The Power of Peer Pressure

5. Peer pressure sells iPhones and always has

Peer pressure could be one of the best iPhone sellers yet. The fact is, high school and college students–typically the most impressionable sector of the consumer market–are chomping at the bit to get the iPhone 5. In no time, the iPhone has become the "cool" device that everyone needs to have. The sooner those kids have it, the sooner they can impress others. It might sound rather obvious, but students are a driving force behind the iPhone's success. And to discount the power of peer pressure would be a mistake.

6. The hype was massive

With help from its legion of fans, Apple put its hype machine on overdrive for the iPhone 5. The company waited until after the summer to announce the handset. At a Sept. 12 media event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, Apple had the iPhone 5 rise up dramatically from under the stage. Afterwards, it displayed the device in dazzling fashion to satisfy the journalists who jostled to get a clear shot of the smartphone. In short the event played out in Apple's usually brash manner, which no doubt helped feed buyers' readiness to file their preorders.

7. Apple's scheduling was spot-on

Apple made the smart move to announce its handset on Sept. 12, and then offer up the preorders just two days later. By doing so, Apple gave customers ample time to determine both if they were eligible for the device and if they should buy it. Other companies tend to offer preorders on the same day products are announced. It's a mistake. And Apple has once again proven that.

8. The camera is a big factor

Apple's decision to build an 8-megapixel camera into the iPhone 5 was a smart one. The cameras in the iPhone line have become the most widely used, based on Flickr uploads. It's likely customers were getting tired of the sub-par lenses in the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. The 8-megapixel camera in the iPhone 5 fixes any customer dissatisfaction with the earlier cameras and that can only feed the buying frenzy.

9. Apple has impressed with the display

For far too long, Apple was forcing iPhone owners to get by with the 3.5-inch screen, when many Android handsets delivered much larger displays. In the iPhone 5, however, Apple's screen comes in at 4 inches, allowing for five rows of icons and the ability to see a whole week in Calendar. Better yet, Apple says that the screen will come with better color saturation, thanks to the elimination of one screen layer. You can bet all of that has attracted more customers to the iPhone 5.

10. A lot of legacy customers pounced

By offering up what was basically the same design in the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, Apple discouraged many customers from upgrading their new handsets last year. After all, what good is a device that's basically the same thing offered in the prior year, but with a few enhancements? The iPhone 5, however has some attractive new features. As a result, current iPhone owners, perhaps getting bored with the earlier models, decided now is the time to go with the latest and greatest Apple handset.

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