U.S. Online Apple Stores Go Down Ahead of iPhone 5s Launch

The U.S. Apple Store has gone offline in preparation of the launch of online sales for the iPhone 5s. The iPhone 5s is Apple's new top-end iPhone which incorporates the faster A7 processor, camera improvements and a fingerprint sensor.

southpoint-iphone5s
Southpoint Mall in Durham, NC

Lines have started to form at stores across the country. While the the LA Times claims that lines are "noticeably shorter or nonexistent" as compared to previous launches, CNet reports there were healthy lines internationally.

Supply for the new iPhone appears to be tight with international stores selling out relatively quickly. Apple didn't offer pre-orders for the iPhone 5s, so both online and retail sales begin today.

A few reports from U.S. readers in line also indicate very little stock of White and Gold devices. One reader RiderXTC at the Clarendon, VA store indicates that there is a two device per person limit, and White and Gold devices were all claimed quickly:

An Apple employee just came out and asked everyone in line which color, carrier, and size they desired. After getting to the third person, there are no more gold/white or silver/white in any size for any carrier.

The iPhone 5c will also go on sale at retail stores on Friday, September 20th. Retail sales will begin at 8am local time, while online sales will kick off at 12:01am Pacific time.

Update: Mac4Ever has a gallery of long lines for the iPhone 5s launch in France.

5350_iphone-5s-5c-cette-fois-c-est-la-foule

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
Apple Logo Top Half

Early iOS 26 Software Leak Uncovers Dozens of Upcoming Apple Features

Monday December 15, 2025 3:05 pm PST by
Software from an iPhone prototype running an early build of iOS 26 leaked last week, giving us a glimpse at future Apple devices and iOS features. We recapped device codenames in our prior article, and now we have a list of some of the most notable feature flags that were found in the software code. In some cases, it's obvious what the feature flags are referring to, while some are more...
apple beta 26 lineup

Apple Leak Confirms Work on Foldable iPhone, AirTag 2, and Dozens More Devices

Monday December 15, 2025 2:05 pm PST by
Last week, details about unreleased Apple devices and future iOS features were shared by Macworld. This week, we learned where the information came from, plus we have more findings from the leak. As it turns out, an Apple prototype device running an early build of iOS 26 was sold, and the person who bought it shared the software. The OS has a version number of 23A5234w, and the first...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Leak Reveals Foldable iPhone Details

Monday December 15, 2025 9:09 am PST by
The first foldable iPhone will feature a series of design and hardware firsts for Apple, according to details shared by the Weibo leaker known as Digital Chat Station. According to a new post, via machine translation, Apple is developing what the leaker describes as a "wide foldable" device, a term used to refer to a horizontally oriented, book-style foldable with a large internal display....
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 Beta 1 Features: What's New So Far

Monday December 15, 2025 4:23 pm PST by
Apple is testing iOS 26.3, the next version of iOS 26 that will launch around January. Since iOS 26.3's testing is happening over the holidays, it is a smaller update with fewer features than we've seen in prior betas. We've rounded up what's new so far, and we'll add to our list with subsequent betas if we come across any other features. Transfer to Android Apple is making it simpler...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More

Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.2 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
airpods max 2024 colors

AirPods Max 2 Likely to Offer These 10 New Features

Monday December 15, 2025 7:41 am PST by
Apple released the AirPods Max on December 15, 2020, meaning the over-ear headphones launched five years ago today. While the AirPods Max were updated with a USB-C port and new color options last year, followed by support for lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio this year, the headphones lack some of the features that have been introduced for newer generations of the regular AirPods and the ...

Top Rated Comments

ck2875 Avatar
160 months ago

A few reports from U.S. readers in line also indicate very little stock of White and Gold devices. [...] and White and Gold devices were all claimed quickly.

Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
powerslave12r Avatar
160 months ago
Good luck to all my retina Haswell folks. This is the time to hope against hope that when the store comes back up, there will be magical silent upgrades to the rMBP. :D

A man can hope..
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Prof. Avatar
160 months ago
And when it comes back up: 7 to 10 days to ship.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
imageWIS Avatar
160 months ago
And when it comes back up: 7 to 10 days to ship.

At this point, f-it. If I have to wait another 10 days, I'll wait 10 days. It's only a phone, its not food water or sex.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WardC Avatar
160 months ago
I wish people would line up like this when the Mac Pro comes out, show the Mac some support...seems all people care about these days is having the latest iDevice.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iceache Avatar
160 months ago
I'm first in line.... in front of my computer that is. :)
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)