Apple’s iPhone 5 Reaches 2 Million Pre-orders in 24 Hours

Apple has today announced that its latest iPhone has successfully followed in the footsteps of its predecessor by becoming the fastest-selling smartphone of all time. Pre-orders topped-out at 2 million within the first 24 hours, more than doubling the previous record-holder, the iPhone 4S. The company notes that initial supply has been depleted, so had more phones been allocated for pre-order, the 2 million mark could have paled in comparison.

By comparison, Samsung’s top phone, Galaxy S III, had accrued a total of 9 million pre-orders prior to its release -but a key difference here is that those 9 million built up over the course of more than a month. Super-high numbers like these might be impossible for Apple to reach, as it typically gets the product out the door weeks after the announcement, rather than a month or more. Apple is very unlikely to wait for additional supply to be produced for the sole purpose of inflating pre-order numbers.

What I’m curious to see is how much stock Apple has dedicated to its retail stores. The press release issued today states that 356 Apple stores around the US will be selling the iPhone 5 beginning on Friday, so it could be that this 2 million number is set to be trumped. It won’t take too long to find out.