Apple told TechCrunch: "Beginning Friday, limited quantities of iPhone 7 in silver, gold, rose gold, and black will be available for walk-in customers at Apple retail stores. During the online pre-order period, initial quantities of iPhone 7 Plus in all finishes and iPhone 7 in jet black sold out and will not be available for walk-in customers." Put simply, if you're looking to get an iPhone on launch day (September 16th), it's probably best that you don't visit an Apple Store. The company's partners, including carriers, will have differing stock levels, but may be better placed to handle your order.
You can, of course, order online. However, that means you'll have to wait until the backlog clears. In the US and the UK, both iPhone 7 models are showing a 2-3 week wait time on the Apple website. It's also clear that if you're after the new Jet Black variant -- which has undergone a "precision, nine-step anodization and polishing process" -- you may need to wait up to five weeks for the iPhone 7 to become available or until November for a shiny black iPhone 7 Plus.
To that, Apple says: "We sincerely appreciate our customers' patience as we work hard to get the new iPhone into the hands of everyone who wants one as quickly as possible."