Cupertino, Calif. – The number of iPhone 5 smartphones preordered through Apple and AT&T beat previous records, the companies said.
Apple and U.S. carriers began offering the new iPhone on a preorder basis to consumers on Friday, Sept. 14, and previously said preordered phones would ship to consumers by Sept. 21. That’s when the phone will also be available in Apple stores, carrier stores and Apple’s online store in the U.S.
With the demand spike, however, Apple and AT&T said new preorders will be delivered after Sept. 21. Verizon Wireless, which did not comment on its preorder numbers, also confirmed new preorders will be delayed until after Sept. 21. Sprint didn’t issue a statement on its preorder numbers, but a customer service rep said preorders will now take two weeks for delivery.
For its part, Apple said its own preorders exceeded 2 million in 24 hours, besting the 1 million iPhone 4S models preordered last year in its first 24 hours of preorder availability.
For its part, AT&T said its preorders also broke records in its first 24 hours of preorder availability and over the weekend, making it what the carrier called “the fastest-selling iPhone the company has ever offered.” Consumers “ordered more iPhones from AT&T than any previous model both on its first day of preorders and over the weekend,” a spokesperson said.
Because of demand, Apple said some iPhone 5 models preordered from the company won’t be delivered until October. “The majority of preorders,” however, will be delivered Sept. 21 to consumers as previously planned, Apple said.
At AT&T, initial iPhones preorders will be available by Sept. 21 to consumers as planned, but preorders placed later won’t arrive at consumers’ doorsteps for 14 to 21 days, a spokesperson said. The phones will be in AT&T stores on Sept. 21 as previously announced.
At Verizon, some people who ordered their iPhones last week got a confirmation of Sept. 21, but other consumers got a later date, a spokesperson said. “The ship date moves based on volumes to give people an idea of when to expect their phones.”
A Verizon customer service representative said iPhones preordered today would be in customers’ homes sometime between Sept. 21 and Sept. 26. iPhones preordered over the weekend, however, would be in homes by the Sept. 21, the service rep said.
On Sept. 21, the iPhone 5 will be available in 356 Apple stores in the U.S. and in U.S. carrier stores. The new model will also be available through select Best Buy, RadioShack, Target and Walmart stores and select Apple authorized resellers, Apple said.
The iPhone 5 comes in either white or black at a U.S. suggested retail of $199 for the 16GB model, $299 for the 32GB model, and $399 for the 64GB model, but Walmart is offering the 16GB model at $189.97.
Worldwide, the iPhone 5 will be available Sept. 21 not only in the U.S. but also in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and the U.K. The iPhone 5 will roll out to 22 more countries on Sept. 28, including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
