Apple sells 10 million new iPhone 6 devices on first weekend

Apple Inc said it sold a record 10 million iPhones in the first weekend after its new, larger phone models went on sale in 10 countries on Friday.

Last year, Apple sold 9 million iPhone 5S and 5C models in 11 countries, including China, in the first weekend. Sales of the new models in China have been delayed by regulatory issues.

The phones drew more than 4 million pre-orders on Sept. 12, more than double the 2 million orders for the company's iPhone 5 model in the same period two years ago.

Analysts had estimated first-weekend sales of up to 10 million iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus models, based on the first-day pre-orders.

Apple Inc. said it sold 10 million of its new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus devices over their first weekend in stores, exceeding last year’s total.

The phones started selling at stores Friday, beginning at

$199 with a two-year contract with wireless providers. Last week, the company said it received more than four million preorders of the phones during the first 24 hours, which the company dubbed a record.

To compare, a year ago, the company sold nine million iPhones in the first weekend it sold its 5S and 5C models, while in 2012, it posted two million preorders for its initial iPhone 5 devices.

Apple AAPL, +0.83%  and its wireless partners, not to mention investors, have placed high expectations on the new phones. Shares of the tech giant have risen by about a third over the past five months, closing Friday at $100.96.

Much of the excitement has been driven by what many see as a long-overdue upgrade. Both the iPhone 6 and the 6 Plus feature bigger screens than previous models, finally relenting after years of consumer and industry pressure to offer bigger devices.

Yahoo