Apple, AT&T get record number of iPhone orders

NEW YORK (AP) — Apple Inc. said today that it and its phone company partners took orders for more than 600,000 iPhone 4s in one day, the highest number it's ever seen, despite widespread problems getting orders through overwhelmed computer systems.

The crush of orders sets the scene for long lines and potential chaos at stores when the phone is released June 24.

Apple and its partners started taking orders for the iPhone 4 on Tuesday. This morning, AT&T Inc., the exclusive carrier in the U.S., had stopped taking orders, saying it had to focus on fulfilling orders already received.

At midday today, Apple was accepting orders only for black models, and would only guarantee shipment by July 2. The white model was unavailable for pre-order.

Dallas-based AT&T said it received 10 times as many pre-launch orders on the first day for the new iPhone model as it did for the previous model last year.

AT&T also said it logged more than 13 million visits to a Web page where current customers can check if they're eligible for a subsidized upgrade to the new phone.