iPhone 4S pre-orders are over the top

CUPERTINO, Calif., Oct. 10 (UPI) -- U.S. technology giant Apple Inc. said its pre-orders for the iPhone 4S broke a first-day record with more than 1 million orders processed.

Philip Schiller, the company's senior vice president of global marketing said the firm was "blown away with the incredible customer response" to the device.

The record eased concerns a fourth version of the same device might lose impact, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

The phone is faster than previous iPhones and is equipped with the ability to work on vocal commands. It also features a better camera than previous iPhones, the Journal said.

"At the end of the day, people forget the iPhone 4 was already the top-selling phone," said Shaw Wu, an industry analyst at Sterne Agee.

"This phone is better. The software is different. The chips are different. It is in a position to do well," Wu said.

Apple shares are up 19 percent this year and rose 3.6 percent in trading Monday morning.

The iPhone 4S, the fifth version of the smartphone, will be available in Apple stores at 8 a.m. EST Friday. By November, it is expected to be available in 22 countries.