Apple started selling the iPhone 13 series online on Friday, according to the regular schedule. The new iPhones go on preorder on the first Friday after the launch event. Apple ships the handsets to buyers on the release date, which is usually seven days after the start of preorders. That’s also when the new devices start selling in stores. The iPhone 13 series should ship to buyers later this week, on September 24th, when in-store sales begin. Some iPhone units ordered on Friday already appear as “On the Way” ahead of Friday’s launch. Meanwhile, buyers who haven’t pulled the trigger on their desired iPhone 13 model might have to wait until later in October or hope that stores will stock the particular handset version they’re looking for.
iPhone 13 is sold out online
The iPhone 13 series started selling out as early as Friday morning. Soon after preorders started, various iPhone 13 options saw delivery dates slip to early October. The shipping estimates slid to late October for some models. The 1TB iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max were among the first models to sell out. These are the most expensive iPhone 13 versions, as this is the first year Apple is selling handsets with 1TB of storage.
According to Apple’s online store, the shipping estimates for most unlocked 1TB iPhone 13 Pro versions fell back to October 19-26 at the time of this writing. The cheapest unlocked iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13 versions are also sold out online, although buyers opting to purchase them online will only have to wait until early-to-mid October for their deliveries.
Buyers can purchase some of the sold-out iPhone 13 options online from Apple with an in-store pick-up option for September 24th. Your mileage might vary depending on iPhone 13 version, color, storage options, and carrier.
As a reminder, the iPhone 13 comes in four models. The iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13 are available in five colors and three storage tiers. The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max come in four color options and four storage tiers. Finally, buyers can connect to a carrier during the order (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon) or buy unlocked. On top of that, these carriers and other electronics retailers offer iPhone 13 preorders.
Deliveries are on track to ship on Friday
The iPhone 13 might be sold out online, but those who secured their preorders early will likely getting them by September 24th. Reports online show that buyers have received notifications that their iPhone 13 units are “on the way.”
The Apple Store will show buyers a “Preparing to Ship” status, and that’s what most buyers will see until Friday. But the US buyers who have activated the UPS My Choice features can track deliveries by reference number of the phone number. UPS My Choice already shows “On the Way” status updates that include more details than Apple’s estimates.
First iPhone 13 pre-orders have started shipping! pic.twitter.com/f0w2u5zaI0
— Chance Miller (@ChanceHMiller) September 19, 2021
However, that’s not to say the iPhone 13 versions marked as “On the Way” will ship to buyers earlier than the Friday deadline. The status update simply tells them that the delivery is on schedule.
