Apple this morning confirmed in a statement issued to CNBC that its iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are “on pace” to beat the ten million pre-order record established during last year’s first-weekend sales of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The number flies in the face of many clueless analysts who said Apple wouldn’t be able to hit that number this time around because the iPhone has peaked.
Interestingly enough, Apple touted “exceptionally strong” pre-orders for the larger-screened and more expensive 5.5-inch iPhone 6s Plus, with the initial stock sold out globally.
The company did not announce opening weekend iPhone 6s sales at the time of this writing but we’re expecting them to announce the new record via a press release shortly.
By comparison, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus sold four million pre-orders in the first 24 hours, hitting the ten million figure in the first three days of availability.
“Customer response to iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus has been extremely positive and preorders this weekend were very strong around the world,” the company said in a statement.
“We are on pace to beat last year’s 10 million unit first-weekend record when the new iPhones go on sale September 25.”
Regarding the unexpectedly strong demand for the bigger 5.5-inch iPhone 6s Plus, Apple said:
“As many customers noticed, the online demand for iPhone 6s Plus has been exceptionally strong and exceeded our own forecasts for the preorder period.”
Indeed, the wait time the iPhone 6s Plus in all launch countries, China and the United States included, is now three to four weeks for all screen sizes, storage tiers and carriers, according to iPhone Inventory blog which tracks estimated wait times displayed on the Apple Online Store.
“We are working to catch up as quickly as we can, and we will have iPhone 6s Plus as well as iPhone 6s units available at Apple retail stores when they open next Friday.”
It should be mentioned that unlike last year, China and New Zealand are now included in the first wave of countries to get the new iPhones. The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus are available in twelve countries at launch versus 9 countries for their predecessors: Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Pre-orders for the new phones began early Saturday morning through the Apple Online Store and its carrier partners.
Company shares rose in pre-market trading following the announcement.
Source: CNBC