Apple sells 9 million new iPhones, setting first-weekend record

Apple announced Monday that it has sold 9 million new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c units since Friday, shattering a record set last year.

Apple sold 5 million units of the iPhone 5 during the first weekend of September 2012.

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This was the first year the new iPhones were also available the same weekend in China. The iPhone 5 did not go on sale in China until December 2012, when it sold 2 million units during its first weekend.

Blowing past that record of 7 million sales for the combined first weekends exceeds nearly every analyst’s projection. As a result, expect Apple’s stock to make a big climb.

[Updated 6:57 a.m. PDT, Sept. 23: When the market opened Monday, Apple stock was up $25.57, or 5.47%, to $492.98.]

“This is our best iPhone launch yet -- more than 9 million new iPhones sold -- a new record for first weekend sales,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive. “The demand for the new iPhones has been incredible, and while we’ve sold out of our initial supply of iPhone 5s, stores continue to receive new iPhone shipments regularly. We appreciate everyone’s patience and are working hard to build enough new iPhones for everyone.”

The company also announced that 200 million iOS devices have upgraded to the new iOS 7 operating system. Apple says that’s the fastest software upgrade in history.

The massive sales came despite limited supplies. On the first day, many people standing in lines outside Apple stores left disappointed because the company had run out of the gold iPhone 5s.

Apple did not provide a breakdown between sales of the two new models. According to one report, however, the iPhone 5s was more than three times as popular as the iPhone 5c.

Localytics, an analytics and marketing platform for app developers, says it measured 50 billion data points across its network. In its report, the firm says the iPhone 5s was far and away the clear choice among Apple fans this weekend.

“That means that the iPhone 5s outshines the 5c by a factor of 3.4x, a clear indicator that the early adopters are favoring the high-end 5s compared to 5c,” the report says. “This makes sense since those who feel the need to buy a new device the very weekend it launches are most likely the power users who want the highest-end phone experience.”

In the statement, the company said: “Demand for iPhone 5s has exceeded the initial supply, and many online orders are scheduled to be shipped in the coming weeks.”

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