iPhone 5c now available for pre-order

blue white pink iPhone 5c side by side

Ok folks, the time has arrived. Those in one of the 9 initial launch countries can now pre-order an iPhone 5c. Just as promised, the Cupertino company began accepting advanced orders for its new, brightly colored handset just after midnight this morning.

It appears that some users are still seeing Apple’s ‘We’ll be back’ poster on Apple.com, but the Apple Store app is up and running. Remember that carriers are also accepting pre-orders, so it’s worth checking out their websites if you have trouble getting in…

Interestingly enough, you can pre-order an unlocked version of the iPhone 5c tonight—an option not available to US customers at launch time last year. It also looks like the iPhone 5c cases and charging dock are also available for purchasing tonight.

This whole thing is a big experiment for Apple, who has never launched multiple new handsets simultaneously before. There’s been a lot of controversy over the 5c’s price and feature set, but only time will tell if those concerns have gone mainstream.

Last year, pre-orders for the iPhone 5 ran out rather quickly, with shipping times for most models doubling within an hour. We’ll hang around for a bit tonight to keep an eye on model availability, and we’ll be sure to update this post with any developments.

Still trying to decide which carrier and model to go with, or if you’re getting one at all? These posts may help:

So, have you pre-ordered your iPhone 5c yet?