Apple calls it champagne, but it is going down in history as the ‘gold iPhone’. It is also not available now.

As you can see from the image, shipping dates on Apple’s website point to a October arrival for the iPhone 5S gold model. With ATT, there is a 21 to 28 days delay in shipping for the iPhone 5S gold. With Verizon, you will not get your phones before November 4, according to their website. T-Mobile is not even offering a shipping date, citing high demand for possible delays.

A Sprint store associate said they had sold out all their physical inventory even before doors opened at 8 am on Friday. The store had received all of 11 iPhone 5S models, and not a single gold iPhone. Sprint stores are expecting new phones next week, but not the gold iPhones.

We could not get through to the Apple stores, but according to a Sprint store associate, there seems to have been manufacturing delays, and not even the Apple stores have the gold iPhones in stock. How much can we rely on the words of the Sprint store associate? It is difficult to say; they may have insider information, or not. 

Demand seems to be very strong for the iPhone 5S. Apple stores, as well as carrier outlets, are reporting heavy traffic since morning. The black and silver iPhones are shipping in seven to ten days.