Today, Apple’s iPhone 17 series goes on sale worldwide.
The newest iPhone family includes the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and the all-new iPhone Air. All the devices originally went on sale via pre-order last Friday, and many who bought them are finding that they won’t actually receive their new iPhone until October.
But there is a way you can still get your shiny new iPhone 17 today. Here’s what you need to know.
iPhone 17 shipping times slip into October
Apple began taking pre-orders for the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 family of phones last Friday, and delivery times for when pre-order customers can actually expect to receive their new phones have steadily lengthened.
A quick check of Apple’s online store as of the time of this writing shows that, if you order an iPhone Air or any iPhone 17 from Apple today, this is when you can expect to receive it:
- iPhone 17: between October 6-13
- iPhone 17 Pro: between October 6-13
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: between October 13-20
- iPhone Air: September 23
As you can see, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has a wait time of up to four weeks. For the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17, the wait time is up to three weeks. Only the iPhone Air, if you order today, currently has a wait time of less than a week.
That the iPhone 17 Pro Max has the longest wait time isn’t a surprise, as the Pro Max is one of the company’s most popular models, and it appeals heavily to early adopters. But the three-week wait time for the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 also shows that this year, there is strong demand for the iPhone 17 family.
But that’s bad news for fans who didn’t get their pre-order in before the devices officially went on sale today—because if they order online from Apple now, they’ll need to wait well into October to get their new iPhone.
However, there is one way that you may still be able to get your iPhone 17 today.
Visit a brick-and-mortar store for your best chance to get an iPhone 17 on launch day
We all love the convenience of shopping online, but if you haven’t ordered your iPhone 17 yet and still would like to get one in your hands on launch day, your best bet is to eschew the convenience of online shopping and go directly to a physical retail store.
Apple retail stores are set to have a healthy supply of the various iPhone models when they open today.
However, there are sure to be crowds going to those stores in hopes of getting their preferred models on launch day.
That means if you want the best chance of getting your preferred iPhone 17 model in its preferred configuration (256GB, 512GB, 1TB, etc), you should get to a physical retail store ASAP.
Apple retail stores generally should have the most stock—but they’ll likely also have the most customers.
That’s why you should also check out third-party retail stores, like Best Buy. If you know you are going to buy an iPhone on your carrier’s locked plan, it’s also worth going to your local AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, or other carrier store to see if they have stock of the units.
When all else fails, track iPhone 17 availability online
If you go to retail stores today and still can’t get your preferred iPhone 17 model right now, then there is one last option that may help you get the new iPhone sooner than expected.
Plenty of websites allow you to track iPhone availability online and in stores. These tracker websites generally let you sign up for email notifications and will alert you the moment your preferred iPhone model in its preferred color and storage capacity becomes available.
Once you get the notification, if you act quickly, you may be able to score an iPhone well ahead of Apple’s prolonged delivery times.
There is no shortage of stock-checking websites that track the inventory levels of popular products, and you can find them by doing a simple Google search. They include AppleInventoryChecker.com, Stock-checker.com, and Trackalacker.com.
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