First-day preorders for the iPhone X sold out at Apple.com in minutes (AAPL)

iphone x

The iPhone X became available for pre-order early on Friday morning.
Only people who ordered in the first few minutes will get their pre-orders the first day it comes out, though.
Apple stores will also have stock on Friday, November 3, though Apple advises to get in line "early."

Apple's most advanced iPhone saw its shipping times slip to weeks in the minutes after it first went up for pre-order on Friday morning.

The iPhone X starts at $999, comes in two colors, and each color comes in two models with different amounts of storage.

And less than an hour after launch, models for all four carriers in the United States on Apple's online store were showing delivery times weeks after the first day the device hits stores, next Friday, November 3.

In some cases, Apple's website now says the iPhone X would be delivered in "2-3 weeks." Other people got confirmation messages that said their iPhone X wouldn't ship for four to five weeks, or in December.

The iPhone X will be in short supply through the end of 2017, according to reports from Apple's factories in Asia. The reason for the shortage is that several of Apple's components, like the 3D True Depth camera, are delicate and difficult to manufacture.

One analyst predicted that only 2-3 million iPhone X units would be shipped by launch time.

The iPhone X is desired by Apple fans for several reasons:

It's Apple's highest-end iPhone.
It features a visually different design from older iPhones.
The screen covers a much larger percentage of the front than older iPhones.
The screen uses a new technology called OLED that sports blacker blacks and other benefits.
It has a longer battery life than the iPhone 7.
It has a 3D depth-sensing camera on the front of the phone called True Depth.
True Depth is used to unlock the phone, taking the place of the fingerprint sensor.

If you weren't lucky enough to nab a pre-order, your best bet is to line up at an Apple store or another authorized retailer on Friday. Just get there early.

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