Following the start of preorders for the new iPhone 17 range, demand for the iPhone 17 Pro Max meant its shipping dates slipped back a week almost instantly.
As preorders opened globally — except in China — shipping dates for all iPhone 17 models and configurations began as September 19, 2025. This is the date Apple announced for availability of the new devices, but within minutes the Apple Store was showing one or two days delay for the iPhone 17 Pro Max..
Within the first hour, however, the iPhone 17 Pro Max slipped back to at least one week. Every color and configuration is delayed, but the orange version appears to be the most popular.
Specifically, all four storage capacities of the orange iPhone 17 Pro Max — including the new $2,000 2TB version — are now backordered three to four weeks.
There's also now a three to four weeks delay on the 512GB and 1TB version of the silver model. The 256GB and 2TB editions are 7 to 10 days delayed.
So far the blue model is the least popular, with all four editions delayed to only 7 to 10 days.
In comparison, no color or any storage capacity of the new iPhone Air is delayed at all. Every model remains available for shipping on September 19.
This always happens as the most popular models, configurations, and colors see high demand in the initial preorder rush. It's not possible to assess when this means a model is especially successful, though, as Apple never releases details of how many it has prepared for sale.
What happens when users can't get the configuration they want
Whatever the number of iPhones Apple prepares is, the company also separately reserves a very great many for sale in its physical stores worldwide. Those stocks will also go down quickly, but they will be available in-store on September 19.
So if the configuration a user wants is backordered before they get to place their order, there is the option to visit an Apple Store.
Plus the iPhones never truly sell out, they just get delayed. It has been the case in exceptional circumstances that certain models have ended up backordered for months, but more typically it's a few weeks.
