Verizon iPhone Pre-Orders Sell Out In 17 Hours

Verizon is no longer accepting pre-orders for the iPhone 4, which launches officially next Thursday. After less than a day, the carrier announced that it had sold out of iPhone units available for customer pre-orders.

"The pre-order period for Verizon customers began today at 3:00 am ET and was expected to continue up until the launch date of February 10," Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White wrote in a research note, according to Forbes. "However, demand was so overwhelming strong that the iPhone 4 inventory dedicated to this pre-order period was used up in approximately 17 hours and the Internet portal closed this evening at approximately 8:10 pm ET."

Verizon Wireless Chief Executive Dan Mead called the volume of customer orders "unprecedented," The Wall Street Journal reports. "In just our first two hours, we had already sold more phones than any first day launch in our history. And, when you consider these initial orders were placed between the hours of 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., it is an incredible success story," Mead also said, according to Gigaom.

Mashable writes that presale units will again be available on Wednesday, February 9, starting at 3:01 a.m. The iPhone will be available in stores on February 10 at 7 a.m.

To find out more about the Verizon iPhone, read a review of the device, then take a look at our slideshow of the Verizon iPhone's features.