Apple sold over 4M of its newest iPhone generation in 24 hours

This morning Apple announced it took more than 4 million pre-orders for the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus in the 24 hours after they went on sale.

This is a new sales record for the company. By comparison, in 2012 Apple sold 2 million in pre-orders of its iPhone 5 in 24 hours.

Apple is saying the demand for its new phone exceeds pre-order supplies. Though pre-ordered iPhones should start arriving on Friday, September 19, many who pre-ordered won’t receive their new phones until October. However, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus will be available for in-store purchase starting on Friday as well.

Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus last week to a 1,000 person strong crowd. The new phones are larger than their predecessors and have a host of new features, including longer battery life, NFC payment technology, an 8 megapixel iSight camera, and a barometer that can discern differences in atmospheric pressure.

By Friday the phones will be available in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, and the UK. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus will roll out to another 20 countries on September 26.