Apple’s (AAPL) new iPhone 5 is still a hot ticket item around the world, and buying one is becoming an increasingly difficult task in most regions. New U.S. orders placed using Apple’s online store currently ship in 3-4 weeks, which seems like a terribly long time to wait for a new smartphone — unless you live in Hong Kong. According to Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White, the only way a new iPhone 5 purchased through Apple can be picked up at an Apple Store is by being selected in a special lottery.
“At Apple’s retail store, the iPhone 5 can be ordered online and a lottery process determines who is eligible for pickup at the store the next day,” White told AllThingsD after a visit to Hong Kong. “Based on our conversations, you might have a better shot at winning [an actual] lottery than getting the iPhone 5 the next day.”
Apple sold more than 5 million iPhone 5 handsets during the device’s first three days of availability and strong demand has seemingly still not subsided.
