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Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va.迷你倉Sept. 21--Shaun Portlock was on a mission Friday morning.The 30-year-old Nelson County man got up at 5 a.m., left his Wintergreen home at 6 a.m. and arrived at the Apple store at Short Pump Town Center in western Henrico County by about 7:30 a.m.He wanted the new iPhone 5s 64 GB model. On Friday, Apple released the iPhone 5s -- the successor to last year's iPhone 5 -- as well as the iPhone 5c, a low-cost version of its popular smartphone.But the Apple store, which had more than 100 people standing in line for the 8 a.m. opening, didn't have any of that model for use on the AT&T network.Not to be deterred, Portlock drove across the street to the AT&T store, where more than 40 people waited. He thought that store had the 64 GB phone, but he learned when he got inside after 10 a.m. -- more than two hours after he arrived -- that the model was sold out there, too."I just want to have the latest and the greatest," said Portlock, who took the day off from his job as a computer tech support employee at Augusta County schools to get the new iPhone.But Adam Ragab, director of sales in Virginia for AT&T, came to his rescue. Ragab and the store manager found the 64 GB phone at the company's store in Charlottesville.On his way home -- he stopped back at the Apple store first to get some accessories -- Portlock picked up his new phone."It's awesome," he said.Thousands of eager customers lined up outside stores -- Apple, AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Best Buy and other retailers -- across the world Friday morning waiting to buy the new phones. It's the first time Apple released two iPhone models at once."I just had to get it," said Alec Sorensen of Henrico, who got to the AT&T store around 7:50 a.m. and waited more than 2 { hours before getting into the store to buy the iPhone 5s.Was it worth the wait? "We'll see. I think so."In New York, customers lined up around the block to get into Apple's flagship Fifth Avenue store; while in Munich, about 2,000 gathered to buy the new iPhone 5s and 5c; and in London, the waiting crowd stretched about a mile.An overnight campout in California turned chaotic Friday morning when two men were arrested for fighting outside an Apple store, and a man's plan to hire homeless people to wait in line for the coveted devices backfired.The iPhone 5s and 5c went on sale in the U.S., Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the U.K.It's the first time Apple rolled out its flagship product for sale in China on the same day as elsewhere, abandoning the usual three-month delay, as the company seeks to lure ne迷你倉 customers in the world's largest mobile-phone market.While the 5s is also available in black and white versions, the gold model emerged as the hottest seller. AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless won't be able to ship gold iPhones until October, while the others are available this month, Apple said on its website.Opening-weekend sales are crucial to boosting Apple after almost a year without releasing a new device and ceding market share to rivals, including Samsung Electronics Co., in the $280 billion smartphone market.Whether Apple can surpass the record 5 million smartphones sold during last year's iPhone debut depends on whether there is enough supply of the feature-rich iPhone 5s."It really depends entirely on how good or bad the yields on the 5s are," said Carl Howe, an analyst at Yankee Group, who correctly predicted opening weekend sales last year. Apple could top 7 million in sales if it has enough handsets, though "Apple may not even hit the 5 million I predicted last year if the 5s is in really short supply," he said.The iPhone 5s features a new camera and faster processor and sports a fingerprint-reading technology. Instead of typing in a four-digit passcode, users tap their finger on the home button -- if there's a match, the phone will unlock.It costs $199 to $399, depending on the amount of memory and with a two-year wireless contract. Without a contract, the smartphone costs at least $649.For the less-expensive iPhone 5c, Apple took last year's iPhone 5 and mostly repackaged it in a new plastic casing that's offered in five colors: green, blue, yellow, pink or white. It costs $99 to $199 with a two-year contract, or $549 without one.This week, Apple also released the new iOS 7 mobile operating system for iPhone and iPad. Some customers experienced long delays trying to download the software, which includes sweeping graphical changes, such as a new look for email, camera, text messaging and other applications.Brand loyalty remains important for many Apple enthusiasts, who cited the company's attention to detail in its products.Ryan Taylor of Henrico, who waited hours Friday to buy the iPhone 5s at the AT&T store, said he is a huge Apple fan, though he acknowledged that he had bought Samsung's Galaxy smartphone."I love the iPhone," he said. "I veered off, and I'm coming back home."ggilligan@timesdispatch.com(804) 649-6379Bloomberg News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 Richmond Times-Dispatch (Richmond, Va.) Visit the Richmond Times-Dispatch (Richmond, Va.) at .timesdispatch.com Distributed by MCT Information Services儲存倉