iPhone 4 Breaks Verizon Sales Records in 2 Hours

Verizon began accepting pre-orders for Apple’s iPhone 4 at 3AM on Thursday, and by 5AM had already broken all of its first full day sales records for a single device. The company processed so many orders that it, along with Apple, stopped accepting new pre-orders before the end of the day.

“In just our first two hours, we had already sold more phones than any first day launch in our history,” said Verizon Wireless president and chief Dan Mead. “And, when you consider these initial orders were placed between the hours of 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., it is an incredible success story.”

Verizon’s pre-order program was open only for its existing customers, which limited the potential number of people eligible to participate. A new round of pre-orders that’s open to the general public will kick off on February 9, just a day before Verizon’s iPhone 4 launch.

Customers that want to pick up the Verizon iPhone in person will be able to stand in line at the company’s retail locations or Apple Store locations, and they will also be available at Best Buy and Wal-Mart locations.

Mr. Mead added, “Yesterday’s launch set the pace for next week when we open up sales to everyone across America.”

The company didn’t say exactly how many iPhone 4 orders is processed on Thursday.