Production

The components and labor required to construct the most basic iPhone 5 is estimated to cost US$207, which is US$19 more than the cost of components for the corresponding iPhone 4S model. The 4G LTE module in the iPhone 5 alone costs $34, $10 more than the cellular module in the iPhone 4S. Similarly, screens used in the iPhone 5 costs $44, which is $7 more than the screen of its predecessor.Mashable noted that the profit margin of selling each device is "huge" as the iPhone 5 generally retails for US$649.

Subsequently after the announcement of the device, a lack of supply of the iPhone 5 was evident. This was due to a shortage of components such as the screen; reports emerged, stating that Sharp was unable to ship the screen before the debut of the iPhone 5 and other manufacturers reported that it was difficult to keep up with demand. As a result, the number of pre-orders rose due to the uncertainty of stock at retail stores and the delivery dates for pre-orders were postponed to dates that were after the initial release date of the device