Verizon Wireless said the number of iPhones it sold in the first two hours of availability Thursday exceeded the one-day total for any other device's debut in the carrier's history.Verizon Wireless allowed existing customers to preorder the iPhone Thursday, ahead of the official launch on Feb. 10, and stopped taking orders at night. While the carrier touted a record for first-day sales, it declined to say how many were ordered.
The carrier said that between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. EST it took more orders of iPhones than its previous blockbuster phones, including Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc.'s Droid and Research in Motion Ltd.'s Storm, which also benefited from tremendous marketing and hype.
Mr. Mead said the company faced "unprecedented customer orders" on Thursday.
Verizon has warned it will slow down the data connection of its most-active users when the network is jammed, after previously stressing that the company was prepared to handle any surge in usage when the iPhone became available.
The preorder process went relatively smoothly for the carrier, aside from a few error messages and a spike in traffic to Verizon Wireless and Apple's websites during the first hour of availability.
A Verizon Wireless spokeswoman said the carrier dealt directly with customers who encountered problems with their orders. She added the system never shut down, despite early concern that it might have been overwhelmed by the volume of orders.
Verizon Wireless is a joint venture between Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group PLC.
