This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
When J.R.R. Tolkien wrote "all that is gold does not glitter," apparently he was not referring to the new gold iPhone 5S.
Shortly after the phone went on sale this morning, it is being reported that the gold version of the iPhone 5S has sold out throughout the country and that shipping for online orders of that color of phone have been pushed back to October. The new phone comes in the gold color as well as the typical black and white.
"Demand for the new iPhones has been incredible, and we are currently sold out or have limited supply of certain iPhone 5s models in some stores," an Apple representative told the technology blog AllThingsD.com Friday morning.
Despite the rising competition in smartphones, Apple's flagship iPhone still knows how to draw the crowds.
Lines for the new iPhone 5S formed just outside the Apple retail store at the City Creek Center in Salt Lake City this morning as anxious early adopters wanted to be the first to get their hands on the latest in smartphone technology.
Lines also were expected at the Fashion Place Mall in Murray and the Station Park shopping center in Farmington, the site of a new Apple store that also is having its grand opening today. All three stores opened their doors today at 8 a.m. The Farmington store also was handing out commemorative t-shirts to the first one thousand customers.
Crazed fans have been braving the lines mostly for the iPhone 5S, the latest version of Apple's new mobile smartphone. The new device sports a fingerprint sensor to unlock the phone and an improved camera system while still looking like the current iPhone 5. Apple also is selling the iPhone 5C, a lower-cost iPhone similar in specifications to the iPhone 5 but with plastic color cases.
The iPhone 5S was expected to draw long lines in large part because Apple this time elected not to sell the phone through online pre-orders and because it was reported this week that initial supplies of the new phone are surprisingly low.
vince@sltrib.com
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Senator concerned about Apple's fingerprint tech
Sen. Al Franken is asking Apple for more clarity on privacy and security concerns he has with its use of fingerprint recognition technology in the new iPhone 5S.
The iPhone 5S, which went on sale Friday, includes a fingerprint sensor that lets users tap the phone's home button to unlock their phone, rather than enter a four-digit passcode.
But Franken said that the fingerprint system could be potentially disastrous for users if someone does eventually hack it. While a password can be kept a secret and changed if it's hacked, he said, fingerprints are permanent and are left on everything a person touches, making them far from a secret.
Apple Inc. officials didn't immediately return an email seeking comment on Franken's letter.
But the Cupertino, Calif., company has said that this kind of technology significantly boosts security for users.
According to Apple, the fingerprint data is stored on the phone in a place that's inaccessible to other apps and to Apple's remote servers. In addition, Apple says it's not possible to convert a fingerprint from a police file into something the phone will recognize, as the sensor reads a sub-epidermal layer of the finger.
Meanwhile, anyone worried about fingerprint scan has the option of disabling the feature and sticking with the passcode.
The Associated Press