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Apple’s new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus smartphones were a big hit this past weekend, selling more than 10 million units after their debut on Sept. 19. That means that the new iPhone 6 models set a new all-time record for first-weekend iPhone sales since iPhones first hit the market back in June of 2007.
“Sales for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus exceeded our expectations for the launch weekend, and we couldn’t be happier,” Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, said in a Sept. 22 statement. “We would like to thank all of our customers for making this our best launch ever, shattering all previous sell-through records by a large margin. While our team managed the manufacturing ramp better than ever before, we could have sold many more iPhones with greater supply and we are working hard to fill orders as quickly as possible.”
The new phones went on sale on Sept. 19 to customers in the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the United Kingdom. Buyers in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey and United Arab Emirates will be able to buy the new smartphones starting Sept. 26, according to Apple. The new iPhones will be available in 115 countries by the end of the year.
Maribel Lopez, principal analyst with Lopez Research, told eWEEK in an email reply to an inquiry about the launch that the successful sales figures are notable. “The cult of iPhone is alive and well,” wrote Lopez. “People have been waiting for a larger iPhone for some time and this shows that Apple offered the right mix of features and sizes.”
On the Sept. 19 launch day for the new iPhone 6 models, customers around the world waited in long lines at Apple stores and other businesses to pick up their long-awaited new phones, according to an earlier eWEEK report. For millions of others who are on waiting lists to get their phones, the waiting continues as Apple works with manufacturers to crank out more of the phones.
Preorders for the new iPhones reached huge levels, with more than 4 million devices preordered within 24 hours of the process opening on Sept. 12, just seven days before the official device launch date, according to an earlier eWEEK report. That high demand quickly led the company to advise customers that many devices won’t be delivered until October due to short initial supplies.
In addition to being sold in Apple stores, the new smartphones could also be obtained from authorized Apple resellers such as Target and Walmart, or from stores run by mobile carriers such as AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless.
The new iPhones include the iPhone 6 with its 4.7-inch Retina HD display and an even larger iPhone 6 Plus with its 5.5-inch Retina HD screen, according to a recent eWEEK report. The new devices—which come in 16GB, 64GB and 128GB storage capacities—also come with many other new features and capabilities, making them popular before they ever hit store shelves.
The new phones include an Apple-designed A8 chip with second-generation 64-bit desktop-class architecture, enhanced iSight and FaceTime HD cameras, and the latest iOS 8 operating system. A new, built-in Apple Pay secure payments system will be added to iOS 8 as an update in October, according to the company.
Both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are available in gold, silver and space gray. The iPhone 6 retails for $199.99 for a 16GB version, $299.99 for a 64GB version and $399 for a 128GB version with a two-year contract. The iPhone 6 Plus retails for $299.99 for a 16GB model, $399.99 for a 64GB model and $499.99 for a 128GB model with a two-year contract, according to Apple. The phones will also be sold through select Apple Authorized Resellers, including Best Buy, Target and Walmart.
Also last week, Apple released its iOS 8 with new features and capabilities for Apple devices, according to an earlier eWEEK report.