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Supplies of the larger size of Apple's new phone have been
exhausted in all shades, and the smaller iPhone 7 has also sold
out in the new jet black color, the company said.
Customers who enter Apple Stores Friday, when the gadgets hit
shelves, will not be able to purchase the sold-out phones on
site, but they can continue to place orders for their desired
models online, Apple said.
"We sincerely appreciate our customers' patience as we work hard
to get the new iPhone into the hands of everyone who wants one
as quickly as possible," Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller said in
a statement.
Apple launched the new phones at a San Francisco event earlier
this month. The gadgets feature improved cameras and eliminate
the traditional headphone jack in favor of new technology.
Breaking with tradition, the company will not release
first-weekend sales of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, saying the
figure is more a reflection of supply than demand.
The decision sparked concerns among some on Wall Street, where
many fear sales of the iPhone, a critical product for Apple, may
be leveling off. But U.S. wireless carriers Sprint Corp (S.N)
and T-Mobile US Inc (TMUS.O) said on Tuesday they received
strong pre-orders for the iPhone 7, sending Apple shares up.
"Based on everything I've seen it looks like demand is very
strong," analyst Jan Dawson of Jackdaw Research wrote in an
email.
The 5.5-inch iPhone model, known as the Plus, has sold out soon
after launch since Apple introduced the size with the iPhone 6
in 2014. Phones in newly released finishes are also typically
snapped up quickly by customers eager to showcase the latest
iPhone design.
(Reporting by Julia Love; Editing by Richard Pullin)
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