What is the real release date of the iPhone 5S and iPhone 6? (Photo : Reuters)

The iPhone 5 is nearly sold out on the very date of its release, foreshadowing the historical success of Apple's latest generation smartphone.

The much-expected iPhone 5 was flying off the shelves around the world on Friday as soon as it was released.

Having broken record with over 2 million orders made in the first 24 hours, the iPhone 5 is seen as the biggest electronics debut in history.

The launch day frenzy and sell-out come as a good reminder of the undeniable reign of Apple empire.

"At this time, the majority of Sprint-branded retail stores are seriously constrained or sold out of iPhone 5 inventory provided to us by Apple,” Sprint said in a statement Friday afternoon, just hours after the iPhone 5 was released in the U.S.

As a result, Sprint is setting up a wait list for customers to secure their iPhone 5 by purchasing a $50 gift card. The stores will be resupplied as soon as Apple sends new inventory to Sprint.

Verizon and AT&T declined to comment on their inventories.

According to comScore, the online pre-order of the iPhone 5 in the first three days has reached 96 per cent of the online sales of the iPhone 4S in the first month since its release.

Over two-thirds of online sales have come from AT&T, while Verizon nearly a quarter and Sprint around 8 per cent, says comScore.

With its pre-order starting on Sept. 14, the iPhone 5 has already broken record with over 2 million smartphones ordered in the first 24 hours.

"iPhone 5 pre-orders have shattered the previous record held by iPhone 4S and the customer response to iPhone 5 has been phenomenal," Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, said.

The overwhelming demand exceeded the initial supply, according to Apple, leading many of the orders toward October delivery.

Both Apple and the iPhone 5 carriers have pushed back the shipment dates for several weeks.

Apple is expected to ship as many as 10 million iPhone 5 by the end of September, according to Analysts.

On Friday, Australia kicked off the iPhone 5 cult movement, followed by Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. iPhone fans competed to be the first on the lines, and many camped outside the Apple stores while enjoying the hype.

Canada, France, Germany, UK, and U.S. followed the craze.

22 more countries will follow suit a week later.

While waiting for your iPhone 5, make sure to find one-of-a-kind iPhone 5 case for your new gadget. 

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