iPhone 5 pre-orders top 2 mn in 24 hours

Apple on Monday announced that pre-orders for its iPhone 5 topped two million in just 24 hours, more than double the previous record of one million held by the iPhone 4S.

Demand for the iPhone 5 has exceeded the initial supply and while the majority of pre-orders will be delivered to customers on September 21, many are scheduled to be delivered in October. The iPhone 5 will be available at 356 Apple retail stores in the US on Friday.

The Apple retail stores will also offer iPhone 5 customers a free personal setup service, helping them customise their phones by setting up email, showing them new apps from the App Store and more, so they’ll be up and running with their new iPhone before they leave the store. “iPhone 5 pre-orders have shattered the previous record held by iPhone 4S and the customer response to it has been phenomenal,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice-president, worldwide marketing. “iPhone 5 is the best iPhone yet, the most beautiful product we’ve ever made, and we hope customers love it as much as we do.” The iPhone 5 comes in either white and silver or black and slate, and will be available in the US for a suggested retail price of $199 for the 16GB model, $299 for the 32GB model and $399 for the 64GB model.