Apple wasn't the only company that had a good day. AT&T broke a record of its own.

CNET

"This is our biggest Phone, preorder launch day ever," said Glenn Lurie, CEO of AT&T Mobility, in a statement.

This follows a comment that Apple had set its own record for launch-day preorders overnight.

AT&T has been the longest partner to Apple, carrying the original iPhone back in 2007 when it was exclusive to the carrier. AT&T held a lock on the iPhone for three years, before Verizon Wireless began selling it.

As a result, AT&T has a large legacy base of iPhone users, and its success is often tied to Apple's flagship smartphone. The fact that there are two iPhones -- both bigger than the previous iPhone 5S -- drove interest and early orders overnight. While the iPhone 6 is seeing some delays, there are much bigger delays for the larger iPhone 6 Plus.

Though T-Mobile, Sprint and even Apple's store sputtered at night, AT&T's online orders held up relatively well. The carrier does have experience with the frantic rush of orders for iPhones.