With the iPhone 7 preorders selling like hotcakes, Apple is defying critiques that the demand for its latest iPhone models has been waning. Yet, even though Wall Street investors are rejoicing, fans and customers who want to get hold of the iPhone 7 may not be as happy.
Recent reports say that Apple is having trouble with its supply chain failing to keep up with the fever pitch demand for its newest phone.
Customers who will walk into Apple stores today may come home empty handed unless they reserved for a unit online. Apple has sadly announced earlier to its loyal customers that those who failed to pre-order the 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus models cannot buy them in Apple stores anymore until the next batch are manufactured.
U.S. telecom companies T-Mobile US and Sprint Corp. said that pre-orders for the iPhone 7 were almost four times greater than previous iterations of the device including the smash hit iPhone 6.
Bloomberg said that it has almost become a cult-like practice to see hundreds of iPhone buyers waiting and sometimes even camping outside Apple stores to purchase the latest iPhone model from Apple.
Fans even scream and jump after holding their white Apple boxes almost as though they had won the lottery.
However, observers say that apparently the expectations for the iPhone 7 had not been as loud and high as in previous product launches.
Analysts say that Apple has not offered any new radical innovation and the global market for smartphones is near saturation, meaning fewer people can be enticed to upgrade their phones.
The challenge is compounded when Apple considers its Chinese rivals who make iPhone knockouts with nearly the same specifications but for only half the price.
It is not surprising then that Apple will not release data for the first weekend sales of the iPhone 7, a practice they have done in the last decade.
Bloomberg said that another factor that has clogged Apple's supply chain is the sophisticated manufacturing process for the jet black colors of the iPhone 7. The production process apparently requires nine different stages in order to create the glossy piano finish.
Apple has already announced that the jet black version of the 4.7-inch iPhone 7 has sold out. However, the smaller iPhone's other color variants will be available Friday to the relief of fans who do not care about color variations.
Apple though is said to be working hard to address their limited supply.
According to 9to5Mac, Apple has moved up the estimated date of shipping date by a week to Sept. 20 to 22 for some orders that were previously expected to arrive between Sept. 27 and 29.
The website also said that the advanced shipping dates are not limited to a specific size and color of the iPhone 7 but include all variants, especially the black and jet black models which reportedly have already sold out.
