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iPhone X hijacks Apple.com days before preorders

Images of the new flagship phone replace the usual slew of devices Apple offers on its home page.

Steven Musil Night Editor / News
Steven Musil is the night news editor at CNET News. He's been hooked on tech since learning BASIC in the late '70s. When not cleaning up after his daughter and son, Steven can be found pedaling around the San Francisco Bay Area. Before joining CNET in 2000, Steven spent 10 years at various Bay Area newspapers.
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Steven Musil
iphonex-store

The iPhone X has arrived at Apple.com -- well, kind of.

Apple

The iPhone X won't be available for presale for a couple more days, but that hasn't stopped Apple from overhauling its home pages to promote its new flagship phone.

Veteran observers of presales will recall that Apple's home page traditionally goes "down for maintenance" a few hours before presales begin so that Apple can prominently promote the new device or devices. But Apple appears to have gotten a jump on things Tuesday, replacing the usual images of the company's various hardware with a page now totally devoted to showcasing the various features of the device.

Visitors to the site now will be greeted by a large image of the phone and a reminder that it will be available for preorder one minute after midnight on Friday, Oct. 27 -- a little more than two days from now. A slew of images below the main pic go on to highlight the different features of the device.

The page overhaul comes just hours after Apple issued an unusual press release encouraging shoppers interested in purchasing the iPhone X when it hits store shelves on Nov. 3 to arrive early if they want to get their hands on one. The advice seemed to buttress reports of a possible shortage of iPhone X units.

Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

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