iPhone 5 Pre-Orders Through The Roof

Hype for the iPhone 5 hit a fever pitch in the months leading up to its announcement, and its many new features have clearly struck a chord with consumers.

Apple has announced that iPhone 5 pre-orders topped 2 million in the first 24 hours of sales, more than doubling the previous record of 1 million orders held by the iPhone 4S. The majority of said orders will be delivered on September 21st; however, sales have well exceeded Apple’s supply, and many orders will not be shipped until October. Hype for the new phone hit a fever pitch in the months leading up to its announcement, and its many new features have clearly struck a chord with consumers. According to Phillip Schiller, Apple’s Senior Vice-President of Marketing, “iPhone 5 pre-orders have shattered the previous record held by iPhone 4S and the customer response to the iPhone 5 has been phenomenal. iPhone 5 is easily the best iPhone yet, the most beautiful product we’ve ever made, and we hope customers love it as much as we do.”

Indeed, iPhone 5 boasts several appealing features: it is the thinnest and lightest iPhone; it has a 4-inch retina display (up from previous models’ 3.5 inches); and a brand new operating system. One of the phone’s coolest upgrades has to be its map app. Apple went rogue from google maps and made their own application, which includes Apple designed cartography, voice navigation, and a Flyover view. The phone also features Facebook integration, new Siri features, and a panoramic camera app. This thing has it all–and it comes in three different colors to boot!

Retail prices for the iPhone 5 have turned out to be lower than expected. The 16GB model will run $199, the 32GB model will cost $299, and the 64GB phone will go for $399. If you’re not willing to shell out that much, the still-great iPhone 4S will drop to $99. Plus, the more-than-adequate iPhone 4 will now be free with a two-year contract. The new iPhone will be available the Apple store, AT&T, Best Buy, Radioshack, Target, and Wal-Mart starting Septemeber 21st. According to many sources some consumers are already camped out at New York’s Apple Store on Fifth Avenue. If all this news any indication, the iPhone 5 should become the best-selling smartphone of all time, as well as the biggest technological release of 2012.

For more on Apple’s momentous release: check out Tech Crunch’s wonderful analysis of the iPhone 5′s redesigned apps.

Also, be sure to share your own thoughts on the new iPhone in the comments section below.