LIFESTYLE : Apple iPhone 5 Pre-Orders Top 2 Million In The First 24 Hours

Apple reports record pre-order sales of its iPhone 5. (Apple / September 17, 2012) Apple and AT&T officials said pre-orders for the iPhone 5 broke sales records held by previous models. Officials at Apple today announced that iPhone 5 pre-orders topped 2 million in the first 24 hours. Apple sold 1 million 4S devices on pre-orders in October 2011. The iPhone 5 sold out on Apple's website one hour after the company had started taking pre-orders on Sept. 14, officials said. Some analysts predict the iPhone 5 -- the next generation of Apple's wildly successful smartphone -- could be the best selling gadget of all time. A report from market researcher IHS iSuppli shows the "iPhone 5 will be a major success in the market, helping to drive Apple’s smartphone shipments in 2012 to 149 million units, up 60 percent from 93 million in 2011." AT&T spokeswoman Gretchen Schultz said "customers ordered more iPhones from AT&T than any previous model, both on its first day of pre-orders and over the weekend." Schultz said she couldn't disclose exact sales figures of the iPhone 5 citing "competitive reasons." Pre-orders of the iPhone 4 began Sept. 14. While most customers who purchased the smartphone at that time are scheduled to receive the device on Sept. 21 or Sept. 28, some will have it delivered in October. Apple's 356 retail stores across the U.S. and its partners will start selling the iPhone 5 at 8 a.m. on Sept. 21, including Central Florida Apple stores at Mall at Millenia, The Florida Mall, and Altamonte Mall. Shorter lines are expected at AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and Sprint stores. Best Buy, Radio Shack, Target and Walmart will also sell the iPhone 5.