iPhone 5 S.C., As In, Supply Constraints?
Today’s iPhone 5S/5C event went spookily close to the predictions. The phones look fine, and I think the colors will actually help. I’m excited about the future potential of fingerprint identity, payments, and whatever else it may someday enable.
The real question, though — since we are talking about Apple’s most important product, by far — is whether Apple will be able to keep up with demand. Now that new iPhone launches happen so close to the holidays, the two demand forces crash into each other, and Apple has struggled to keep up.
“We sold every iPhone we could make” is only a “good problem to have” to a certain point, and then it suggests that you should probably do a better job at making more iPhones. (Then again, Tim Cook is supposed to be the best in the world at this, so maybe the real limitation is reality. Still.)
I’m planning to sit out this year’s updates, so one of you can have my place in line. But this is definitely one of the things I’ll be keeping an eye on this year: Has Apple gotten better at making more iPhones, faster?

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