It’s a sell out! 5 million iPhone 5 sales but still a lot of unhappy iOS campers.
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The 5 million figure, although gigantic, fell below some analysts initial expectations of 8 million sales on its first weekend of sale, but still breaks the 4m record set by iPhone 4S on its first weekend last year.
Apple shares slipped 1.33% to $690.79 after the announcement.
The longer, thinner 4″ iPhone 5, unveiled by Apple on September 12 went on sale on Friday last. Telstra sold out of the 4″ smartphone on pre-sale alone, as did Optus (on some models) and Virgin.
2 million iPhone 5s were sold globally on pre-sale alone last week.
Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO described demand for the new 4″ smartphone as “incredible” and confirmed initial supplies of i5 are depleted.
“Demand for iPhone 5 exceeded the initial supply and while the majority of pre-orders have been shipped to customers, many are scheduled to be shipped in October.”
However, worry not iPhone 5 wannabees, Cook confirmed “stores continue to receive iPhone 5 shipments regularly and customers can continue to order online and receive an estimated delivery date.”
“We are are working hard to build enough iPhone 5s for everyone,” he added.
A Vodafone spokesperson said there was “strong demand at key stores” on Friday and during the iPhone’s pre-sale.
“We will be working with Apple to make sure our stocks are replenished as quickly as possible,” a Voda spokesperson added.
More than 100 million Apple devices have been updated with iOS 6, the giant also confirmed yesterday.
Apple describes its latest software version as “the world’s most advanced mobile operating system”, however the reality is iOS 6 has been besieged by issues with new in-house mapping system, after it gave Google Maps the boot, as well as syncing problems with Facebook.
The iPhone 5 was released in nine nations including Australia, US, and the UK, and its second phase of release in 22 countries including much of Europe is on 28 September.
The longer, thinner iPhone 5 will be available in a massive 100 countries by the end of the year, which is likely to include China, one of Apple’s biggest markets outside the US.
