Despite doleful predictions of an "epic fail," Apple Inc. has hit yet another out-of-the-park home run with its new iPhone 4S.

Notwithstanding the near-universal disappointment felt when Apple chose not to launch an all-new iPhone 5 at its "Let's Talk iPhone" event last week, the iPhone 4S has had a tremendous response from consumers. Based on the company Web site's shipping estimates, preorders for the new smartphone sold out the first day of availability.

AT&T, one of the three U.S. carriers for the iPhone 4S, rang the register on 200,000 preordered models of the smartphone in just 12 hours. By Friday evening, the projected shipping date of the iPhone 4S had slipped from Oct. 14 to one or two weeks, Fortune reported, citing an AT&T representative who noted it is "the most successful iPhone launch we've ever had."