Apple Says iPhone 6s and 6s Plus Pre-Orders ‘On Pace’ to Top Last Year’s Record 10 Million Sales on Launch Weekend

Apple has informed the media that iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus pre-orders are “on pace to beat” last year’s record-breaking 10 million iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus pre-orders sold on launch weekend in September 2014.

iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus pre-orders started on Saturday at 12:01 AM Pacific. While most iPhone 6s Plus and Rose Gold models are now shipping in 2-3 weeks or later, many iPhone 6s models remain available for delivery on September 25.

Apple:

Customer response to iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus has been extremely positive and preorders this weekend were very strong around the world. We are on pace to beat last year’s 10 million unit first-weekend record when the new iPhones go on sale September 25.

As many customers noticed, the online demand for iPhone 6s Plus has been exceptionally strong and exceeded our own forecasts for the preorder period. We are working to catch up as quickly as we can, and we will have iPhone 6s Plus as well as iPhone 6s units available at Apple retail stores when they open next Friday.

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus pre-orders started on a Friday at 12:01 AM Pacific last year, which likely explains why Apple said pre-orders are “on pace” to top last year’s first weekend despite it being Monday. Apple will likely count iPhone 6s and 6s Plus pre-orders through the end of today to account for a full three days of availability.

“Last year, it started on a Thursday night at midnight. This year, because of a late Labor Day, is was Friday night,” tech analyst Walter Piecyk told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” in an interview. “So we don’t know the comp is, whether they have to wait through the end of Monday to find out exactly what the acutal number is going to be.”

Last year, Apple announced that it received a record-breaking 4 million iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus pre-orders on the first day alone, and later confirmed that opening weekend sales topped 10 million. A month later, it was reported that iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus pre-orders topped 20 million in China through carriers and e-commerce site Jingdong Mall.