By Drew FitzGerald
Apple Inc. (AAPL) said customers placed more than 2 million
preorders for the iPhone 5 on the first day it was available,
doubling previous results and exceeding initial supply of the
smartphone.
"The customer response to iPhone 5 has been phenomenal," said
Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of world-wide
marketing, in a press release Monday.
The Cupertino, Calif., company said that while the majority of
preorders will be delivered to customers on Friday--when the phone
becomes available in stores--many are scheduled to be delivered in
October.
The initial reception surpassed sales of the device's
predecessor, the iPhone 4S, which received more than 1 million
preorders during its first day of requests Oct. 7, and easily tops
the 600,000 handsets preordered after the debut of the iPhone 4.
Each new iPhone has outsold all of its predecessors combined, the
company has reported.
Earlier Monday, AT&T Inc. (T) said iPhone sales set a record
over the weekend, although the wireless carrier didn't disclose any
specific numbers.
Apple on Friday had hinted at the enthusiasm for the device when
its website started delaying deliveries of the new iPhone just an
hour after it began accepting preorders. The move suggested the
company had sold out its initial inventory.
The iPhone 5 is critical to Apple's continued success. The
phones are the company's best-selling device, have powered Apple to
become the world's largest company by value and have become the
bedrock of the company's mobile-device strategy. Software in the
iPad tablet computer is shared with the iPhone, largely
intertwining the fate of both devices.
The new phone, unveiled Wednesday, includes a faster processor,
a longer screen and a thinner profile through the use of more
advanced touchscreen technology.
Apple is charging $199 for the cheapest iPhone 5 if customers
sign up for a new two-year contract with their carriers. The
company will begin selling the iPhone 5 in nine countries,
including the U.S. Apple has said this is its most aggressive
iPhone rollout, adding that the device will be available in 100
countries by the end of the year.
Shares gained 0.8% in premarket trading Monday to $697.
--Steven Russolillo contributed to this story
Write to Drew FitzGerald at andrew.fitzgerald@dowjones.com
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