As the adage goes, you snooze on an iPhone preorder, you lose on an iPhone preorder. The online Apple Store has updated its shipping estimates for the company's new iPhone 4S, and it appears that users ordering the device right now aren't going to be able to pick one up on launch day.
Previously, the Apple Store had listed a firm delivery date for those ordering: October 14, or next Friday, which marks the first day that consumers will be able to get their hands on the company's upgraded version of the iPhone 4. Apple has since updated its online store to indicate that customers preordering the new smartphone – as of this article's writing – can expect their devices to be shipped in anywhere from one to two weeks.
In other words, the launch day stock is sold out – via Apple's online store, at least.
Those looking to score an iPhone 4S can still attempt the tried-and-true method of getting to Apple stores super-early Friday morning and waiting in line. According to Mashable's Charlie White, there are already three people currently queuing for an iPhone 4S at Apple's 5th Avenue store in New York City. Two of them have been waiting for a total of 12 days.
While that sounds a little extreme, some kind of a camp out (or, at least, early arrival) might be worth the effort for interested iPhone 4S owners: According to AT&T, preorders for the smartphone have made the iPhone 4S the company's most successful iPhone launch to date. The carrier has racked up more than 200,000 preorders within the smartphone's first 12 hours of pre-availability, which officially began just this past Friday.
Both Verizon and Sprint – the other two announced carriers supporting the iPhone 4S – have not released presales figures at this point.
Analysts are expecting Apple to hit the ball out of the park this holiday quarter: Brian White, an analyst at Ticonderoga, is calling for total iPhone sales to reach around 27 million smartphones between October and December. That figure is relatively matched by estimates from Brad Gastwirth of ABR Investment Strategy, who puts total sales at 28 million iPhones in the fourth quarter – 10 million of which he's expecting to come from the iPhone 4S.
In total, IHS iSuppli Design is calling for the worldwide iPhone market to hit 83.6 million units in 2011.
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