Pre-orders exhaust iPhone 4S supplies - Updated

If international demand for the iPhone 4S will dictate when we see the device in New Zealand, kiwi Apple fans may have a long wait.

Interest in the new device has been substantial, from the ubiquitous storefront campers, to the frenzy to secure an online pre-order.

The device, which launches in seven countries (not including New Zealand) on October 14, was made available for pre-order on Friday, with frenetic results.

The Apple website was giving a shipping time of one to two weeks by the end of the day, suggesting it already has more orders than it has stock.

Meanwhile, US telco AT-T has told Reuters it took 200,000 orders in the first 12 hours of availability. By comparison, when the iPhone 4 was made available for pre-order last year, 600,000 orders were taken in the first 24 hours – across five countries, through all carriers.

Responses to the iPhone 4S were lukewarm following its launch last week, with many expecting a completely new device. Fans, though, are clearly still keen to upgrade.

Update: Apple has announced that one million iPhone 4S devices were pre-ordered in the 24 hours the unit was first available.

Philip Schiller, senior vice president of worldwide product marketing for Apple, says the first-day pre-orders were the most ever received for an Apple product.

"We are thrilled that customers love iPhone 4S as much as we do," Schiller says.