Customers who are lucky enough to place their pre-orders for iPhone 5 last Friday are definitely happy to know that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) started shipping their smartphones from China.
A report from AppleInsider provided a snap shot of a UPS delivery update showing that the iPhone 5 delivery begun on Sunday, September 16. Some customers started tracking the delivery updates of their mobile device using the reference number provided in their orders.
Customers will received their iPhone 5 on September 21 during the actual launching of the mobile device. There is big possibility that some customers will receive their orders ahead of time as it happens during the previous years. According to reports, Apple used FedEx Corporation (NYSE:FDX) and United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) to deliver its product.
Last Friday, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) sold out the pre-orders of iPhone 5 in just one hour. The server of Apple’s online store was jammed due to the large volume of customers eager to get hold of the product as early as possible. The online store posted a notice “We’ll be back” in different languages.
At present, customers who will place their orders at the Apple Store online will receive their device within two to three weeks. According to Apple, the iPhone 5 roll out was the most aggressive in the history of the company. The iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S were sold-out within 20 hours and 22 hours during the pre-order period respectively.
The iPhone 5 is available for pre-order through AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T), Sprint Nextel Corporation (NYSE:S) and Verizon Communications, Inc. (NYSE:VZ). The mobile device will be initially available in nine countries worldwide. Apple is expected to sell as much as 10 million units during the first week of the product launching. Technology analysts project the demand for iPhone 5 will increase as the product becomes available in the market.
Customers who do not want to place their orders online will be able to buy an iPhone 5 at Apple stores, Best Buy Co. Inc. (NYSE:BBY), Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT) and Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) and other major retailers.
A report from CNET noted that consumers started to form lines outside Apple’s store alsoknown as the Cube at the 5th Avenue in New York City on Monday, one week prior to the actual sale of the product on September 21.
