Based on the pre-orders from across the globe during the first week of iPhone 6S sales, Apple Inc. has claimed that the company's latest smartphone, the iPhone 6S, is selling better compared to its predecessor - the iPhone 6. In a statement issued to CNBC, Apple said, "We are on pace to beat last year's 10 million unit first weekend record when the new iPhones go on sale starting Sept. 25."

IB Times reports that similar to the previous iPhone launches before it, pre-orders for Apple's iPhone 6S witnessed some initial anomalies when pre-orders opened at 12:01 a.m. PDT on Saturday. Nevertheless, after the smoke was clear customers rushed to place their orders with shipping times quickly decreasing to 3-4 weeks for several models in China, Japan, the UK and Canada.

However, Apple is yet to reveal exactly how many iPhone 6S were sold in its first 24 hours. Last year, Apple took in a record four million iPhones in the first 24 hours of sale with the iPhone 6. However, at the same time, Apple held iPhone 6S pre-orders on a Saturday this year instead of Friday as it did with the iPhone 6 - a less day to pull in sales.

 "Last year, Apple announced 4 million iPhone 6/6+ pre-orders in the first 24 hours vs 2 million for the iPhone 5," Gene Munster, an analyst with Piper Jaffray wrote in a research note issued on Friday. It said, "We expect around 5 million pre-orders for the iPhone 6S/6S+ in the first 24 hours is achievable and note that we wouldn't expect Apple to release a number if it were below last year's 4 million."

Apple's iPhone 6S initial pre-sales also included China, which was not included in last year's pre-order weekend with the iPhone 6. According to analysts, their inclusion will be a strong driver for initial iPhone 6S sales.

The Street Insider reports that Daniel Ives, an analyst with FBR Capital, wrote, "While there are still unknowns about inventory levels, we note that China demand in particular looks 'very strong' out of the gates and is a positive sign that the white-hot momentum out of this region shows no signs of abating despite macro headwinds out of China."

While Apple does not breakdown iPhone sales country-wise, a spot check of Apple's online stores revealed that its Rose Gold iPhone 6S Plus may prove to be a huge hit, especially in China, where the new iPhone model saw shipping times fall quickly to 3-4 week waits after orders opened.

In addition, Apple may also see additional sales with the launch of its iPhone upgrade program, which imitates the deals from carriers, allowing users upgrade their smartphones every year.

Once the pre-order period is over, Apple will ship the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus and begin in-store sales starting Sept. 25.