Apple halts sales due to huge demand
Sells 600,000 units on first day before temporary suspension to ensure orders are met
San Francisco : Barely a day after its new iPhone went on sale, Apple and partner AT&T said they were so slammed with orders that they were temporarily suspending sales to make sure they didn't sell more units than they could make.
Apple said it sold 600,000 phones on Tuesday, the day it began taking orders online.
That amounted to 10 times more advance orders than it had received for the previous version last year. The new phone hits Apple and partner stores on June 24.
The heavy sales triggered widespread glitches encountered by prospective iPhone 4 buyers, when for most of Tuesday AT&T's website displayed errors to those trying to order the phone.
The new iPhone comes equipped with a much sharper screen and cameras on the front and back that for the first time allow users to make video calls.
Apple apologised on Wednesday for what it called "many order and approval system malfunctions" and noted that "many customers were turned away or abandoned the process in frustration."
It added that there were 13 million visits to its website on Tuesday by users interested in upgrading their phones, for which it is the exclusive wireless carrier.
