Thaindian News

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA (BNO NEWS) — Apple received more than two million orders for its new iPhone 5 during the first 24 hours of pre-orders, exceeding the initial supply and more than double the previous record of one million which was held by the iPhone 4S, the company said on Monday.

Apple unveiled the new version of its popular smartphone last week and said it is the thinnest and lightest iPhone yet. The device has been redesigned to feature a new 4-inch Retina display, an A6 chip for faster performance, ultrafast wireless technology, and an improved battery life.

“iPhone 5 pre-orders have shattered the previous record held by iPhone 4S and the customer response to iPhone 5 has been phenomenal,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “iPhone 5 is the best iPhone yet, the most beautiful product we’ve ever made, and we hope customers love it as much as we do.”

Customers have been able to pre-order the new device since Friday, and the strong demand will push many of the deliveries into October as Apple’s initial supply was less than two million. The smartphone, for which retail prices start at $199 in the United States, will also be available at 356 Apple retail stores in the United States beginning at 8 a.m. local time on Friday.

The previous record was held by the iPhone 4S, which was sold more than one million times during the first day of pre-orders in October 2011, coming shortly after the death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. That number surpassed the single-day pre-order record of 600,000 which had been held by iPhone 4, which was released in June 2010.