peekandpop

Apple’s iPhone reservation system put a damper on the traditional lines outside its stores, but that didn’t stop the company from setting a new record for first-weekend sales, selling more than 13 million units of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus over the first weekend, the company said this morning.

One big difference this time around: The new devices were available in China for the opening weekend. The country, the world’s biggest smartphone market, has become a major driver of iPhone sales.

“Sales for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus have been phenomenal, blowing past any previous first weekend sales results in Apple’s history,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook in a statement announcing the numbers.

Based on pre-orders of the new devices, the company said in advance of the launch that it was on pace to top last year’s first-weekend record of 10 million new iPhone sales.

The new iPhone’s marquee feature is “3D Touch,” based on the tech that originally debuted in the Apple Watch. Using a finely tuned, pressure-sensitive touchscreen, the new iPhones sense how hard a user is pressing on the screen, resulting in new form of interaction — described by Apple as “peek” and “pop.” The new iPhones also have better cameras (shooting up to 4K video) and a Live Photos feature that captures 1.5 seconds on either side of the picture to create moving images.

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