Sales of the iPhone 4S effectively doubled the sale rate of the iPhone 4 in the first weekend.
According to an Apple press release, iPhone 4S sales reached the 4 million mark in the first three days since it hit stores on Oct. 14. That sales rate is a new record for Apple.
In addition, the Cupertino, California-based company reported that 25 million people have downloaded iOS 5, the newest operating system available for the iPhone series of handsets.
Many technology bloggers had said they were let down by the iPhone 4S, complaining that they had been hoping for a redesign. But Apple has apparently wooed enough people with previous smartphones to drum up anticipation for this latest device. Many people with 3GS phones had the opportunity to upgrade. And this is the first time the iPhone has been on sale with all three carriers: Sprint, Verizon and AT&T. Added to those two factors is the fact that it has been 16 months since the release of the iPhone 4.
Apple was firing on all cylinders for this launch, and the numbers make obvious just what the company is capable of when doing so.
