iPhone 5 Sales Exceed 5 Million In 3 Days

Apple has sold more than five million iPhone 5 units since the smartphone was released in nine countries last Friday.

The Cupertino-based company said that demand had exceeded the initial supply and that while the majority of pre-orders have now been shipped to customers, those waiting will have their orders fulfilled by October.

The smartphone was released to massive queues outside Apple’s flagship London store on Regent Street and boasts a larger screen and support for 4G networks, but no Near Field Communication technology.

iPhone 5 Sales

The iPhone 5 had already smashed existing pre-order records and will be released in 22 more countries this Friday, including Ireland, Italy, Netherlands and Spain. It will hit shelves in one hundred more by the end of 2012.

“Demand for iPhone 5 has been incredible and we are working hard to get an iPhone 5 into the hands of every customer who wants one as quickly as possible,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “While we have sold out of our initial supply, stores continue to receive iPhone 5 shipments regularly and customers can continue to order online and receive an estimated delivery date. We appreciate everyone’s patience and are working hard to build enough iPhone 5s for everyone.”

Apple also confirmed that more than 100 million compatible iDevices have been updated with iOS 6 since the new version of the mobile operating system was rolled out last Wednesday. The Next Web estimates that between 25 and 35 percent of iOS users have upgraded, more than eclipsing the current 1.2 percent adoption rate of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

It notes that iOS 6 is the first major version of the software to be available over the air, with previous upgrades having to be performed via a computer. iOS 6 introduces a host of new features, but the brand new Apple Maps application has been universally panned by critics and users who have pointed out numerous inaccuracies.

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