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Apple sells a record 4 million iPhone 6 units in just 24 hours

Apple iPhone 6 hands on
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Apple fans are responding to the two larger iPhone 6 models with great enthusiasm. The company announced on Monday that it sold 4 million iPhones in the first 24 hours. U.S. carrier AT&T also boasted that this has been its biggest iPhone preorder launch in history

The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus both became available for preorder on Friday September 12 at 12 p.m. PST in several countries, including the United States. Customers in the U.S. reported many problems during the first few hours after preorder opened up. Apple’s website and the sites of all the major carriers that were selling the new iPhones, including AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint, crashed frequently. Technical problems aside, Apple is having no problem selling the iPhone 6 and its big brother, the iPhone 6 Plus.

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Related: How to buy the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus: The ultimate guide

“iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are better in every way, and we are thrilled customers love them as much as we do,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Preorders for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus set a new record for Apple, and we can’t wait to get our best iPhones yet into the hands of customers starting this Friday.”

The iPhone 6 Plus was the first to model to sell out and is currently listed on Apple’s website with an estimated ship date of 3-4 weeks. Meanwhile, the smaller iPhone 6 has a 7-10 day ship date estimate.

Apple sold 9 million iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C units during its first weekend of sales last year. So far, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are set on a record-breaking pace and it hasn’t even arrived in stores yet.

Both iPhone 6 models will arrive in stores on Friday September 19 in the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, and the U.K. Apple plans to launch the new iPhones in dozens of other countries on September 26, including 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.

Malarie Gokey
Former Digital Trends Contributor
As DT's Mobile Editor, Malarie runs the Mobile and Wearables sections, which cover smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and…
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