Following its Sept. 12 announcement, Apple’s new iPhone 5 device generated record-breaking sales well before hitting shelves on Sept. 21. This Wednesday, Apple released iOS 6, its latest operating system that powers the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, containing more than 200 new features. As part of the new OS, the company unveiled the Advertising Identifier, its new marketing attribution standard to track and attribute in-app advertising. Simultaneously, we unveiled our new SDK Version 3.0 to help marketers navigate this change and ensure a seamless transition to the new Advertising Identifier.

In the first 24 hours following its introduction, interest in the iPhone 5 triggered more than 2 million pre-sales, doubling the previous record set by the iPhone 4S, according to Bloomberg. For AT&T, these early sales made the iPhone 5 its fastest-selling iPhone ever. In fact, because demand for the new phone exceeded supply, Apple said some shipments might now not arrive until October. “It goes to show they’ve got a loyal existing customer base, and with each device they release it becomes more attractive to Android switchers as well,” said Jan Dawson, a mobile analyst at Ovum to The New York Times.

After unveiling the iPhone 5, Apple released iOS 6, which contains more than 200 new features and enhancements, such as improved maps, the Passbook app, an improved Siri, camera panoramas, shared photo streams, FaceTime over cellular and more. “In the end, iOS 6 is to software what the iPhone 5 is to hardware: a big collection of improvements, many of which are really clever and good, that don’t take us in any big new directions,” wrote David Pogue in The New York Times.

With the availability of iOS 6, Apple introduced the Advertising Identifier, which provides a new, standardized way for advertisers to track and attribute in-app advertising. At the same time, we released our new SDK Version 3.0 to help app brands ensure a seamless transition to the new identifier, which will ultimately replace UDID. As a marketer, you probably have questions about the Advertising Identifier and the transition period that is sure to follow. We invite you to join us and discuss these topics on free webinar, “Apple’s Announcements – How Marketing Apps on iOS Will Change,” on Wednesday, Sept. 26, at noon p.m. EDT. Register here.