Verizon iPhone 4 Pre-Sales Result in Record

Thursday’s pre-sales of the iPhone 4 were a huge success. Both Apple and Verizon stopped accepting orders late in the day, with pre-orders sold out, and Verizon announced Friday that it represented the most successful first day sales in company history.

It didn’t take Verizon long to break that record, either. According to Verizon CEO Dan Mead: In just our first two hours, we had already sold more phones than any first day launch in our history. And, when you consider these initial orders were placed between the hours of 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., it is an incredible success story. It is gratifying to know that our customers responded so enthusiastically to this exclusive offer – designed to reward them for their loyalty.

AT&T also sold out its iPhone 4 pre-orders in the first day of availability, but there’s a key difference here: Verizon so far has only been selling devices to existing customers. Sales to new customers don’t begin until next week, on Feb. 10, at either Apple or Verizon locations. That’s when we’ll see how many switchers Verizon attracts.

If you missed out on the pre-sale or aren’t an existing customer, you can walk into (or maybe line up at) an Apple or Verizon store beginning Feb. 10 at 7:00 a.m., order online starting Feb. 9 at 3:00 a.m. EST, or reserve one for pickup on Feb. 9 and go into a store the next day to grab it at an Apple retail location.