US mobile carrier Verizon says it has halted iPhone 4 pre-orders five days before launch having already shifted its quota for the pre-sale period.
The virtually identical Verizon incarnation of the Apple smartphone will go on sale across the pond next Wednesday (online) and reach retail stores a day later.
The network claims it was forced to stop pre-orders after making more more first day sales than on any other phone in its history.
CEO Dan Mead said: "In just our first two hours, we had already sold more phones than any first day launch in our history. When you consider these initial orders were placed between the hours of 3am and 5am, it is an incredible success story."
Demand
Of course, this is likely to be a PR stunt to get punters rushing to the stores next Thursday, which is available on Verizon after bitter rival AT&T lost exclusive rights to carry the phone.
The timing is also strange for a mass rush to grab an iPhone 4. Anyone familiar with Apple's business model knows a brand new device is highly likely in around four months.
Verizon buyers will be locked into a two year contract if they sign-up now and will have to wait beyond the sixth iteration of the iPhone to upgrade, if Apple continues its yearly release schedule.
