Apple iPhone 6s and 6s Plus: New iPhones set "phenomenal" sales record

Apple sold 13m iPhones in the debut weekend of new models iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, smashing through previous sales records.
Chief executive Tim Cook described the sales rush as “phenomenal”:

Sales for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus have been phenomenal, blowing past any previous first weekend sales results in Apple’s history.

When the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were released a year ago the handsets sold 10m units in the first three days, which was then a record-high, but has been left far behind by latest sales figures.

The smashed record isn't entirely unexpected, as Apple announced last week that it was on track to beating the 10m figure, and last week pre-order figures showed that the iPhone 6s was already the UK's second most popular phone - before it had even hit stores. 

This is good news for investors, as the tech giant relies heavily on the iPhone for its success, as sales of the iconic phone accounts for nearly two-thirds of the company’s total revenue.

Last quarter, Apple sold 47.5m iPhone units, just missing analysts’ forecasts, but still up by 35 per cent against the previous quarter.

Buoyant sales and the recent record-breaking iOS 9 release are pleasing investors, and Apple’s share price has risen two points to 114 since the launch on 9 September, despite the company’s shares usually falling in the immediate aftermath of a new launch