Mobile networks were concerned about the shortage of Apple's newest iPhone 5S. In the UK, stocks of the high-end model were limited. There was abundance, however, of its mid-ranged iPhone 5C. A BBC report said that it only took less than an hour for the 5S to be officially available for retail before it went out of stock. In the Apple website, the company said the 5S would not be available in the UK for 7 to 10 days.

Similar issues about the availability of the iPhone 5S were also raised by technology media in the US. Customers in Hong Kong and Singapore would also need to wait until October to get their hands on the 5S.

The Wall Street Journal reported February this year how Radio Shack sales dropped because of a shortage of the iPhone 5. Chief Financial Officer Dorvin Lively said the decline in their fourth quarter sales to 8% was partly because of the shortage. He said RadioShack was placed at a disadvantage against other carrier stores which had stockpiles of the iPhone. By the time supply constraints were eased, Dorvin said demand for the iPhone 5 had lessened.