“Apple’s announcement of its new iPhone 5 lacked surprises. Most of its secrets spilled ahead of introduction, but that didn’t weaken early sales of the phone. People ordered more than two million iPhone 5s its first 24 hours on sale, double the previous record, held by the iPhone 4S, according to Apple,” Brian X. Chen reports for The New York Times.

“Early sales of the iPhone 5 also set a new record for AT&T,” Chen reports, “which said it was its fastest-selling iPhone ever. Apple said the demand for the new phone exceeded supply, and while it can ship most of the phones to customers by Sept. 21, when the phone officially arrives in stores, some shipments will have to go out in October.”

Chen reports, “The strong initial excitement for the phone suggested that the early adopters, at least, don’t need to be surprised at the well choreographed Apple announcements… The strong early sales of the iPhone 5 are also a sign of how difficult it’s going to be for competitors like Nokia and Motorola Mobility to gain a foothold in the smartphone market”

Read more in the full article here.