Supply and Demand

I like to think of myself as "reasonably intelligent".  (Shut up, Red!)  I can usually figure out perplexing issues, such as:

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? (2174 ... I figured it out as a bored teen.)
Why do kids like Cinnamon Toast Crunch?  (Lots and lots of sugar.)
Why doesn't Justin Bieber date Miley Cyrus?  (The stupid lack of talent and taste would cause sinkholes in time and space.)

But I can't figure out a couple of things about the roll-out of the new iPhone.

First off, I realized that I can buy my wife a new iPhone 5c AND get paid to do it!  By selling her 4s to Gazelle.com for $200, I can buy her the 5c for around $140, and still have enough left to buy her a new case for it!  (We were already going to renew the contract with AT&T.)  How is this possible?  Some kind of timey-wimey burp in the logic circuits of the TARDIS?

Second, word is coming out that the 5s will be in very short supply on release.  Explain THAT one to me!  Apple advertises this thing, but doesn't allow pre-orders.  Why?  'Cause they haven't made enough of them!  Look, Apple folks ... You've been at this for awhile now.  Is it because Tim Cook has lost control of the ship?  Are they creating their own demand for the new phone since it wasn't as innovative as past versions?  What's next?

"The new iPhone 5s 1/2, with 10% brighter screen!  But limited quantities are available, so stand in line 2 weeks early if you want yours!"

I refuse to give in to this kind of artificial pressure from Apple!  So, to show my displeasure, I refuse to wait in line for a new phone!  No.  Instead, I will drive up to my AT&T store about an hour after it opens and calmly grovel until I get the phone.  See?  That's me not giving in to the man!

(I hope they have one for me...)