Today's the day that Apple's iPhone 5s officially went on sale, and if Apple's online store is any indication, the gold version of the new smartphone is going to be a bit harder to come by than the other two colors. While the Space Gray and silver versions of the 5s are both listed as available to ship in 7-10 business days, anyone eyeing the golden variant will need to wait until October for a unit. There is some good news today for those folks, though, as a new report claims that Apple has asked its suppliers to boost production of the gold iPhone 5s.
Sources speaking to the Wall Street Journal claim that Apple has requested that its parts suppliers increase production of the gold iPhone 5s by one-third following strong consumer demand for the device. There's no word yet if supply constraints are hampering the manufacturing process of Apple's new iPhone, but as I said before, the shipping estimates given by Apple's online store shows that the golden 5s is in short supply.
While it hasn't responded to rumors about increased gold iPhone 5s production, Apple did confirm to AllThingsD that stock of select iPhone 5s models is limited or completely sold out in some stores. The company's full statement is as follows:
"Demand for the new iPhones has been incredible, and we are currently sold out or have limited supply of certain iPhone 5s models in some stores."
The arrival of the gold iPhone 5s marks the first time that Apple has offered its flagship smartphone in a color other than black or white. While it sounds like anyone still without a gold iPhone 5s as of this writing will have a tough time finding a unit in the coming days, the news that Apple may have instructed its suppliers to increase production of the golden handset means that their odds of finding a unit could soon grow. What do you all think of the gold iPhone 5s? Would you carry a gold smartphone as your daily driver?
