Are you looking for a gold iPhone? You’d probably do better asking a leprechaun for a pot of gold, because Apple can’t seem to keep stores stocked with the gold iPhone 5s. While it was touch and go for a minute, due to the mixed tech analysts reviews, the gold iPhone has proven to be a highly profitable product for the Apple Corporation. The numbers definitely don’t lie.
Two weeks ago, Apple released a statement entailing the company’s fourth quarter results. According to the smart-phone conglomerate, iPhone sales increased by approximately 26% following the highly anticipated release of the iPhone 5. The company managed to sell a record-setting 33.8 million iPhones. Of the 33.8 million sold, the gold iPhone surprisingly garnered an estimated 30% of the sales.
Apple CFO, Peter Oppenheimer, also shared a brief, but detailed, review of the revenue garnered from the surging sales. “We generated $9.9 billion in cash flow from operations and returned an additional $7.8 billion in cash to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases during the September quarter, bringing cumulative payments under our capital return program to $36 billion,” said Oppenheimer.
While the numbers are quite impressive, there’s still one plaguing problem – the shortage in units. The gold iPhone famine has actually been plaguing Apple since the phone’s release back in September. Gold iPhone sales rapidly picked up momentum, selling out in almost immediately in countries like China, Australia, Hong Kong, and Singapore. As international sales surged, United States consumers joined the rapidly growing wait list.
Who likes this Gold iPhone!? #Gold pic.twitter.com/NIHnyN6Czd
— iSmash (@iSmashUK) November 12, 2013
It’s been nearly two months since the phone’s release, and consumers are still scrambling to acquire “almost rare” gold-anodized aluminum-and-glass smart-phone. According to JobsNHire.com, the best bet is for consumers to purchase the phone online, as stores are selling out as soon as the stores even acquire any iPhone models. While there will still be a 2-3 week shipping delay for online orders, at least there will be the satisfaction in knowing that at least it is coming. Apple retail locations can’t offer that guarantee.
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Image(s) via Wikimedia Commons | Apple iPhone Twitter | iSmash London
