Apple Offers In-Store Pickup Option For iPhone 5s As Shipping Estimates Slip To October

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Apple sold a lot of new iPhones over the weekend—9 million to be exact. While we don’t know the breakdown sales for the 5c and 5s, estimates suggest that the ratio of 5s sales to 5c sales was around 3 to 1.

Launch supply of the 5s was significantly constrained due to what was likely shortages of new parts. It’s nearly impossible to get a 5s in most stores around the country. Many carriers and third-party retailers only got a few units per location for launch weekend.

Apple’s online store also sold out of all initial 5s stock over the weekend, and shipping estimates for all configurations have been pushed back to an ambiguous October timeframe. To help cope with demand, Apple is now offering an in-store pickup option for helping you find a 5s at a local Apple Store.

“Simply place your order on the Apple Online Store, then pick it up at your favorite Apple Retail Store,” explains Apple. “When you arrive, we’ll help you set it up, so you’ll be up and running before you leave the store.”

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When ordering a 5s online, you can now view the in-store pickup option by clicking “check availability” under “available for pickup.” From there, you can enter your zip code and see if the model you want is available at a nearby Apple Store.

The feature is also available in the Apple Store iPhone app, which was recently updated for iOS 7. The same “check availability” option is now available when ordering an iPhone through the app.

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Unless you’re fine with waiting until whenever Apple is able to ship new orders in October, you may get lucky by checking for in-store pickup on a daily basis. If not, there’s always eBay.

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