Apple Inc. (AAPL) iPhone 5 Pre-Orders Sell Out in An Hour

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is done with all the hype and anticipation for its iPhone 5, having its launch party earlier this week. And while some observers don’t see this new smartphone as any major advance on the iPhone 4S or innovative above and beyond what is already on the market, the marketing hype surrounding the iPhone 5 is enough to curry huge interest on this Friday, the first day that pre-orders for the phone can be taken in order for delivery by next Friday, Sept., 21, the official launch day.

Other than going to an Apple Store on the day, if you want an IPhone in your hands next Friday, the pre-order avenue is shut down, and has been for most of the day. At 3 a.m. Eastern time, midnight on the West Coast where Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) headquarters are located, the company was accepting pre-orders for the new smartphone. In about an hour, the site reported that pre-orders for Sept. 21 delivery dates were sold out. The same could be said across many retailers – including wireless carriers Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) and AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) – though Sprint Nextel Corporation (NYSE:S) at last report said it was not reporting any delivery delays on its pre-orders. After that hour, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has been reporting that delivery won’t be available for up to two weeks – two weeks after the official launch date, or October 5.

Many other retailers are also reporting two-week delays in deliveries at this point, though Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE:WMT) has reported that it can get you an iPhone 5 by Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) on Sept. 21, but it insists on a pre-order first – and usually in person. The only other option might e to wait in line overnight outside one of the retail stores on the launch date and hope to be one of the lucky early ones to get hands on one before the day’s stock depletes. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has indicated that its worldwide retail stores will be open at 8 a.m. next Friday to accommodate customers. If this report is any indication, the iPhone 5 may be one of the biggest and best launches of an Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in years, which of course would mean good things for investors like hedge-fund manager David Einhorn of Greenlight Capital.