pre-order

Apple's stock ended on a high note, crossing $700 mark at the end of day, capping off a strong run over the summer.

Its share price closed up 1.2 percent to $699.78. In after-hours trading, it hovered above $700 for a few minutes. It last traded at $699.80.

Apple gave investors another reason to cheer today when it said the pre-orders for the iPhone 5 topped 2 million in the first 24 hours, more than doubling the 1 million iPhone 4S pre-orders from nearly a year ago. AT&T chimed in to say it saw record pre-orders over the weekend, … Read more

The iPhone 5 hiccuped onto the market today, taking down several online stores and quickly selling out the first supply of Apple's new smartphone.

Initial stock from Apple for release day delivery sold out in less than an hour. Those looking to purchase the phone just after 1 a.m. PT discovered new orders from Apple's online site had estimated shipping times of "2 weeks" instead of the original "delivers by" September 21 message.

How far back can Apple push it? In the case of the iPhone 4S last year, Apple extended delivery of … Read more

Have you ever preordered a video game? Did you feel good about yourself after doing so? Yes? No? Truth is, you should almost never, ever, preorder a video game.

A preorder does virtually nothing for you, but it does a great deal for various other parties. First off, it's a free loan. Think about it. You're essentially giving a game retailer 5 or more dollars for free. All you get back in return is a receipt that you've done so. A big-name retailer now has your 5 dollars that it, in turn, can do whatever it wants with. Sure, it might seem trivial on a small scale, but multiply your 5 dollars times the amount of preorders made a day, and we're talking millions of free unearned dollars here.

Game distributors and retailers also use preorder data to gauge interest in a title. They're basically using your donation to measure how successful a marketing campaign is even before anyone has played the game. And once you've pledged those few dollars, odds are you'll be back come release day. If not, the money stays with the retailer, where you'll most likely use it on another title -- or even worse, forget about it. … Read more

If the U.K. is any indication, then Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S III may be even more successful than its predecessors.

The Galaxy S III has already smashed preorder records at Vodafone and retail chain Carphone Warehouse, according to the Inquirer. That includes orders for the previous iteration of Samsung's flagship line, the Galaxy S II.

What began has a solid phone with the original Galaxy S (and its variants around the world) has grown into a juggernaut for Samsung, which has topped Apple as the world's largest smartphone manufacturer and which has a device that's the … Read more

A notice from Nikon Japan today indicates troubling times for those aiming to purchase the upcoming D800 dSLR.

Due for release Thursday, the highly anticipated 36.3-megapixel full-frame D800 features a dizzying array of features, and up to 1080/30p video recording.

With reservations and demand "far above expectations," the company said in a statement that it is facing D800 supply shortages until further notice.… Read more

As the latest iPad nears its official availability date of March 16, those who haven't preordered already are left in a quandary.

To no great surprise, newly placed Apple iPad orders now won't ship for another 2-3 weeks. So, should you try waiting in a line at an Apple store or retailer on Friday instead for your iPad fix? … Read more

If you haven't already noticed, CNET.com got a big makeover last night, and the new layout makes it much easier to browse the latest reviews, news, and videos from CNET.com and CNETTV.com.… Read more