Apple Fans Camp Out on NW Expressway for IPhone 5

By Abby Broyles, News 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The rush is on to get the iPhone 5. It went on sale Friday in Apple stores and other retail stores across the country, and it's sparking a lot of excitement.

Hundreds of people here in the metro lined up overnight to get their hands on the new smartphone.

More than 200 of Oklahoma City's biggest Apple fans were camped outside Penn Square Mall Friday morning long before the doors opened. Some even camped out on Northwest Expressway overnight to secure their coveted spots in line.

"It's the iPhone, it's the best product out there," Dathan Kennemer said.

These die-hard Apple fans agree, not much could stop them from being the first in Oklahoma City to own the new iPhone 5.

9/20/12 Related Story: People Line Up For iPhone 5 Across Oklahoma City

"You can take pictures, you can take a picture from here to here and record it all," Ashley Bullard said.

Some tried to get in line on Thursday, but the mall didn't allow customers on property until 3:00 a.m. Friday.

"Security actually kicked us off property, so we kinda had to work with them," Talbot Cox said.

That meant taking their camp-out to the median on Northwest Expressway. It's all just part of the experience for Cox.

"Me and my brother have been first in line for every iPhone but the first, so we're trying to keep the tradition going," Cox said.

The hype around the new phone? It has a 4-inch screen, it's lighter, thinner and faster.

Local retailers across the metro have been gearing up for Friday's big release.

"Since we launched the 4S, folks have been calling about this particular phone, [asking] ‘Well when's the 5 coming?'" Verizon Wireless Manager Reggie Evans said.

So it was no surprise that at 8:00 a.m., loyal fans had no regrets after a much anticipated wait.

Prices for the new iPhone 5 start at $200. News 9 did some checking on Friday night, and several stores across the metro do still have the new iPhone 5 in stock.

Apple expects to sell 8 million iPhone 5s this weekend. Pre-orders alone for the iPhone 5 were double the first-day sales of the previous iPhone in 2011.