Apple shares jump, hit record high on "iPhone 5 fever"

(REUTERS) - Apple shares jumped on Friday, touching a record high on what one analyst called "iPhone 5 fever" as the company said some customers must wait two to three weeks for the new, slimmer, faster smartphone that accounts for half its revenue.

Apple's United States (US) store, at www.apple.com, was projecting shipments for the iPhone 5 would take two weeks to fulfill, with analysts saying the date slipped within an hour of the start of pre-sales.

The company's website showed buyers in United Kingdom, France and Germany would have to wait as much as three weeks to receive orders when the iPhone 5 starts shipping next Friday, the first day of deliveries.

AT&T, Verizon Communications and Sprint Nextel Corp - the three US carriers who will sell the iPhone 5 - showed delays ranging from a week to a month by Friday afternoon.