Apple sells record 9 million new iPhones in three days

Apple said on Monday that it sold a record 9 million iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c models three days after they were launched on September 20.

"In addition, more than 200 million iOS devices are now running the completely redesigned iOS 7, making it the fastest software upgrade in history," Apple said in a statement, referring to its latest mobile operating system.

Demand for the iPhone 5s has exceeded the initial supply and many online orders are scheduled to be shipped in the coming weeks, it said.

"This is our best iPhone launch yet. More than 9 million new iPhones sold -- a new record for first weekend sales," Apple CEO Tim Cook said in the statement.

The iPhone 5, the earlier model, sold over 5 million units in the first three days after its release last September. Also, more than 100 million iOS devices had been updated with iOS 6 during the period.

Shares of Apple jumped over 4 per cent following the sales numbers.

Both iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c are available in the US, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the UK.

"While we've sold out of our initial supply of iPhone 5s, stores continue to receive new iPhone shipments regularly. We appreciate everyone's patience and are working hard to build enough new iPhones for everyone," Cook said.

iPhone 5s comes in gold, silver or space gray, and is available in the US for a retail price of USD 199 for the 16GB model and USD 299 for the 32GB model. The higher end 64 GB model comes at USD 399 under contract.

The less expensive iPhone 5c is available in the US for a suggested retail price of USD 99 for the 16GB model and USD 199 for the 32GB model.

The world's most valuable technology company launched the iPhone 5c to improve its profit margins and share in the smartphone market, which is dominated by Android phones.

According to technology research firm Gartner, Android's operating system had a 79 per cent market share while Apple's iOS had 14.2 per cent in the second quarter of 2013.