iPhone 5 pre-orders top 2 Million in first 24 Hours

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

Demand for iPhone 5 exceeds 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. iPhone 5 is the thinnest and lightest iPhone ever, completely redesigned to feature a stunning new 4-inch Retina display; an Apple-designed A6 chip for blazing fast performance; and ultrafast wireless technology*—all while delivering even better battery life.

The iPhone 5 is inhigh demand despite pundits and competitors focusing on what the iPhone 5 'lacks'  rather than what it features.  Competitors are touting such features  as NFC (Near Field Communications) and wireless charging. NFC is a mobile connectivity feature used for touchless cimmunications like mobile payments. NFC isn't even a standard mode of transaction in most markets since very few devices offer the feature. Wireless charging, a feature that has been around for years and which debuted in the ill-fated Palm Pre still requires a charger to be plugged to a wall.

“iPhone 5 pre-orders have shattered the previous record held by iPhone 4S and the customer response to iPhone 5 has been phenomenal,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of 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.”

iPhone 5 comes with iOS 6, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system with over 200 new user features including: an all new Maps app with Apple-designed cartography, turn-by-turn navigation and an amazing new Flyover view; Facebook integration for Contacts and Calendar, with the ability to post directly from Notification Center; Passbook, the simplest way to get all your passes in one place; new Siri features, including support for more languages, easy access to sports scores, restaurant recommendations and movie listings;*** Siri and Facebook-enabled apps like Photos, Safari and Maps; and Shared Photo Streams via iCloud.

Pricing & Availability

iPhone 5 will be available at 26 Apple retail stores in Canada beginning at 8 a.m. local time on Friday, September 21. Every customer who buys an iPhone 5 at an Apple retail store will be offered free Personal Setup service, helping them customize their iPhone 5 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 comes in either white & silver or black & slate, and will be available in Canada for a suggested retail price of $699 (CAD) for the 16GB model and $799 (CAD) for the 32GB model and $899 (CAD) for the 64GB model. iPhone 5 will be available from the Apple Online Store (www.apple.ca), Apple’s retail stores, and through select Apple Authorized Resellers. iPhone 4S will also be available for just $599 (CAD) and iPhone 4 will be available for $450 (CAD).**** 

iPhone 5 will roll out worldwide to 22 more countries on September 28, including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.