Apple opened the era of their new iPhones - the 5S and 5C - by selling more than nine million units in the first weekend, far above expectation, CNET reported.
Not only did the Cupertino, Calif. tech giant beat expectations and also break an opening weekend record, but Apple sold completely out of its initial stock of the iPhone 5S. The Unlike the 5C, the 5S came with the fingerprint scanner and had a much faster A7 processing chip.
"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," Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement Monday. "We appreciate everyone's patience and are working hard to build enough new iPhones for everyone."
According to Bloomberg Businessweek, analysts had expected Apple to sell five million to 7.75 million units of the new iPhones.
For the first time, Apple chose to forego a three-month delay and released its new iPhone in China the same day as elsewhere. On Sept. 20, both new phones hit stores in the U.S., Puerto Rico, the U.K., China, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong, Kong, Japan and Singapore.
Apple also relieved investors worried its growth might be slowing, as its shares rose in early trading Monday. The world's largest tech company has watched the rise of nemesis Samsung and not been able to do much about it. With several different smartphone models and different price ranges, Samsung has become the worldwide leader in smartphone sales, overtaking Apple.
For the first time, Apple has offered a cheaper option to go alongside the release of its high-end feature-packed model. The 5S comes in the three color choices: black/gray, white/silver and champagne gold/white and costs $199 to $399 with a two-year wireless contract. The 5C, a redesigned iPhone 5, comes in five color options: green, blue, yellow, red and black and costs $99 with a contract.
The company's slowed growth has been due to the lack of new products. Now, with the new iPhones out of the way, Apple could be ready to start rolling out other new products like its iWatch, an Apple television and some new iPads.
