iPhone 5 for sale on Apple.com

Want an iPhone 5? Don't want to go on a pricey plan? The iPhone 5 is on sale on Apple's online store today, starting at $1,049.

However, stock is going fast, and customers who buy online are already facing a three- to four-week wait for their devices, regardless of which model they choose.

The 16GB model of the iPhone costs $1,049 on Apple's website. The 32GB version is worth $1,199 and the 64GB version $1,349.

For those who prefer to buy in-store, representatives at most Telecom and Vodafone stores - including those who had midnight launches - have said they still have stock.

YooBee in Newmarket, Auckland, which has historically been the most popular store for day-one iPhone and iPad purchases, did not answer the phone when PC World called shortly after 9am.

A sales representative from Telecom on Victoria Street in Auckland, where the company's biggest launch event was held, said the store had "a few" iPhone 5s left in stock.