The wait time for the iPhone 5 is a possible 3 to 5 weeks. Apple announced some good news yesterday. Future 5 iPhone customers can now order the iPhone 5 with an option to reserve a new smartphone for next-day, in-store pickup.
Apple will be accepting reservations online between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. local time for pickup at a nearby Apple store the next day. “Buy an iPhone from the people who know it best,” according to a note on Apple’s website.
The option was first noted by 9to5Mac, which reported yesterday that Apple was prepping its iPhone 5 reservation system.
Apple said “limited quantities” of the iPhone 5 might also be available in Apple stores on a first-come, first-served basis. Fans lined up at Apple’s flagship Fifth Ave. store and all over the world on Friday to be some of the first people to snag the new smartphone.
Pre-orders for the iPhone 5 started at 3 a.m. Eastern on Sept. 14, but Apple and the carriers quickly sold out. By morning, iPhone 5 ship dates were pushed to 1-2 weeks beyond the Sept. 21 launch date. I pre-ordered my iPhone 5 late morning on Sept. 14 and it arrived today, for example.
Apple also offered online reservations for the iPhone 4S in October. In an effort to deter scalpers, meanwhile, Apple in January introduced a lottery system for customers in Hong Kong who wanted one of its smartphones.
[pcmag]
