Getty
The iPhone X will be in short supply when it hits store shelves on November 3.
- iPhone X preorders start on Friday.
- The iPhone X will likely be hard to find and in short supply.
- The best way to improve your chances of obtaining a pre-order is to prepare ahead of time and use the Apple Store app.
Apple's most advanced iPhone goes up for pre-order on Friday.
Good luck if you want one. All signs point to the iPhone X being in short supply this year because of production issues.
The best chance to score one will be to pre-order as soon as Apple's online store opens on Friday at 12:01 a.m. PT.
Make sure you've figured out exactly when that will be in your time zone - pre-orders start at 3:01 a.m. on the East Coast, for example. So set an alarm.
When the time comes, your best bet for scoring an iPhone X is through the Apple Store app for iPhones and iPads. Apple's head of retail, Angela Ahrendts, said it will be the fastest way to pre-order.
Here's what to do:
• Download the Apple Store app if you don't have it.
• Log into your Apple account on the Apple Store app and make sure your credit card or Apple Pay is working.
• Figure out which iPhone X model you want - which color, which carrier, and how you plan to pay for it.
• Tap the heart in the corner to add it to your Favorites. You can add multiple models to your Favorites in case one is sold out.
screenshot
• Use the Favorites menu under "Account" to quickly get to your iPhone X model as soon as pre-orders open.
Screenshot
• Hope you get lucky!
In previous years, people using the app have had more success than people who have tried to pre-order through apple.com.
Apple also recommends that if you're part of Apple's subscription program the iPhone Update Program, you can get pre-approved to buy the iPhone X, further accelerating the process.
Real pros will also have a second laptop or desktop with tabs set to the iPhone X product pages on apple.com, retailers like Best Buy, and carriers like AT&T or Verizon in case the Apple Store app doesn't work the first time.
And if you don't score a pre-order, you can always line up at an Apple store.
