Apple’s New IPhone Sells Out at US Carriers

Apple’s newest iPhone sold out for pre-order at AT&T, Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel a day before the device officially goes on sale, according to the carriers’ websites.

Verizon Wireless, the largest U.S. wireless operator, and Sprint, the third-biggest, showed no immediate stock of iPhone 4S 16-gigabyte models for pre-order on their websites. AT&T, the No. 2 carrier, is giving buyers on its site a delivery estimate of three to four weeks, up from one to two days when pre-orders began Oct. 7. The smartphone is for the first time being made available simultaneously at all three of the largest U.S. carriers, helping to boost appeal amid a weak economy. Positive reviews and signs of robust demand for the device should help boost revenue for the wireless carriers in the years ahead, said Roger Entner, an analyst with Recon Analytics LLC in Boston. “It looks like another blockbuster launch for Apple, only this time with three carriers,” Entner said. He estimates that about half of the early 4S buyers are “Apple aficionados” who buy the new iPhone every year, and the other half are a mix of people upgrading from older smartphones and those new to the category.