New iPhone 4 orders now pushed to July 2

Apple through its online store has already confirmed that new iPhone 4 pre-orders won't ship on launch day. Anyone buying the new phone is now told Apple will start shipping their examples by July 2, or more than a week later. Only the 8GB iPhone 3GS still arrives on June 24.

The overnight sellout has followed just hours after AT&T also ran dry. Both still expected to have extra stock on hand for retail buyers who haven't ordered in advance, but the ratio of pre-orders to in-store stock is unlikely to ever be known. Best Buy, Radio Shack and Walmart will have their own supplies.

They arrive in spite of ordering setbacks at Apple and AT&T that led many to either take hours to complete orders or even give up entirely.

Combined, either sellout is a record for the iPhone. Advance orders were possible for the iPhone 3GS last year, but worries of immediate sellouts for pre-orders weren't an issue at the time. The sales rate hints Apple is likely to sell many more iPhones in at least the US than it did a year earlier. European sales were also similarly brisk.

Accordingly, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster has issued a research note this morning in which he thinks two million iPhones sold next weekend is an "achievable" feat. He now believes Apple may sell as many as 9.5 million iPhones worldwide for the spring quarter, up from 8.5 million. The tally would put Apple within a million of RIM's latest BlackBerry sales and should increase in the summer as other countries get access to the iPhone 4.

By Electronista Staff