iPhone 4S sales top 4M in first weekend, iCloud gets 20M signups

With every new iPhone launch, Apple has managed to surpass the previous year’s records. This year is no different. The company’s new iPhone 4S has sold over 4 million units in its first three days on sale, Apple said today.

Apple’s new iCloud service, which offers free cloud storage for iOS devices and Mac computers, has also done well, with more than 20 million signups.

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The iPhone 4S sales numbers double those from last year’s iPhone 4 in its first weekend. It’s a clear indicator that, despite some enthusiast disappointment about the phone, most consumers find it to be a compelling device.

This is also the first iPhone launch across multiple carriers, which certainly helped to improve first weekend sales. Both AT&T and Sprint have said that the iPhone 4S launch last Friday smashed their previous sales records. AT&T also said that it was on track to double its previous single-day activation record (which was set by the iPhone 4).

Apple’s iCloud signup numbers don’t come as much of a surprise, as the prospect of free cloud storage was likely very tempting to plenty of Mac users and those upgrading to iOS 5.

Apple has said that the iPhone 4S, which is currently available in seven countries, will be available in 22 more countries on October 22. By the end of the year, the iPhone 4S will be available in more than 70 countries.