Apple Reports Record 2 Million Preorders for iPhone 5

   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 [e-mail]

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