TERRE HAUTE —
The new iPhone 5 goes on sale in retail stores later this week, but buyers went online early last Friday to gobble up the latest Apple offering.
Apple opened online pre-orders of the new smartphone at 3:01 a.m. last Friday and sold out of its available stock within an hour.
According to Apple’s website, people looking to order the iPhone 5 now will need to wait two weeks before getting the new device.
“Our online systems have performed flawlessly. We have seen significant volume since we started to accept the pre-orders at 3 a.m. There is clearly strong interest from our customers,” said Michelle Gilbert, spokeswoman for Verizon Wireless.
Gilbert said customers were asking questions about their account to see if they were eligible to upgrade to the new phone, its costs and what would be the correct rate plan for them.
“We’re very pleased with our customers’ initial interest in the iPhone 5 on Verizon’s 4G LTE network. Our stores, including our location in Terre Haute, will be open early at 8 a.m. [Friday] when the iPhone [officially] launches,” Gilbert said
The iPhone 5 will cost $199 for a 16 GB version; $299 for a 32 GB version; and $399 for a 64 GB version.
Michael Seybold, general manager of Best Buy in Terre Haute, said the iPhone 5 is thinner, lighter and faster than previous models and is 4G LTE capable. “It also has a bigger screen as well” at 4 inches, up from 3.5 inches, Seybold said.
Seybold said the new phone also has a new dock connector, which is supposed to have faster transfer speeds, part of which makes the iPhone 5 lighter, “but they make an adapter so that almost everything older will work with the iPhone 5. You just have to buy the adapter.”
Seybold said he predicts Sept. 21 will “be a big weekend for the cell phone industry. Any time Apple releases a new product, it is a big deal. It is like a mini-black Friday when you have people waiting for the phone.
“We will not get the [iPhone 5] in until the day of the launch or the day before,” Seybold added.
The store continues to sell the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 as well as iPhone 3, Seybold said.
“We sell that because some people who can’t afford the $200 or more price can get that for $50,” Seybold said.
Callie Walker, a senior from Greencastle at Indiana State University, planned to get an iPhone 4 while at Best Buy. “I don’t care about Siri and the new phone uses up data a lot faster,” Walker said. “I’d rather get the basic iPhone 4. I will have an iPhone and it’s still cool,” Walker said.
Martin Hudak, 21, a 2010 graduate of North Central Jr./Sr. High School in Farmersburg, said he would have to delay getting the new iPhone.
“I was going to get the new iPhone 5, but I will leave Sept. 20 and the iPhone 5 comes out in stores on the 21st. I will try to get that in January,” said Hudak, who’ll be leaving to attend college in Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic.
Reporter Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar
Local & Bistate
Related Photos
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iPhone 5 coming soon: Indiana State student Callie Walker of Greencastle looks over the iPhone display at BestBuy in Terre Haute last Friday. (Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza)
Discussion
Release of the iPhone 5 brings a mini-Black Friday
New Apple phone proves to be hot even before it’s out
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