According to CNN, the pre-order response to the iPhone 5 has been massive, outstripping expectations of analysts, who were bullish on Apple's latest smartphone to begin with, and apparently of Apple itself.
Apple received more than 2 million pre-orders in the first 24 hours, double the number it got for last year's record-setting iPhone 4S release, the company said.
Apple's initial promise to ship pre-ordered phones in a week, the same day they become available at Apple Stores and other retailers, was pushed back just an hour after pre-orders opened up at midnight Thursday.
Now, it could take up to a month for the phones to ship. Wednesday morning, Apple's online store said a pre-ordered iPhone 5 would be shipped in three to four weeks.
On eBay, an unlocked, 16GB iPhone 5 had been bid up to more than $1,200 on Friday, presumably by folks in countries where the smartphone won't be released for weeks. Others were selling at prices ranging from $650 to $1,000.
The iPhone 5 will be available at Apple stores in the United States, which will open at 8 a.m. Friday. Also selling them will be AT&T, Sprint and Verizon stores and some Best Buy, RadioShack, Target and Walmart locations. As the debut nears, Apple has dropped the price of the iPhone 4S to $99 and the iPhone 4 is now free with a mobile service contract.
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