iLounge

In an extremely rare foreign country-specific press release, Apple announced sales of more than two million iPhone 5s in China during its first launch weekend. The phone was officially launched in the Chinese mainland on Dec. 14, having been available for sale in Hong Kong since September. “Customer response to iPhone 5 in China has been incredible, setting a new record with the best first weekend sales ever in China,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement. “China is a very important market for us and customers there cannot wait to get their hands on Apple products.” iPhone 5 will be available in more than 100 countries by the end of the year; speculation regarding weak or slow mainland Chinese sales may have spurred the company to disclose early figures.