Apple: "record number" of iPhone 6 pre-orders

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus demand may have seen the 5.5-inch version sell out in short order, but in fact overall pre-orders have set a new record for the firm, Apple has confirmed. Interest in the new iOS 8 smartphones ahead of their September 19th shipping date saw Apple's online store struggle to stay online, while carriers too have experienced significant problems with their systems.

So, it perhaps should come as no surprise that Apple is already heralding the overnight pre-order phase as its most popular for any iteration of the smartphone.

"Response to iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus has been incredible with a record number of preorders overnight," an Apple spokesperson told Re/code.

Great news for Apple, certainly, but if you want an iPhone 6 Plus, you're looking at a considerable wait. 3-4 week estimates for shipping are already the norm, which puts deliveries into mid-October; if previous Apple pre-order patterns repeat themselves, that could well extend even further.

At time of writing, the iPhone 6 is still available in a variety of colors, capacities, and network variants for delivery on September 19th, however.

If Apple sticks to its usual routine, we'll see an announcement about first weekend demand early next week, though the likelihood is that individual sales for the two size variants won't be broken down specifically.

SOURCE Re/code