by Sarah Schoenfelder-

Apple had one heck of a launch weekend. Analysts left and right forecasted a dampened launch for the new iPhone 3G S as compared to 3G’s opening weekend last summer. Apple blew past the gloomy forecast and sold over 1,000,000 of its new smartphones between Friday and Sunday. Analysts including Pipar Jaffray mobile expert Gene Munster 3G S predicted Apple would sell around half that number. Mind you, 3G S launched in only eight countries compared to 3G’s 21. What were customers waiting in line for? Speed, which incidentally, is what the "S" in its name stands for. 3G S sports enhanced processing speed and battery life, an enhanced camera, video capability, hands-free voice control, cut and past, and around 100 enhancements over its predecessor.

Business Insider’s mobile guru Dan Frommer admits that “Apple (AAPL) just made a bunch of analysts look silly,” with these results, but reminds us to consider the fine print. As Frommer points out, “Apple started taking pre-orders on June 8, so people had longer to make purchase decisions, and it seems like supply wasn't as constrained as it was in many locations last year.”

Still, when you consider Apple will end up pocketing “more than $500 million in revenue,” and the fact that many of those sales came by way of customers paying a premium to upgrade from their 3Gs, 3G S's debut performance is ovation-worthy. In fact, the new smartphone's buzz was so big it even distracted from news that Apple CEO Steve’s Jobs’ underwent a liver transplant several months ago. That story leaked Saturday after the device was well on its way to a blow-out weekend. Coincidence or a well-timed leak? Expect more details to emerge on the source of that scoop soon. Source: Fierce Mobile Content, more and Business Insider, more