Apple took more than 2million orders for the iPhone 5 in 24 hours, "shattering" the record held by the previous model, the iPhone 4S, the firm has said.
Orders for the new model opened at midnight on Friday, Silicon Valley time.
It goes on sale this Friday.
Analysts declared a successful launch after Apple's initial stock appeared to sell out in just one hour.
Dispatch estimates quickly extended to two weeks, a week after launch day in America and Europe.
In comparison, it took 22 hours for the iPhone 4S to sell out, and 20 hours for the iPhone 4 to sell out.
Apple confirmed that demand for the iPhone had exceeded the initial supply and while the majority of orders will be delivered to customers on Friday, many are now scheduled for delivery next month.
The Samsung Galaxy S III, the best-selling Android handset, sold 10million in less than two months earlier this year.
Queues are meanwhile already forming outside Apple Stores ahead of the iPhone's release on Friday, with buyers hoping to snap up limited stock earmarked for shops on launch day.
Two charity fundraisers have camped outside Apple's flagship store in Covent Garden since Friday to become one of the first people to own an iPhone 5. They hope to raise money for Cancer Research UK by selling the handsets.
The device offers a host of mostly incremental improvements on the iPhone 4S.
It is 18% thinner, 20% lighter and runs twice as fast, thanks to a new processor.
The Retina screen is taller but the same width.
Apple has also upgraded the camera to include new features such as a low-light mode and a panorama feature.
The iPhone 5 is also Apple's first smartphone capable of 4G.
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