I see a lot of statements here about the number of iPhone 5s that were around for today. The VERY common undertone that I keep seeing repeat is that Apple some how did it on purpose. I very much doubt that they wanted to have low stock (which I do believe was the case, that for the 5s they had fewer than they wanted). However, none of us work at the factory as far as I know, and if you do, please speak up and tell us all how Apple was hiding some secret stock pile of 5s just to cause low numbers on launch day.
Re read that last sentence again, and maybe it will come across as the utterly insane idea that it is. There is not some secret stock, they didn't short change and stores, they sent what they could to the stores they could. Apple is not all powerful, and they have interests, even with billions in the bank. They can't wag a magic wand and fix what was most likely a supply issue with some part (what part, not a clue, could be any number of things), nor are they going to dump millions or billions in to new factories or some other nonsense just to cover the launch day surge, just to have them sit idle in a month when demand slows down, that wouldn't be financially practical. As for the statements that they should of changed the launch day, also highly doubtful. Apple plans things like that way out, and I don't see Apple as the type of company to just change a launch date last min.
Ok, so the iPhone 5s is at a bit lower level than ideal, too bad. I still think by January, you will be able to go to any store and get which ever you want, AKA, it will work out at some point. In the mean time, they are, and will continue to stamp out the 5c, and it will sell, and Apple will be sitting pretty, and could not care less if the tech minded minority have to wait a few weeks or months for a 5s.