Apple Inc has on Monday announced that the new iPhone 6 models have set a new preorder release record after more than 4 million purchase requests were made in less than 24 hours of their release.

The company noted that demand has already surpassed supply and this may precipitate a postponement of delivery to some customers. This momentous sale brings back memories of when the iPhone 5 was released in 2012 - similarly demand exceeded supply after about 2 million orders were recorded in 24 hours, and the device was adjudged to have performed far better than its predecessors on the market.

The tech world has been abuzz since Apple launched a set of new products last week. Besides the 4.7 inch iPhone 6 and the 5.5 inch iPhone 6 Plus, the company also unveiled a new Smartphone wristwatch, Apple Watch, and an online payment service, Apple Pay. While the new iPhones have scored wide appeal for their ergonomic design, Apple Watch has received mixed reaction from many commentators.

In the wake of these releases, some critics have criticized the company for failing to introduce truly new products as it has done in the past. Nonetheless, many tech experts say the new products are expected to perform very well on the market.

The first batch of new iPhone 6 devices are set to be delivered on Friday, while other customers will have to wait for their phones to arrive later in the month. The company has announced that phones will also be available at Apple's brick and mortar stores for customers interested in purchasing them there.

Apple has struggled to keep up earnings as iPad sales have continued to dwindle, but the sale of iPhones has compensated for this. In June, the company published its Q3 earnings which showed an increase in sales of iPhones from the same period last year. Nonetheless, sales were still fractionally less than what analysts had predicted.