Icloud : Apple Sells Over 4M iPhone 4S devices over Weekend

Icloud: Apple Sells Over 4M IPhones over Weekend

Apple Sells Over 4M IPhones Over Weekend

Apple Inc. (AAPL:Apple Inc., formerly Apple Computer, Inc., is a multinational corporation that creates consumer electronics, computer software) sold more than 4 million iPhone 4S devices in the first three days after it was introduced, setting a record as customers lined up at stores from Sydney to San Francisco to be first with the new touch- screen handset.

That is about more than twice the 1.7 million iPhones sold by Cupertino, California-based Apple previous year, during the introduction of the previous model.

Demand for the new device extends Apple’s lead as the top maker of smartphones as it fends off rivals including Samsung Electronics Co. and HTC Corp. that rely on Google Inc. (GOOG)’s Android software. U.S. wireless partners Verizon Wireless, AT&T Inc. (T) and Sprint Nextel Corp. (S) reported high activation rates for the new iPhone, which has new voice-recognition software, a speedier processor and higher-quality camera.

“Higher-than-expected sales may have been the result of availability at Verizon and Sprint in addition to AT&T, broader international distribution, positive reviews, timing of the iPhone 3GS hardware upgrade availability and possible Steve Jobs tribute-related demand,” said Mike Abramsky, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets, in a research note today. He had projected sales of about 3 million units for the debut weekend.

The iPhone 4S went on sale Oct. 14 in the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the U.K., in Apple’s first hardware release since the Oct. 5 death of former Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs. The company also has debuted iCloud, for wirelessly synchronizing music, pictures and documents across Apple devices, and iOS 5 mobile software.