Less than a week after experiencing a significant improvement in shipping times for new online orders throughout the world, the iPhone 5s has seen its availability improve once again with models now shipping "within 24 hours" in nearly all of Apple's online stores for countries around the world. The GSM-compatible SIM-free iPhone has also improved to a shipping estimate of 3-5 business days.
Following the launch of the iPhone 5s, supplies were significantly constrained, especially for silver and gold models. Shipping estimates slipped to 7 to 10 days hours after the phone was released and then slipped further to two to three weeks for an extended period of time. The rapid improvement in availability indicates that Apple is quickly reaching supply-demand balance for the iPhone 5s three months after its debut.
According to reports, Apple has significantly ramped up its iPhone 5s production over the course of the last month while cutting back on iPhone 5c production, which has resulted in improved supplies in time for the Christmas holiday.
In-store supplies of the iPhone 5s are also reported to be nearing 100% availability, with all colors and capacities of the phone available for immediate pickup at many of Apple's retail locations across the United States.
Last week, Apple also released shipping deadlines to ensure customers receive gifts by December 24. According to the guidelines, the iPhone 5s must be ordered by midnight December 18 to arrive ahead of Christmas.
