Pre-orders for Apple's new brightly-colored iPhone 5C and more expensive iPhone 5S have been underwhelming and supply is dismal, according to reports.
The "disappointing" pre-orders were reported by a U.S. wireless carrier Tuesday, according to Reuters. The iPhone 5C was a more inexpensive model at $99 with a contract that comes in a plastic carrying case in blue, green, pink, yellow and white. The 5S begins at $199 with a contract and comes in gray, silver and gold. Both models go on sale in several countries, including the United States, on Sept. 20.
However, even if there were numerous pre-orders, Apple's inventory is dismally limited to carriers in the week following the launch. “We will have grotesquely unavailable inventory,” an unnamed U.S. carrier told AllThingsD.
It's likely that the lower inventory could be a way for Apple to ensure that the iPhones don't sit on the shelves and instead appear to be flying off of them.
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