Apple iPhone 5 pre-orders hit 2 million in 24 hours (CBS News) Apple announced Monday that pre-orders for the iPhone 5 reached 2 million in its first 24 hours. So, it is a record-breaker? In a press release, Apple senior vice president Phil Shiller said, "iPhone 5 pre-orders have shattered the previous record held by iPhone 4S." In its first 24 hours of launch last year, the iPhone 4S pre-orders hit 1 million. There seems to be an incredible demand for the iPhone 5. The Apple Store in New York City had a line form for the phone a week early and AT&T reported that pre-orders during the first weekend of launch were record-breaking. Apple announced the iPhone 5 last Wednesday at a press event in San Francisco. The new smartphone features a 4-inch display, 4G LTE, 1080p HD video quality, 720p HD front-facing video, Panoramic photos, a new Lightening connector and EarPods. Pre-orders started Sept. 14 and the phone will be available in stores on Sept. 21 at 8 am. in the U.S, Canada, U.K. France, Germany, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore.