Apple's Asia-Pacific Online Stores Go Down Ahead of Staggered iPhone 5s Order Launches
Apple has taken its Asia-Pacific online stores offline for the time being, preparing for the launch of iPhone 5s orders in several markets there. Unlike with the iPhone 5c pre-order launch last week which took place at a uniform 12:01 AM Pacific Time, the iPhone 5s online order launches are staggered around the world in order to accommodate the in-store launches happening in many of the same countries at 8:00 AM local time.
The first online orders for the iPhone 5s should be going live in those Asian countries (Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore) in about two and a half hours, as Apple had notified its Australian customers that orders would begin at 2:01 AM Australian Eastern Standard Time.
Other markets will see similar overnight launches for online orders, with Apple having informed UK customers that orders would begin at 12:01 AM British Summer Time and U.S. customers that orders would begin at 12:01 AM Pacific Time.
Popular Stories
In iOS 27, available now, CarPlay gets its biggest update in years, but some features depend on what type of car you have rather than your iPhone model. Some of the biggest additions won't do anything in the vast majority of vehicles on the road today. Here's how the new features pan out.
Works in Any CarPlay Vehicle
Custom widgets: In iOS 27, CarPlay is no longer limited to Apple's handful ...
The new Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 have hardware changes that allow for faster charging, but you will need to use the new version of the Apple Watch Magnetic Fast Charger included in the box in order to achieve this boost. If you need extra ones for your own charging stands or travel or so forth, Apple released the new version of the charger on its online store last week, with...
Wednesday September 16, 2026 1:32 pm PDT by
Juli CloverThe iOS 27.2 beta that Apple released today adds a feature that reminds you it's your anniversary when you call someone, as long as you've added the date in the Contacts app.
On the date of your anniversary, when you go to call the person, you'll see a reminder that it's an important day so you don't forget to say something. The anniversary alert uses Call Context, a feature Apple added in...
