Apple has announced that pre-orders for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus smartphones touched 4 million within 24 hours. This figure breaks the previous record of 2 million pre-orders in a day that was set two years ago when Apple started taking advance bookings for iPhone 5.

The Cupertino, California-based company did not announce the pre-order figures last year for iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C.

Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, said, "Pre-orders for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus set a new record for Apple, and we can't wait to get our best iPhones yet into the hands of customers starting this Fridaay. 

The iPhone 6 features a 4.7-inch display, while the iPhone 6 Plus has a 5.5 inch screen. Compared to a thickness of 7.6 mm of iPhone 5S, the sixth generation has a thickness of 6.9 mm (iPhone 6) and 7.1 mm (iPhone 6 Plus), respectively. The devices also feature Apple-designed A8 chips, which have 25 per cent faster processing power and up to 50 per cent faster graphics. The handsets feature 8MP iSight camera and support Voice over LTE. The iPhone 6 also has improved face detection for selfies and group selfies.

In a statement, Apple said, "Demand for the new iPhones exceeds the initial pre-order supply and while a significant amount will be delivered to customers beginning on Friday and throughout September, many iPhone pre-orders are scheduled to be delivered in October.”

The delay in delivery of some iPhones, primarily the first-ever Apple phablet iPhone 6 Plus, is not surprising as the company had told customers while taking pre-orders that the device will be delivered in 3-4 weeks. US telecom carriers Verizon Wireless, AT&T and Sprint also showed shipment delays of up to six weeks on their respective websites.

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus go on sale in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the UK on September 19. More units will be available for purchase in Apple Stores on September 19 in these markets.

The two new iPhones will hit retail stores in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey and United Arab Emirates on September 26.

On September 10, Apple's India website showed that the new iPhones will be available in the country on September 26, but the date soon changed to October 17. However, the company has removed the date altogether now, but is still expected to launch the new smartphones in the market in October.

Apple has already given iPhone 5S an official price cut, ahead of the launch of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in India.v