![A close-up of a smartwatch on a person's wrist, displaying an email notification. The message from the Apple Store states, "Good news! Items in order [order number obscured] have shipped," with a timestamp indicating it was received 46 minutes ago.](https://applemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Apple-TV-Shipping-Notice-Apple-Watch-80x75.jpg)
Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house,
Nothing was stirring apart from the furious clicking of a computer mouse checking for a shipping alert email from Apple.
Ok, so it doesn’t rhyme but that’s what thousands of us have been doing since the iPhone XS, XS Max and Apple Watch Series 4 were announced last week.
And we have some splendid news for all the good little boys and girls who got their orders in…
The shipping notifications are going out and the phones are on their way!
Ok, the launch hasn’t generated the same heat that the iPhone X launch got last year but getting any new device is an exciting occasion in itself. You are looking forward to exploring all the new features and capabilities it brings and the pure joy of unboxing a device you will use every single day of your life.
Analysts are predicting big sales numbers for the iPhone XS Max with a price tag to match it’s name and 6.5 inch OLED screen size. Most customers will be buying them via their carriers monthly upgrade plans rather than purchasing them outright and unlocked. Economists point to this hidden cost as a contributor to the inelasticity of iPhone prices v demand.
The iPhone XS is more of a conundrum for experienced industry watchers. It has less obvious new features to attract existing iPhone X users and owners of older iPhones who want to upgrade might go for the iPhone XR as an alternative when it launches in October. It has a single camera and an LCD display instead of OLED but it is way cheaper, has the same A12 chip, a range of hip colors and has a larger screen than the XS.
The Apple Watch Series 4 also launches on Friday September 21 and has deservedly got much love for its bigger body and screen, true edge to edge display and the important new health features like the ECG monitor and fall detection.
If you want to jump on the iPhone XS bandwagon then new orders at the Apple Online Store are currently back ordered by a couple of weeks. If you want one tomorrow then you might have some luck at your local Apple retail store as they usually carry launch day stock or you could try your carrier’s store too.
