Smartphone users have been waiting for the release of the iPhone 5 for some time now. It all started this time last year when Apple released the iPhone 4S instead of the rumored iPhone 5.
The smartphone began flying off the shelves as early as 8 a.m. Friday and, according to an AT&T employee, the phone was sold out all over Northwest Arkansas by 10:30 a.m. that same day.
A lot of people camped out overnight at local AT&T and Verizon stores in hopes of getting their hands on the new gadget. University of Arkansas student Mike Brown was first in line at the Fayetteville AT&T store at Fiesta Square.
“I got off work at 2:30-ish and got up here about 2:45, and we just sat around and waited for the doors to open. I did a little bit of homework,” said Brown.
Long lines started wrapping around stores as early as 8 p.m. Thursday.
“We opened two hours early today,” said Verizon Retail District Manager Steven Childress. “Customers were in line yesterday at 8 p.m. waiting to get this phone this morning when we opened at 8 a.m. It`s a really exciting day.”
Lindsey Wells waited four hours for AT&T to open its doors Friday morning.
“I was really excited. I got here at four. The line was pretty far already, I was like 11th,” Wells said.
IPhone creators promise lots of new features, including a new voice navigation system featuring 3D maps and real-time traffic information. Siri can now give you sports updates, let you look up a team roster or schedule, send tweets and make reservations at your favorite restaurant.
“Some of the great things it`s got is the new iOS 6 that has over 200 new features on it and [it] has the new retina display,” said Chuck Moline, AT&T area retail sales manager.
Apple started taking pre-sale orders online on Friday, Sept.14, and within the first 24 hours, two million iPhone 5s were pre-sold.
According to Apple, the demand for the new phone exceeds their supply, so some of the pre-orders will not be delivered until next month.
“The best way would be to come down and find out whether we do have any or not and again, if not, we can definitely order it for you,” Childress said.
If you don’t want to shell out the cash for the new iPhone, you can upgrade the software on your current device.
Prices start at $199 depending on whether you have an upgrade coming.
iOs 6 is available for iPhone 4S, 4, and 3GS.
But not all features are available on the older models.
