OKLAHOMA CITY -
On Friday morning, Apple will begin to sell its iPhone
5 in stores. Analysts are predicting the company will sell up to 10 million of
the smart phones by the end of September.
Similar to previous release dates, people will line up
outside of stores anxiously waiting to buy the phone, making the 4S outdated
technology.
"I think [Apple] has a bit of a cult following," Apple
consumer Mason Gist said.
Lines from the 2012 release date proved Gist to be
correct. Apple lovers seem to always need the latest and greatest model of the
company's products.
"It's increased customer demand it seems with every
one of these [releases]," Ryan Stafford, Oklahoma AT&T director of sales
said.
Oklahoma stores started pre-orders on Friday, Sept.
14. Demand since that time has analysts saying this will be Apple's best seller
yet, but why such Apple-exclusive enthusiasm?
"It is kind of a trend-setter," Stafford said.
Stafford says the fact that Apple was the first to
make a touch screen smartphone has a lot to do with Apple's success.
"Right now, I'm not ready for an upgrade, but
hopefully I will get one soon … if someone will buy me one," laughed Apple
consumer Lane Tinsley. "That's my plan."
For those holding off with an older model, know this,
experts say the value of the iPhone 4S phones are falling fast.
"On the [iPhone 4S,] it's going to drop to … $100,
easily," Scott Quan, Xpress Cellular Repair of Edmond owner said. "The sooner
you sell it, the more value there is to it."
Gist, an Apple guru, gave News 9 his early review. He
is excited about the iPhone 5, but says the huge drawback is, that unlike
iPhone 5's predecessors, it will have a different charger. That means more
money at the checkout stand.
Major cell phone stores in the metro will open at 8
a.m. Friday. Best Buy will open at 9 a.m.
Experts
say it costs Apple about $200 to make each phone, which sells for between $200
and $400 with a new two-year service plan. It will cost from $650 to $850
without any upgrades from your service provider.
The iPhone 5 goes on sale Friday, Sept. 21.
