Despite being labelled as a ‘disappointment’ by some tech blogs and plenty of tech fans, Apple’s iPhone 5 still managed to surpass a whopping 5 million sales in its first weekend.
The Cupertino Company proudly boasted the figures today in a press announcement, confirming that 5 million iPhone 5s have been sold within three days, in the first nine countries. Keen Apple fans in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and the UK queued overnight, and some for several days, to pick up the sixth generation iPhone last Friday.
“While we have sold out of our initial supply, stores continue to receive iPhone 5 shipments regularly and customers can continue to order online and receive an estimated delivery date. We appreciate everyone’s patience and are working hard to build enough iPhone 5s for everyone.”
Apple continued, “Demand for iPhone 5 has been incredible and we are working hard to get an iPhone 5 into the hands of every customer who wants one as quickly as possible,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “While we have sold out of our initial supply, stores continue to receive iPhone 5 shipments regularly and customers can continue to order online and receive an estimated delivery date. We appreciate everyone’s patience and are working hard to build enough iPhone 5s for everyone.”
The figures show Apple has beaten its own record again for first weekend sales, topping last year’s iPhone 4S launch by 1 million. Apple claims it has run out of its first stocks – and delayed shipping estimates appear to back this up – so it could well have sold many more handsets, if it had the stock.
In addition to the new iPhone’s impressive popularity, Apple’s servers have clocked over 100 million downloads of its iOS 6 software update. The new update, which boasts over 200 new features, is now running on a huge number of iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches. According to early figures, it would also seem that there’s been an exponential rise in the number of people adopting a new software update from Apple earlier, compared to the previous iOS 5 update.
Did you pick up a new iPhone 5 or the iOS 6 software update over the weekend? Let us know your thoughts on our comments below or via our @Gadget_Helpline Twitter page or Official Facebook group.