“A day after the buzzy unveiling of Apple’s new iPad Mini [sic], investors are turning their attention to a big issue hanging over the company: how fast it can make iPhones,” Jessica E. Lessin reports for The Wall Street Journal.
“Supplies of the new handset, which went on sale Sept. 21, have been unusually tight, according to multiple analysts who track inventory,” Lessin report. “The wait for the iPhone 5 tops the list of topics they intend to grill Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook on during the company’s fiscal fourth-quarter earnings call Thursday, they say.”
Lessin report, “New iPhone buyers currently have to wait as much as twice as long for the new device as customers did last time around.”
Read more in the full article here.
What’s the big deal…I waited a month. Not like I was going to buy a Droid. As a shareholder, I’d rather see Apple nurse a healthy backlog.
I agree. I’ve been waiting three weeks so far for my iPhone 5. I don’t see the wait as a big deal – it will arrive soon enough!
No, as a shareholder you want them to be able to supply the demand. If they can’t sell iPhones they can’t make any money. If they can’t make any money the stock price goes down. Unable to meet the demand for the first week is great PR for the press. Keeps the iPhone in the headlines. After that you need to be able to supply all those who want to buy an iPhone. You’re not in business to brag about customers having to wait four weeks for a phone. If you doubt what I say, catch the earnings call tomorrow. If Tim Cook says they will not be able to meet the demand for iPhone fives going forward it will kill the stock price. They’re in business to sell phones. It’s as simple as that. The last thing you want to see is a “healthy backlog”. Because there is no such thing. Just pay attention Thursday afternoon about 2 PM PST.
Little Known Fact:
If you go on Apple’s website each night at 10:00 PM, you can reserve one for pickup at your local Apple Store for the next day. This is how my girlfriend got hers in one day.
That’s only if the stores around have one, Cubert! Lucky girl, or just in an area with less demand than…Los Angeles, for instance. Have you been on from 10 PM – 4 AM to try your luck? I was. Repeatedly. Hitting the right button as soon as it shows up at 10. Then (eventually) scrolling through at least three pages of Apple Stores to find that NONE have one. Safest is just to order one…and wait.
We’re in Philly and this was a few weeks ago when iPhone 5 frenzy was at its peak. Maybe lucky? The stock was updated at 10:04 that night and it initially looked like everything was sold out (in the first 2-3 minutes after 10) but that was misleading.
UPS has my new iPhone at Incheon, Korea after leaving ZhengZhou, China, for delivery by end of day Monday, Oct. 29. It was ordered Sept. 29, after nightmare days of calling Apple store and being eighth caller, waiting while listening to awful music, and being seventh caller, waiting while listening to awful music, etc., to be completely sold out. One rep said order for delivery at Apple Store at the refresh time of 10 p.m. So I got a bad night’s sleep only to have status of unavailable. A normal working person can’t take off work to wait in line, or order online in the middle of the night.
It is now in Loiusville, KY, via Anchorage, AK.
This is why it will be next summer before you see Apple $700 share price.
You mean Again? Already been to $705.07.
“wait as much as twice as long….” What sort of idiotic “journalist” writes a phrase like that?
2-1/2 weeks since I ordered an iPhone5. Still not showing a ship date.
This is hurting Apple and I expect shares will slide.
When I ordered the phone at AT&T there were 3 other people wanting the iPhone as well but didn’t want to wait the 1 to 2 weeks for it to arrive so they bought galaxy phones instead. Besides the fact my phone is 5 days past the expected delivery date, Apple is loosing big money and more importantly, market share every day they can’t fulfill their orders. By the time the iPhone 5 is readily available, the new Galaxy phones will be here. That is going to hurt Apple even more.
I don’t care who you are, but when a customer wants a product and is told to wait weeks for delivery, many will simply choose the competitor that is in stock and comparable.
Apple loses in this race. Hope iPhone 6 does a better deployment or Apple is cooked.
I walked into a Super Target two weeks ago and walked out with a white 32gb iPhone 5, when the 4S launched and 3rd iPad came out te same deal. The 5’s can be found. Just need to look around!