

You can use the standard GSM version perfectly fine on Verizon, and the CDMA version perfectly fine on AT&T and T-Mobile. No problems at all with this, unless you're in the shrinking numbers that consider Sprint viable.

 

[blackcrayon]

It's unclear if it's fewer sales or better stock. I wouldn't be surprised if the sales were taking a hit, though, at least in the USA. I think this is the first year where no major American carrier is offering any discount on the iPhones with a two-year contract. Those discounts used to knock off around $400-500 of the phone's cost, which is pretty substantial. My family used to upgrade on the contract cycle regularly, but now that we'll need to pay full price, we'll probably upgrade every three to four years instead. I'd imagine a lot of other people and families are finding themselves in the same situation.

I thought you were still saving that "subsidy" money (or much of it) by switching to the monthly payment/no contract plans though. Still it's far less clear than just saving the money up front and having the 2 year contract (which for most people doesn't matter because they have no intention of switching carriers mid-phone ownership).

 

[racer1441]

I would actually guess less supply this time thanks to "3D Touch", since they've left out a substantial amount of countries for the first wave, unlike the release of the 6.

Thank goodness for that. Cover the countries you can and then expand instead of having pissed off people in many countries.

 

[vito]

What low sales? Where are you getting this info? Just because you can get a phone 3 hours later and have it on release day does not mean its not selling as well. We have no idea if production has been increased over last year.

Yep. Every year we get the same armchair analysts with "it's not sold out in 60 seconds so it's a flop". I'm confident they'll announce recording breaking sales as usual.

 

[michael31986]

I don't get how an iPhone 6s plus 128gb rose gold ordered from att at 11:52 is only estimate October 16 to 23

 

[Nevaborn]

Sales will take a hit this year as the 6 & 6+ are still amazing phones. However production yields have increased especially now they know the Plus is desirable. Last year it was a punt as there was a lot of sceptics but this time around even those that were like no way it is too big are saying well after 12 months the 6 feels fibe so I may give the Plus a shot.

 

[Nevaborn]

As for Rose Gold I knew it would sell fast as it is the latest offering but I think resale will hurt. SG is usually the best resale as it is neutral and appeals to the most people which retailers want.

If it had been a bronze and cost an extra £50+ I would of got it though.

 

[andiwm2003]

I think the low sales count has to do with the following:
1. Lack of interest for this years model
2. Not much of an upgrade
3. No 2-year option on Apple site

For me it was 3 & 2. Even now, almost 3 hours later I can still get a Space Grey 64 and have it by 25 September.

Not much of an upgrade? Are you kidding? It's improved in every aspect. BTW most people upgrade from a iPhone 4s, 5 or 5s so for us this is a huge upgrade no matter what.

 

[MacDarcy]

Rose Gold? Blech! Definitely my least favorite color of the bunch.

 

[goomba478]

I'm so happy! I tried at 3:00 AM EST to get onto: AT&T, Apple Store, Apple Store App, etc. and had NO luck. At 3:30 I thought I was successful with the AT&T app and it said "Congratulations, you have pre-ordered an iPhone 6 Plus 16GB Silver (I was going for a 6S Plus, Space Grey). That freaked me out a bit but it seemed to have been a glitch. 3 hours later I was able to get the phone I wanted with launch day delivery (first time ever!) and a Rose Gold 128GB 6S Plus for the wife (2-3 week wait). Good luck guys!

 

[Popeye206]

It's so funny, if all the phones were sold out people would be saying that Apple intentionally constrained supply to give the impression of high demand. Yet if the phones aren't sold out then that means it's low sales due to weak demand.

Exactly! We (everyone here) have no idea what the supply looks like for this model. Apple has lots of sales data on the 6 and 6 plus, and I'm sure they have a pretty good idea of what to produce more of and less of to meet launch day demand. Last year it was a guess... this year they have some history to go by and should know.

Because of the above, I'd guess they have just gotten better at stocking and that's why we're seeing less models sell out sooner. Remember, for everyone who could upgrade last year, there's probably just as many this year who are now finally eligible for an upgrade and will want to jump on this. I personally think the S version is a significant upgrade and I'll probably upgrade my wife's phone this year. I got the upgrade last year.

 

[MacDarcy]

I've never been less interested in an iPhone as with the 6S.

As a travel photographer who uses his iPhone a lot, I'm interested just for the new improved camera alone. I think there are plenty of other internal reasons to upgrade too. Just because it hasn't changed externally doesn't mean it's a minor upgrade. I respect your choice not to upgrade tho. I don't think it's necessary for everyone to upgrade every year. However, Apples new payment plan makes it pretty painless now.

 

[62tele]

Well, I'm sure it will be another massive flop. After all, we've already had someone say they've "never been less interested". (I'll wait for the 7 but I find the changes in the 6s some of the best ever for an "s" cycle. I just love my current 6.)
However, I'm most interested in whatever "xxxx-gate" the S model will produce. I'm betting on "marshmallow-gate". Someone will subject the 6s to molten marshmallow which damage the phone or disable 3D touch or something. Of course, this will be done in totally dark room with light leaking from the iPhone's bezel further adding to the scorn of critics. Samsung will then come out with a S'more's video mocking the iPhone.

 

[morcutt11]

I believe he has that right.

It's not a right - it's a privilege

 

[koulmj]

define flop?