<p>Initially, Apple had trouble keeping up with demand, as shipping times for the iPhone 5s quickly slipped to 10 days shortly after midnight on Sept. 20, and later that day, shipping estimates slipped further to between two and three weeks and sometimes even longer.</p><p>In November, Apple's largest manufacturing partner, Foxconn, reportedly shifted its focus from the less popular iPhone 5c to the hotter iPhone 5s; other Apple suppliers also ramped up their production of the iPhone 5s to accommodate demand for the higher-end model, which has been reportedly outselling the iPhone 5c by more than a 2-to-1 margin, according to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners.</p><p>Since the start of December, availability of the iPhone 5s has improved drastically, nearing the point of 100 percent availability for all colors and storage capacities via Apple's online store as well as its physical retail stores. But for holiday shoppers looking to purchase a new iPhone 5s as a Christmas gift, Apple still recommends consumers check the company's shipping guidelines to ensure the iPhone 5s arrives by Dec. 24. According to Apple's guidelines, consumers should order the iPhone 5s by midnight on Dec. 18 to receive the phone by Christmas Eve.</p><p>If you want an iPhone 5s anytime soon, you might want to act fast. Apple and China Mobile are putting the finishing touches on their agreement to release the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c on China Mobile's expansive TD-LTE network, which boasts about 740 million customers -- that's more than all of the customers from Verizon Wireless, AT&amp;T and Sprint combined. China Mobile will reportedly open pre-orders for the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c on Thursday, which may affect the availability of iPhone supplies in other countries (including the U.S.) as we approach the all-important gift-giving season.</p><p><a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/apple-iphone-5s-availability-near-perfect-shipping-improves-24-hours-all-colors-capacities-china">Keep reading...</a></p><p>Read also:</p><p><a href="http://techcrunch.com/2013/12/09/iphone-5s-5c-adoption/">iPhone 5s Passes 10% Adoption; 5c Seeing Strong Uptake, Too, Compared To ...</a> (TechCrunch)</p><p><a href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/12/10/iphone-5s-now-shipping-from-apples-online-store-within-24-hours">iPhone 5s now shipping from Apple&#039;s online store within 24 hours</a> (Apple Insider)</p><p><a href="http://www.citeworld.com/mobile/22758/apple-iphone-5c-strategy-working">Apple&#039;s iPhone 5C strategy is working just as it was supposed to</a> (CITEworld)</p><p>Explore: <a href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=d8Aj4cJS43pFC0Mf0KoQzyQ_TwWLM&ned=us">125 additional articles.</a></p>