iPhone 5 units now likely shipping from China for Friday launch
The new iPhone seems to have embarked on its journey from China to the U.S. and other countries just in time for its September 21 sales launch.
The iPhone 5 has just started shipping for consumers who already preordered it or are hoping to grab one on Friday, according to a report from AppleInsider.
A UPS delivery update reportedly sent to the Apple blog site lists a shipment sent out yesterday from its home base in Zhengzhou, China. The scheduled delivery date points to this coming Friday, the date the phone is due to hit the shelves of retail stores.
Some buyers fast enough to have placed preorders also learned that their phones are shipping, AppleInsider added. Such buyers were able to track their orders by using a cell phone number or other number linked to the purchase.
The new iPhone has been available for preorder and will officially debut in nine different countries this Friday, including the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore.
The following Friday, September 8, will see the phone travel to 22 more countries, including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Apple said last Friday that preorders for the phone have been "incredible," and that it's been "blown away by customer response." The company didn't reveal specific numbers. But it's a safe bet they were higher than the 1 million iPhone 4S units sold during that device's first 24 hours of preorders.
Update 5:53 a.m. PT: Apple announced just minutes ago that it logged more than 2 million iPhone 5 preorders in the first 24 hours, shattering the mark of 1 million set by the iPhone 4S.
