Verizon iPhone Pre-Orders Break First Day Sales Record

Verizon iPhone pre-orders broke Verizon's first day sales record in just two hours. That's right, between 3AM and 5AM (EST) yesterday morning, Verizon "sold more phones than any first day launch in [its] history." In a statement (included below), Verizon CEO Dan Mead noted that yesterday was "an exciting day." Verizon iPhone pre-orders opened at 3AM EST, for existing Verizon customers only. Furthermore, customers had to take out a two year contract with the carrier in order to grab the iPhone 4 on Verizon Wireless. But, that didn't stop customers from flocking to Verizon's website in the early hours of yesterday morning. In fact, so many people hit VerizonWireless.com, that the website reportedly started crashing on some users. Regardless of this, Verizon clearly sold a whole lot of iPhones yesterday - though it doesn't tell us exactly how many in the statement. And, it's not over yet: expect another day of hype February 10, when the Verizon iPhone goes on sale to the general public. In the meantime, let us know (in the comments) if you pre-ordered a Verizon iPhone yesterday. And, you can check out Verizon's statement below.

VERIZON WIRELESS HAS RECORD SALES ON FIRST DAY OF iPHONE 4 Available to General Public on Feb.10 BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – At 8:10 p.m. EST yesterday, Verizon Wireless ceased online orders of iPhone 4 to existing customers and ended the most successful first day sales in the history of the company. "This was an exciting day," said Dan Mead, president and chief executive officer for Verizon Wireless. "In just our first two hours, we had already sold more phones than any first day launch in our history. And, when you consider these initial orders were placed between the hours of 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., it is an incredible success story. It is gratifying to know that our customers responded so enthusiastically to this exclusive offer --- designed to reward them for their loyalty. "I am proud of our employees who worked tirelessly to strengthen and scale our systems, enabling unprecedented customer orders through our website. Overall, it was a very good day," he added. Mead also said customers will have another opportunity at being among the nation's first to own an iPhone 4 on the Verizon Wireless network. "Yesterday's launch set the pace for next week when we open up sales to everyone across America." The general market launch of the iPhone 4 on the Verizon Wireless network will occur on February 10. The company will open its more than 2000 Verizon Wireless Stores at 7 a.m. It will also be available at all Apple store locations, Best Buy, select Wal-Mart stores, and on-line at verizonwireless.com and apple.com.