New iPhone 6 Plus pre-order shipments to be delayed by a month

New iPhone 6 Plus pre-order shipments to be delayed by a month, The smaller 4.7-inch iPhone 6 is still available for delivery on Sept. 19, Apple's website showed. (http://bit.ly/1qNAOLK)

Apple's iPhone 6 Plus, which has a 5.5-inch display, goes on sale in U.S. stores on Sept. 19.

Websites of Apple's carrier partners, Verizon Wireless <VZ.N>, AT&T <T.N> and Sprint Corp <S.N>, also showed delays of up to six weeks.

Suppliers to Apple were scrambling to get enough screens ready for the new iPhones as the need to redesign a key component disrupted panel production, supply chain sources told Reuters last month.

It was unclear whether the hiccup could limit the number of phones initially available to consumers, the sources said at the time.

Apple's Chinese customers may also have to wait until the year-end before they can buy the iPhone 6. Apple is yet to set a release date for China, the world's biggest smartphone market.

Apple unveiled its latest iPhones along with a watch and a mobile payments service on Tuesday.