How HARD Did the iPhone 5 Buying FRENZY Hit?

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) opened iPhone 5 preorders at 12.01 a.m. PDT on Friday morning, and initial stocks were sold out within the first hour, with shipping times for the new smartphone slipping from one week to two. Delayed shipping times usually suggest strong sales. By comparison, it had taken close to 22 hours for the iPhone 4S and about 20 hours for the iPhone 4 to sell out of their respective launch-day stocks.

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Several users reported glitches with Apple’s website as well as with those of wireless carriers selling the phone while attempting to complete their orders.

An alternative option for those who’re yet to put in their orders and are hoping for a quicker delivery time is to visit either a brick-and-mortar Apple Store or an external retailer like Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT). The new handset will be in stores on September 21.

The crazy buying extended to adaptors for the new dock connector launched alongside the phone, with the accessory being sold out barely half an hour into the start of sales. Adaptors for Apple’s new Lightning port are to start shipping in October, but there were reports of additional estimated shipping delays. There are three adaptor models available in the U.S.: a $39 version with a 0.2-meter cable, a $29 unit that resembles an oversized 30-pin plug, and the regular Lightning to USB adaptor that sells for $19.

The iPhone 5, Apple’s sixth-generation smartphone, has a larger 4-inch display, is compatible with the faster LTE data networks, and is thinner and lighter than its predecessor. It features a smaller dock connector than the previous 30-pin one common to Apple mobile devices. Apple has priced the cheapest model, a 16 GB version, for $199 along with a two-year wireless contract.

The device was made available in nine countries on Friday, with several more set to be added next week. Apple is hoping to sell the phone in 100 countries before the end of the year.

Shares of Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) hit another all-time high of $696.98 today.

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