
Supply for the iPhone 5 for carriers such as AT&T and Verizon continues to improve, as expected. The devices may reach consistent availability in the next 2 to 3 weeks according to a new survey of Apple retail stores.
According to Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray who has been conducting nightly inventory checks at 100 Apple Stores. Availability of the iPhone 5 at all three major U.S. carriers, including Sprint, was above 20% for the first time. More specifically, the Apple Stores polled 54% of them had AT&T model in stock, while 24% had the Verizon model, and 84% had the Sprint models.
The numbers are a big improvement from before when the supplies for the device for AT&T and Verizon were severely constrained. Availability of the iPhone 5 through Sprint, which is the third-largest carrier in the U.S. has been consistent for a few weeks now. According to Munster, “We believe this is an important step for Apple as it appears they are finally gaining momentum in being able to keep up with demand for the iPhone 5. We believe that if AT&T and Verizon device availability follows the same trend as Sprint, it may only be 2-3 weeks before iPhone 5s are consistently available to customers.”
The information aligns with a separate report previously issued which cited checks in Apple’s supply chain in revealing that production capacity for the iPhone 5 is “much improved” from when the device first launched in September. The survey of 100 Apple Stores has been ongoing for the last 23 days and to determine availability, his team checked Apple’s online store 30 minutes after the new iPhone 5 units became available for reservation at 10:00 pm local time each night. His sample consists of 100 stores across the U.S. serving 10 different zip codes.
Are any of you noticing improved supply for the iPhone 5?
Source: AppleInsider
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