Photo courtesy of AppleA picture of the new iPhone 5iPhone 5 preorders already exceeded two million, according to Apple.
Analysts such as Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster feel that the 2 million is just the tip of the iceberg. Munster recently published a research note predicting that Apple will sell in the range of 6-10 million units during the opening weekend.
"Given the 2 million pre-orders, we remain confident that Apple can deliver 8 million iPhones in the launch weekend. The reason we are confident in the 8 million is two-fold. First, initial 24 hour pre-orders for the iPhone 5 were up 100% from the iPhone 4S. Last year, pre-orders accounted for 25% of total weekend launch unit sales. Assuming the same initial launch pre-order/retail distribution, the pre-order total would suggest 8 million launch units," wrote Munster.
Samsung recently reported that it had sold 20 million Galaxy S3 units. If Munster's prediction rings true, than Apple will have half of Samsung's sales in just one weekend.
Two Canadian carriers including Bell and Virgin Mobile have reported that their iPhone 5 pre-orders sold out this week.
Both have also stated that they experienced "overwhelming success" with the smartphone that is due out on Sept. 21 in the U.S.
"Heads-up! Due to huge demand for iPhone 5, we're ending in-store and online pre-orders today. iPhone 5 will be back on sale Sept. 21," tweeted Virgin Mobile Canada.
Despite pre-orders being sold out on both carriers, they still say that the iPhone 5 will be available for purchase on the day of its release.
The new iPhone will feature a taller 4-inch display and thinner design at 7.6mm thick. The new screen will be 1136 x 640 pixels resolution with 326 pixels. It also has touch sensors built into it in order to keep the phone as thin as possible.
With the taller screen, applications have been expanded and Apple promises that nothing has been altered or stretched in the process. It also allows for five rows of icons to be displayed on the new iPhone's home screen.
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