Following last week's launch of the iPhone 4S in the first batch of seven countries, Apple is set to debut the new device in 22 more countries next Friday, October 28th. Apple's online stores in many of those new countries began taking pre-orders for the iPhone 4S today, giving customers in the new markets the chance to join the queue for delivery. The new launch countries include Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Apple does not operate online stores in all of those markets, however, and thus the new pre-orders for unlocked iPhone 4S models through Apple are only available in the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Customers in other countries and those looking to purchase subsidized units on contract may be able to arrange for pre-orders through their local iPhone carrier partners.
Rather than promising October 28th delivery for iPhone 4S pre-orders in the new batch of countries, Apple is currently citing shipping estimates of 1-2 weeks. It is unknown if Apple is planning to meet the original October 28th date or if availability will slip slightly in the face of strong demand in markets where the device has already launched. Apple announced opening weekend sales of four million units for the iPhone 4S, more than double that of the iPhone 4 last year.
