iPhone X sees delays as device sells out in UK, Hong Kong

Apple began accepting early orders for its iPhone X and shipping times quickly lengthened to as much as five weeks in the U.S., signaling supplies will likely remain tight as the new device goes on sale Nov. 3.

Hong Kong appeared to sell out less than half an hour after purchases commenced in the midafternoon, as the online store for the city of 7 million showed both models of the gadget to be 'currently unavailable.”

The device also sold out via Apple's website within minutes in the U.K. By midmorning, customers trying to pre-order the phone - which will cost British consumers 999 pounds ($1,307) for the entry-level model - were being told they would have to wait 4-6 weeks for availability.

A spokeswoman for Apple didn't immediately respond with a comment on whether the company expected wait times to decrease.

Shares of Apple in New York rose just under 1 percent in premarket trading.

Those who ordered the phone in the first few minutes after the clock struck midnight in California will get their phones next Friday. And Apple also sets inventory aside for those buying at their physical stores. But its online stores from Europe to Asia showed waits of several weeks. In markets including Japan, Australia, and China, shipping times extended to as much as five or six weeks, while they reached three to four in Europe. For comparison, an iPhone 8 ordered in the U.S. will be delivered by next week, according to Apple's online store.

Outside of Apple's own channels however, some major stockists, including the U.K.'s Car phone Warehouse, were listing the iPhone X as available for delivery Nov. 3. - the day of release.

Shipping times of several weeks for major new Apple devices are common. The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, launched in 2014 and the previous end-to-end iPhone overhaul, saw shipments in three to four weeks in the hours after becoming available to pre-order. Apple typically takes a few weeks or months to reach a balance of supply and demand for major new iPhone launches, and the 8's availability just weeks after its introduction may be a result of users waiting for the higher-end iPhone X.

The iPhone X has an OLED screen with slimmer bezels, matching recent designs from Samsung, in addition to a unique facial recognition scanner for unlocking the phone in lieu of a fingerprint. Apple introduced the device alongside the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus in September.

-Bloomberg contributor: Yuji Nakamura