The firm’s online lists next month as the earliest shipping date for the iPhone 5s and anecdotal evidence is that resellers and UK mobile networks are also largely sold out.
The phone comes in silver, gold or space grey aluminium, and boasts a 64-bit A7 chip which Apple claims makes it 40 times faster than the original iPhone.
The device offers 10 hours of talk time over 3G and 40 hours of music playback.
In a bid to boost security, the iPhone 5S also includes a fingerprint scanner in the home button which allows the user to lock the device and be sure that only they can access their data.
However there’s good news for customers interested in the cheaper, colourful iPhone 5c.
The handset features a plastic rear in a choice of colours – blue, white, pink yellow and green – made from hard-coated polycarbonate and reinforced with a steel interior.
It also offers 4-inch Retina display, the same A6 processor as last year’s iPhone 5, and 8MP rear camera.
The online Apple store is promising shipping within 24 hours for the 16GB and 32GB models in all five colours.