Those conclusions emerged after Apple said Monday that it sold nine million of the two handsets in their first three days on the market—well above what analysts had anticipated.The company also said that its quarterly sales and profit margin would likely be at the high end of the company's previous forecast. Apple in July projected revenue between $34 billion and $37 billion and gross margin between 36% and 37%.
The company's stock jumped $23.23, or 5%, to close at $490.64 on the Nasdaq Stock Market.
Apple also said that more than 200 million of its devices already were running iOS 7—a free overhaul released last week of the operating system used on iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch devices.
Apple's record volume for the new iPhones compared with five million iPhone 5 models sold on its opening weekend a year ago. Analyst had predicted that six million to seven million of this year's models would be sold in the debut weekend.
But there are caveats with the Apple figures, among them the decision to sell the phone in China in the opening weekend this year.
And beyond sales by the company to consumers from its own stores and website, Apple's count includes sales to other retailers. While Apple appears to have exhausted inventory of the iPhone 5S, the nine million units include unsold iPhone 5C models at non-Apple retailers, analysts said.
"If you adjust for the 5C, it's not the blowout that it initially looks like," said Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray. He estimated that three million to four million iPhone 5C models are with retailers and that the number of both handsets in the hands of consumers was 5.5 million.
Apple didn't break down its sales other than to say that demand for the iPhone 5S exceeded supply. "Thanks to all our amazing customers for the fantastic weekend," Chief Executive Tim Cook, a new Twitter user, said in a tweet Monday.Assessing demand for the phones is particularly difficult because more countries are involved this year: 11, compared with nine for the iPhone 5 release last year. And China, in particular, is a huge smartphone market.
Toni Sacconaghi, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein, said the original iPhone 5 sold two million units in its first weekend of sales in China. He estimated that China likely contributed a similar amount this year.
The cautions aside, analysts still said the rollout was stronger than they expected, as indicated by longer lines at stores than last year. While some Apple analysts were disappointed that the iPhone 5C wasn't priced low enough to attract a new class of buyers, they said there remained a substantial number of iPhone users who wanted to upgrade their phones and that new trade-in programs made the process less expensive.
"People forget that there is a massive installed base out there," said Brian Marshall, an analyst at ISI International Group. As a result, when "each phone comes out, the launch gets bigger and bigger."
Several signs indicated strong customer preference for the iPhone 5S. Cantor Fitzgerald said its survey of buyers in New York found that 88% bought that model but that Apple's figures suggested that the less-expensive iPhone 5C also sold well.
Boston-based research firm Localytics said data generated from apps downloaded by users over the weekend indicated that the iPhone 5S sold 3.5 times as many units as the 5C.
Raj Aggarwal, the firm's chief executive, cautioned that the initial data didn't necessarily show the long-term prospects for the iPhone 5C since sales on the opening weekend could have been distorted by hard-core buyers. "The people who are excited enough to stand in line on a Friday morning, these are the early adopters," he said. "They are more likely to want the more sophisticated top-end device."
—Nathalie Tadena contributed to this article.
Write to Don Clark at don.clark@wsj.com
Smart phone Comparison
Competition is heated in the high-end phone market. Compare the specifications and features of some popular phones, including the iPhone 5S, which was unveiled Sept. 10.
Apple's iPhone 5S
Google's Motorola Moto X
Samsung's Galaxy S 4
BlackBerry's Z10
Nokia's Lumia 920
U.S. carriers
AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon
AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, U.S. Cellular
AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, U.S. Cellular, Cricket
AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon
AT&T
U.S. release date
Sept. 20, 2013
August/September 2013
April 2013
March 2013
November 2012
Starting price (with contract)
$199
$199
$199 (AT&T)
$199
$99
Starting price (without contract)
$549
Unavailable
Undisclosed
$599
$449
Operating system
iOS 7
Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean)
Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean)
BlackBerry 10
Windows Phone 8
Wireless
LTE
LTE
LTE
LTE/HSPA+
LTE
Measurements
Dimensions
4.87" x 2.31" x .30"
5.09" x 2.57" x 0.22"-0.41" (curved)
5.38" x 2.75" x 0.31"
5.12" x 2.58" x 0.35"
5.13" x 2.79" x 0.42"
Weight
3.95 oz
4.59 oz
4.59 oz
4.78 oz
6.52 oz
Display
Diagonal length
4"
4.7"
5"
4.2"
4.5"
Pixels
1136 x 640
1280 x 720
1920 x 1080
1280 x 768
1280 x 768
Pixels per inch
326
316
441
356
332
Camera
Rear
8 MP
10 MP
13 MP
8 MP
8.7 MP
Front
1.2 MP
2 MP
2 MP
2 MP
1.2 MP
Video capture
1080p
1080p
1080p
1080p
1080p
Memory
Internal storage
16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB
16 GB, 32 GB
16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB version + micro SD card up to 64 GB
16 GB
32 GB
RAM
Unavailable
2 GB
2 GB
2 GB
1 GB
Battery
Capacity
Unavailable
2,200 mAh
2,600 mAh
1,800 mAH
2,000 mAH
Maximum talk time
Up to 10 hours (3G)
13 hours
Unavailable
10 hours (3G)
10.8 hours
Maximum standby time
Up to 250 hours
24 hours
Unavailable
305 hours (3G)
460 hours (3G)
Processor
System chip
A7 chip (64 bit) and M7 motion coprocessor
Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro,
*Qualcomm Snapdragon Fusion Pro or Samsung Exynos 5 Octa
Qualcomm S4
Qualcomm S4
Processor core
Unavailable
Dual
Dual
Dual
Dual
CPU speed
Unavailable
1.7 GHz
*1.6 GHz (Samsung chip) or 1.9 GHz (Qualcomm chip)
1.5 GHz
1.5 GHz
Special Features
'Touch ID' fingerprint-identity sensor, built into the home button, allows users to unlock their phones and make purchases from the iTunes store by touching the button
Two years of 50 GB storage free on Google Drive
Eye movements and waving the fingers can control the screen; 'Group Play' allows users to share content
Time-shift photos, double-layer keyboard that adjusts to typing, 'Hub' for easy access to emails and messages
Camera with optical-image stablization, City Lens augmented reality app
*Chip and CPU speed are dependent on market.
Sources and images: the companies
Sources and images: the companies