Apple hit a record-breaking number of pre-order sales for its latest flagship smartphones, but says some customers will receive their iPhones in October instead of on Sept. 19, the first day the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will ship to stores.
In a statement posted on Monday, Apple announced that the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus made a combined total of four million pre-orders on their first 24 hours. By contrast, the iPhone 5 made just more than two million pre-sales orders when it was released in 2012. On its first sales weekend, more than five million iPhone 5 units were sold. Last year, the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C made a combined total of nine million units in sales during the first weekend they were sold in stores.
"iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are better in every way, and we are thrilled customers love them as much as we do," said Apple CEO Tim Cook. "Pre-orders for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus set a new record for Apple, and we can't wait to get our best iPhones yet into the hands of customers starting this Friday."
Apple also said that demand for the new iPhones topped its initial supply meant for pre-orders, with "many iPhone pre-orders" set to be delivered in October. However, Apple assured its fans that "a significant amount" of pre-orders will be delivered on Friday, Sept. 19, the date the company announced the two iPhones will hit the store shelves.
On Friday, Apple fans flocked to the company website and the carrier websites to register their pre-orders, but Apple's online store went down for nearly two hours supposedly because of the high volume of traffic coming from pre-order buyers. By 7 p.m. Pacific Time, iPhone 6 pre-orders were said to be available in seven to 10 business days, while the bigger iPhone 6 Plus will not be available in three to four weeks.
Walk-in customers can also get hold of their own iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus on Friday, as Apple said it has additional supply for in-store buyers. The iPhone maker, however, recommended that buyers who were not able to make a pre-order should arrive early or order online. Apple stores open at 8 a.m. If Apple's retail stores are too crowded, as they tend to get during the first day of sales of a new iPhone, fans can also take to their mobile carrier to get their iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus. All the major national carriers, namely Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile.
With the latest iPhones sporting larger screens, a sleeker design and the Apple Pay mobile payment system, it's not surprising if this will become Apple's biggest iPhone launch in its 38-year history.
