iPhone 5 frenzy builds ahead of Friday launch

Gadget lovers have flooded
Apple with pre-orders and
set up camp outside the
company's real-world
stores to get their hands
on the new generation
iPhone 5 set for release
Friday.
SAN FRANCISCO: Gadget
lovers have flooded Apple
with pre-orders and set up
camp outside the
company's real-world
stores to get their hands
on the new generation
iPhone 5 set for release on
Friday.
"The fact that the iPhone 5
is doing as well as it is
opposed to other phones is
a tribute to Apple
marketing," Gartner
analyst Van Baker told
AFP. "They are really good
at this."
The analyst dismissed
efforts by Apple adversary
Samsung to poke fun at
iPhone fanatics and the
lack of innovative handset
features in print and video
ads.
"I had to laugh at the
Samsung ads," Baker said.
"It's hardware geeks
throwing rocks at Apple;
but Apple has a good
sense of what is important
to include and when."
Aspiring iPhone 5 owners
started a queue outside
the Apple store in
Manhattan last week and
similar vigils have begun
outside the California
company's shops at other
spots around the world.
Apple said that it received
more than two million
orders for its new iPhone 5
in the 24 hours after it
began pre-sales online on
September 14.
"iPhone 5 pre-orders have
shattered the previous
record held by iPhone 4S
and the customer response
to iPhone 5 has been
phenomenal," said Philip
Schiller, Apple's senior vice
president of worldwide
marketing.
Apple unveiled the new
version of its iconic
smartphone at a San
Francisco media event on
September 12 and
promised that it would be
available in 100 countries
by year's end.
The first customers are
expected to get the device
on Friday, but Apple has
pushed the delivery date
for new orders out several
weeks due to fierce
demand.
The notion iPhone 5 being
tough to get was expected
to spur more people to lay
siege to stores for the
hotly anticipated release.
The iPhone 5 will be
available at Apple retail
outlets, and for US
customers through AT&T,
Sprint, Verizon Wireless,
Best Buy, RadioShack,
Target, Walmart stores and
other resellers.
Some analysts say Apple
could sell 10 million units
in the opening days and
50 million before the end
of 2012.
Apple shares broke the $
700 mark this week and
stood at $701.60 in after-
market trade on
Wednesday.
The iPhone 5, with a
bigger screen and slimmer
body, was quickly branded
by analysts as a sure hit.
Apple chief executive Tim
Cook called the launch
"the biggest thing to
happen to iPhone since
the iPhone."
The California company
called the iPhone 5 "the
thinnest smartphone in
the world," with a glass
and aluminum body that is
18 percent thinner and 20
percent lighter than
iPhone 4S.
The new iPhone has a rich
four-inch (10-centimeter)
display prime for the red-
hot smartphone market, in
which screen size is a key
factor for buyers.
The iPhone 5 will debut
Friday in the United States,
Canada, Britain, France,
Germany, Australia, Hong
Kong, Japan and Singapore.
Pricing for US customers
will start at $199 with a
two-year telecom service
contract.
Apple earlier rolled out its
new iOS 6 mobile gadget
operating system with new
features, including a
custom mapping service
branded a disappointment
by some reviewers.
"Seems pretty clear the
new Maps is going to be
the biggest problem with
iOS 6," Apple fan John
Gruber wrote on his Daring
Fireball blog.
"It'll be interesting to see
how long it takes for
Google to release a
standalone Google Maps
apps in the iOS App Store."
Apple's custom mapping
programme replaced
Google Maps in the
operating system.
An iPhone change with the
potential to irk fans is a
new "Lightning" connector
to replace 30-pin
connections, the piece that
connects devices to
computers, power outlets
or docking stations.
Apple will sell adaptors for
plugging new generation
iPhone and iPod touch
devices into accessories
already owned, such as
stereo speakers or car
sound systems.
The big-screen iPhone 5
compatible with high-
speed "LTE" telecom
networks has been among
the most keenly
anticipated products in the
tech world.
"Apple is meeting all
expectations," analyst
Baker said. "Everything
was getting great reviews
until they started rolling
out iOS 6 today."
The US Federal Trade
Commission warned that
scammers were already
seeking to cash in on
iPhone mania, with emails
offering a chance to get
one.
"Don't reply, and don't
click on links provided in
the message," the FTC
said. "Links can install
malware on your computer
and take you to spoof sites
that look real but whose
purpose is to steal your
information."