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iPhone 4S breaks sales records


Johannesburg, 18 Oct 2011

Apple has announced that the iPhone 4S has broken previous iPhone sales records, with over four million handsets being sold over the first weekend.

The latest iPhone model went on sale on Friday (14 October) in seven countries, including the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Australia and Japan.

Apple's latest mobile operating system, iOS 5, also became available for download on 12 October, and the company says more than 25 million people are currently using it. Apple has also recorded over 20 million sign-ups for iCloud.

Apple's senior VP of worldwide product marketing, Phillip Schiller, says the new iPhone is a hit with customers around the world: “iPhone 4S is off to a great start, with more than four million sold in its first weekend - the most ever for a phone and more than double the iPhone 4 launch during its first three days.”

On Monday, Apple said US and Canadian customers looking to purchase a new iPhone 4S from its retail outlets would first have to make a reservation online. High sales volumes and the rapid international rollout are understood to be straining supply.

The rollout of the iPhone 4S is set to be the fastest iPhone rollout to date, and Apple has said the new device will be available in 70 countries by December.

The iPhone 4S has a dual-core A5 chip, new camera with full 1080p HD resolution recording, and AI software in the form of Siri - an intelligent voice-activated assistant.

Must-have

Following the product launch, many analysts speculated that consumers would not be interested in the iPhone 4S in the wake of the hype and expectation surrounding the iPhone 5.

Last year, the iPhone 4 sold 1.7 million units during its first three days on sale - a record for Apple at the time. It is, however, worth noting that the iPhone 4S has been launched in more countries and with more carriers than its predecessor had been in the same period.

Piper Jaffray senior analyst Gene Munster says a previous poll found that 94% of iPhone users said they would stick to Apple for their next smartphone - compared to just 47% of Android users, who said they would stick with the platform.

According to Apple Insider, investment firm Piper Jaffray polled 550 people at Apple retail stores in the US on Friday, and 73% said they were upgrading from a previous iPhone model.

Previous surveys conducted by Piper Jaffray showed 77% of iPhone 4 buyers were upgrading in 2010, compared to 56% in 2009 and 38% in 2008.

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