(By Balaseshan) Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) said it has sold over five million of its new iPhone 5 - the thinnest and lightest smartphone ever - for the first weekend after the launch, breaking the previous record of four million held by iPhone 4S.
In the premarket, shares of Apple fell 2.13% as market analysts had expected Apple to sell more than 8 million of the next-generation iPhone during the first debut weekend.
[see - iStock predicted that Apple will sell 5.1 million over the weekend]
Apple said more than 100 million iOS devices have been updated with iOS 6, the world's most advanced mobile operating system. In comparison, more than 25 million customers have updated their devices with iOS 5 in the first five days of its release in October 2011.
iPhone continues to remain the flagship product for the world's most valuable technology company. Sales of iPhone have grown to represent more than 40% of the company's total revenue since the release of Apple's first-generation smartphone in January 2007.
Apple said iPhone 5 demand exceeded the initial supply and while the majority of pre-orders have been shipped to customers, many are scheduled to be shipped in October.
"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," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO.
The technology behemoth's iPhone 5 features an Apple-designed A6 chip, with speed twice as fast as the previous version. Other features include: the new 4-inch Retina display, while the current version has 3.5-inch display. The phone also features an all-new 7.6 mm anodized aluminum body that is 18% thinner and 20% lighter than iPhone 4S.
The new 8 megapixel iSight camera in iPhone 5 features a sapphire crystal lens cover that is thinner and more durable than standard glass with the ability to provide crystal clear images. The new panorama feature lets users capture panorama images of up to 28 megapixels.
According to research firm IHS Inc. (NYSE:IHS) iPhone 5 will drive record Apple smartphone sales in the final three months of 2012. The thinnest and lightest smartphone ever will spur Apple's smartphone shipments by 60% to 149 million units in 2012.
iPhone 5, which was made available in the U.S. on September 21, is priced at $199 for the 16GB model and $299 for the 32GB model and $399 for the 64GB model. Apple will launch iPhone 5 in 22 more countries on September 28 and more than 100 countries by the end of the year.
AAPL closed Friday's regular session at $700.09. The stock has been trading between $354.24 and $705.07 for the past 52 weeks.