Shipping

Apple shipping estimates for iPhone XR begin slipping in the US and elsewhere

Shipping estimates for Apple's new iPhone XR, which became available for pre-order last Friday, began slipping in the United States and several major countries around the globe. At the time of this writing, neither the Apple online store nor the official Apple Store shopping app would provide us with an option to order the handset for launch day delivery.

In-store pickups for the colorful phone are unavailable for new orders. As noted by MacRumors, Apple's retail stores may have some supply reserved for walk-in purchases on launch day this coming Friday, October 26. Shipping estimates are slipping elsewhere, too, including in Canada, Germany, France and the United Kingdom.

If you're instead getting your iPhone XR from a wireless carrier or an electronics retailer such as Best Buy rather than directly from Apple, they may have stock available for launch day delivery. According to our non-scientific poll, Black, PRODUCT(RED) and Blue are the most popular color options for people who're in the market for an iPhone XR.

If you haven't yet, please take a second to cast your vote now.

https://polldaddy.com/poll/10144118/

There's been some confusion surrounding early iPhone XR sales because there were no delays during the launch weekend and all color options remained readily available across all major carriers with the notable exception of T-Mobile.

T-Mobile did run out of some color options because, according to analysts, buying the phone on T-Mobile via Apple.com doesn't require passing a carrier verification like with AT&T, Verizon and Sprint.

As per reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, iPhone XR pre-order demand during the opening weekend was better than that of last year's iPhone 8. Kuo is not surprised to see shorter delivery times for iPhone XR because the XR and the XS have different target customers.

iPhone XR's target customers are Apple fans “who snap up new models rapidly” after the pre-order open while the target demographic for the premium iPhone XS series are “general users who are used to operating iOS with characteristics including favoring the Apple brand, limited budget or no urgent replacement demand,” he wrote in a research note yesterday.

Kuo is calling for 36 to 38 million iPhone XR sales in the fourth quarter of 2018, up ten percent from his earlier prediction of 33 to 35 million units.

How's iPhone XR availability in your country?

Let us know by posting a comment below.

iPhone 7 is shipping out to various countries in preparation for launch

First iPhone 7 shipments are now going out worldwide in preparation for launch, according to a report Wednesday by Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes. Apple's supply chain is now loading up with first iPhone 7 shipments, sources entrenched in Apple's supply chain told the publication.

Two days ago, iPhone manufacturer Foxconn reportedly shipped 371,000 units of the iPhone 7 to retailers and carriers in Italy, the Netherlands, the United States and the United Kingdom.

Apple Store app now offering same-day delivery on select products via Postmates

It appears that Apple has formed a partnership with Postmates to offer same-day order delivery via its Apple Store app. As noted by MacRumors, the app has begun showing a same-day delivery option for folks in the San Francisco Bay Area, and several folks have already taken advantage of it.

For those who aren't familiar with Postmates, it's a logistics company that runs a network of contracted couriers who deliver goods locally. It's available in roughly 20 major cities around the United States, but it appears in-app ordering through Apple is currently limited to San Francisco, CA.

Apple TV shipping estimates slip to 1-2 weeks ahead of rumored WWDC refresh

Shipping estimates for the Apple TV slipped to 1-2 weeks on the US Apple Online Store today, further fueling rumors that Apple is getting ready to refresh the device. In March, BuzzFeed reported that the company is planning to unveil a new, slimmer set-top box at WWDC in June.

It's worth noting that some users have reported that the device is showing "in stock" for them online today, but at Check Out many are still seeing later ship times. Regardless, the fluctuation in available stock is consistent with inventory behavior of past Apple products ahead of refreshes.

WSJ: slow Apple Watch rollout due to faulty Taptic Engine

Faulty Taptic Engines may be behind the extremely limited availability of the Apple Watch, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. Citing sources familiar with the matter, the publication says that after mass production of the Engines began in February, quality testing found some of them to be unreliable.

The component, which Apple uses in its Watch to produce the sensation of being tapped on the wrist, is made by two suppliers: AAC Technologies Holdings Inc. and Nidec Corp. Apparently some of AAC's Taptic Engines were found to break down overtime, so Apple has moved a majority of its production over to Nidec.