iPhone 5 supply closes in on U.S. demand
If you've been hoping to get an iPhone 5 but were discouraged by the lengthy shipping schedule, you may now be in luck.
The wait time for iPhone 5 units is finally shrinking, as iPhone 5 production is catching up with consumer demand in the U.S., according to research firm BTIG.
Wireless providers that are carrying the phone show a ship-by date that is about one week away, which is different from what Apple is showing on its online store, BTIG Analyst Walter Piecyk noted today. The Apple shipping time is still at 3 to 4 weeks.
Piecyk said this could be a strategic move from Apple to get more people into their brick-and-mortar stores.
"Apple might be trying to induce their customers to reserve a phone for next day pick up at one of their retail stores in the hopes of capturing additional sales," he wrote. "The reservation policy is the same for the iPad mini, but we have been able to find iPad mini inventory increasingly available in the handful of stores that we called."
Piecyk said it's too soon to say for sure whether the shortened wait time means people are less interested in buying the phone or if Apple just ramped up its production.