Apple’s iPhone 5 started reaching Vodafone customers in Malta yesterday with demand exceeding the initial supply.

In fact, some customers will have to wait until Friday for their phone to be delivered to an outlet and many more will have to wait for some weeks.

Vodafone said pre-orders for the phone “exceeded expectations” and interest registered was double that seen for earlier versions. “This is the first time Vodafone has launched pre-orders a week prior to the official launch date and it proved to be an overwhelming success,” marketing head Sandro Pisani said.

Vodafone, the only Apple authorised reseller, is taking pre-orders in all its retail stores and notifying customers when it is available for pick up.

The iPhone 5 comes in black, white, 16G, 32G and 64G variants. Vodafone refused to divulge how many phones had been pre-ordered, citing its agreement with Apple.

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