iPhones are more popular than ever before, even though the 6s and 6s Plus don’t look all that different from last year’s models. Apple said Monday that it expects to sell more than 10 million new phones on launch weekend, beating last year’s first-weekend record.
“Customer response to iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus has been extremely positive and preorders this weekend were very strong around the world,” Apple said in a statement to CNBC. “We are on pace to beat last year’s 10 million unit first-weekend record when the new iPhones go on sale September 25.”
The story behind the story: Apple is basing its estimates on strong preorders, which began late Friday night/early Saturday morning. Last year, the company gave a total for the first 24-hour preorder window, during which 4 million iPhones were sold, but that was a Friday. It’s unclear whether the weekend had any effect on preorders.
iPhone 6s Plus demand high
As soon as preorders began, buyers reported delayed shipping times for the 6s Plus, particularly the rose gold finish. Right now, Apple.com shows that model shipping in 3–4 weeks. But Apple says the larger phone will be in stock in Apple Stores on launch day, September 25, and you can reserve a unit online to buy in-store.
“As many customers noticed, the online demand for iPhone 6s Plus has been exceptionally strong and exceeded our own forecasts for the preorder period,” the company said. “We are working to catch up as quickly as we can, and we will have iPhone 6s Plus as well as iPhone 6s units available at Apple retail stores when they open next Friday.”
Did you preorder an iPhone? We want the details on which one you picked (size, color, storage) and how easy the preorder process was, so share your story in the comments.