Apple to start new iPhone pre-orders on September 12 - report

The blog that reported earlier that Apple will announce the new iPhone on September 12, is now reporting that Apple will start taking US pre-orders for the smartphone the same day.

iMore is sticking to the earlier announced shipping day of September 21, nine days after the announcement. It is also saying that Apple will launch the new iPhone in international markets two weeks later, likely Friday, October 5.

Traditionally, there has been some delay between the iPhone announcement and the phone going up for pre-order in the United States. The iPhone 4S, for example, was announced on October 4 last year, while pre-orders opened only on Friday, October 7. It is worth pointing out that the iPhone 4S clocked over 1 million pre-orders within the first 24 hours, while the number stood at over 600,000 pre-orders for the iPhone 4.

Pre-orders for the new iPhone are expected to top the iPhone 4S record, with a lot of pent-up demand from the Cupertino faithful ahead of the holiday season. iPhone 4S went on sale on October 14 last year, ten days after the announcement, and clocked over 4 million sales on the opening weekend. That number might be under threat as well depending upon the number of countries the new iPhone gets launched in.

The iPhone 4S was available for sale in the US, Canada, Australia, UK, France, Germany, and Japan on launch, so it's likely the new iPhone will be available in these markets on launch. The rumoured October 5 date this year may correspond to the expansion of the phone to other European markets and Singapore, just like the iPhone 4S.

On October 28 last year, 14 days after the initial launch, the iPhone 4S went on sale in 22 countries including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

If Apple sticks to the timelines it followed for the iPhone 4S, the new iPhone will be available in over 70 countries by the end of this year. So when will your country get the new iPhone? Likely the same time it got the iPhone 4S.

Source: NDTV