The Internet’s biggest buzz tomorrow will be Apple’s release of its new iPhone, a device so anticipated that analysts have called it the “biggest upgrade in consumer electronics history.” As it was the case in previous versions, Apple is giving no details of its fifth iteration of the device that helped revolutionize the mobile industry. When Apple — now the world’s most valuable technology company — unveiled the iPhone 4S at a similar event a year ago, it registered 1 million pre-orders the first day.

But unconfirmed blueprints of the new device that have circulated on the Internet are paid little attention by two 24-year-olds who have opened this week an iPhone repair store in American Fork called iQue.

K.C. Kelly and Morgan Mckell, who have contacts in China, where Apple manufactures its iPhones, already have in stock copies of parts of the highly-anticipated iPhone 5. The parts were viewed by the Citizen.

“The frame glass on the iPhone 5 has a bigger glass,” said Mr. Mckell. “It isn’t screwed on but glued on. The phone will sport an 9-pin USB port rather than the 16-pin USB port, so it will be smaller at the bottom.”

Apple has also shed its glass backing for an aluminum one, which will be more resistant, according to Mr. Mckell. It’s a problem for him as he makes a living replacing broken iPhones, iPods and iPads.

The story of iQue, which opened in Midvale less than a year ago, defies all current economic narratives. The two 24-year-olds who founded the repair company have no college degrees, and they had to sell a car and borrow money to open a 700-square-foot store in Midvale, the test case, as they called it. They taught themselves the skills of repairing one of the most sought-after devices in the world by… breaking them.

“We bought a bunch of iPhones and ripped them apart. We just broke them and fixed them,” said Mr. Kelly.

“I was petrified about working on the iPhone because it is a beautiful machine,” said Mr. Mckell. “You need special screwdrivers to just open the bottom. And when you open it up, you void the warranty.”

In its first month, iQue registered $10,000 in sales with 50 to 60 customers, breaking even on their investments. By the following month, they had tripled their customer base and turned a profit. Eleven months later, they had opened four stores, the latest in American Fork, and had repaired over 10,000 iPhones and hundreds of iPads, making a 22% profit margin. The stores in Midvale, Layton and Provo are all profitable.

IQue’s success debut by two higher-ed drop-outs in a sluggish economy highlights the universities’ struggle to stay relevant and provide the skills necessary for new, fast-changing technology like smartphones.

Some employers complain that the workforce of college graduates are hardly employable, as they lack the skills for today’s jobs. Mr. Mckell’s brother, for example, has a four-year degree but can’t find work because employers say he doesn’t have the experience required, according to Mr. Mckell.

Mr. Kelly, who was laid off a month before he decided to launch iQue, sent 115 resumes in one week, to no avail. When he saw there was a demand for iPhone repairs, he learned the skills himself and took out a student loan to open a store. He said he would have never been able to get a business loan.

Armed with skills in demand that are taught in no schools, two best friends stopped being recession statistics and turn themselves into engines of the economy, now employing 16 people, half of them had no job before. They plan to open their fifth store in West Jordan next month, re-investing their profits into the company and the economy.

But today’s darlings of technology are often tomorrow’s casualties, and the head-spinning pace of technology is nothing less than worrisome to them. Will their skills be able to keep up?

“Heaven forbid somebody is going to come on the block with more money, more contacts and wipe us out,” Mr. Mckill said. “We need to get as big and as strong as fast as we can, so that we can have market share. More than anything it’s what keeps us up at night.”

In the meantime, they stand ready for the iPhone 5, parts on hand, received from their Chinese supplier. They love the buzz that is generated through new iPhone events, as they feel they are direct recipients of Apple’s immense success, a company founded by two college dropouts.