Sales of its new iPhone 5s and 5c models have surpassed other iPhone releases and exceeded initial supply, Apple says. The company says it has sold 9 million of the phones since their launch on Friday and that "many online orders" will ship in coming weeks.
"This is our best iPhone launch yetmore than nine million new iPhones solda new record for first weekend sales," Apple CEO Tim Cook says, in a news release Monday. He adds that "while we've sold out of our initial supply of iPhone 5s, stores continue to receive new iPhone shipments regularly."
As Apple notes, the phones went on sale Friday in the United States as well as in many parts of Europe and Asia, including China. That was a departure from previous releases, in which American consumers were able to buy their smartphones weeks or even months ahead of the international market.
The news led Apple to brighten its own predictions for sales in the current financial quarter, which ends this month.
As Reuters reports:
"Apple tweaked its financial forecast to reflect the higher sales, an unusual move for the company. It said revenue in the fiscal fourth quarter would be near the high end of its previous forecast of $34 billion to $37 billion."