iPhone 4 sales: 3 million and counting, 1.7 percent returned
By Chris Ziegler 
posted July 16th 2010 12:32PM
posted July 16th 2010 12:32PM
As for how many of those sold phones are staying out in the field, Jobs has revealed return rates, too: 1.7 percent, which works out to about 51,000 phones, compared to 6 percent for the 3GS. Seems like most of these returners would've been better off eBaying for a profit, eh?
I REALLY hope you have a fix for the issues I am having with my iPhone 4.
Issues:
- The Proximity sensor: When talking on the phone it mutes my calls / puts it on speakerphone or hangs up on them because the sensor is not working properly. Since the sensor doesn't work properly my cheek presses those buttons.
- The transition between Wifi and 3G Problem: When you have wifi on and automatically have it hook up to a wifi signal it does that fine but then when you walk out of the building it has problems going back to 3G. I have to turn off the phone so it picks up data again.
- Dropped Calls: What else is new here right? I get at least 3 a day. Will this EVER be resolved? I also live in the Bay Area right next to Apple Head quarters. I am NOT in the boondocks! If you tell me you are don't get dropped calls then you are in denial BIG TIME!
I REALLY hope that apple's fix to this won't be the rip-off bumper piece of plastic they've suckered so many with that. They charge $30 for this piece of plastic and it costs them 10 cents to manufacture in China. I want a REAL fix. I want to be able to hold my iPhone anyway I want! And I don't want to be forced to buy or have a bumper so it works properly!
Now go ahead call me a Troll or whatever you want! I love apple products but if theres a problem with it, Id like a REAL fix and not a patch.
@Juggernaut408
You probably experienced a lot of problems when you tried hacking your phone.
Also, move out of your underground, fifteen foot thick concrete nuclear bunker.
@Juggernaut408
3 million units equates to less than 140k per day since launch.
That is far less than Android's 160k per day, especially when you consider the dramatic drop in sales from the first few days.
@Juggernaut408
Steve just go and apology stop making look another lame oh look at the number we are #1
@Juggernaut408
Apple is in denial and will never fix their issues with their phone. Apple has went from one of the best companies in the WORLD to, in my opinion, one of the the worst companies in the world.
@Juggernaut408
So return it! Just return it! If you hate it so much and it's causing you problems, return the damn phone!
@Juggernaut408
"And if you're not happy, you can bring the phone back. We'll give you a full refund within 30 days. No restocking fee. We want to make everyone happy, and if we can't make you happy we'll give you a full refund."
@Juggernaut408
Most likely you're an Android phone user pretending.... Otherwise you'd know the iPhone 4 reception is superior to the 3GS.
It's for fakers like you that I'm glad Google had a sucky Q.
@Juggernaut408
Most likely you're an Android phone user pretending.... Otherwise you'd know the iPhone 4 reception is superior to the 3GS.
It's for fakers like you that I'm glad Google had a sucky Q.
@Juggernaut408
DID I CALL IT or WHAT
"@Joshua Topolsky
They might do what they trained employees to do..not blame the customer take some of the blame themselves and then not give away stuff. Remember if you are a true apple fan free stuff shouldnt keep you around. They might say come exchange it if you want we have no problem with that. Then say we are always in the fore front and then throw some numbers at you and compare it to like sports or something. Reassure that AppleCare is the number 1 service in the world."
@pspitts
10:40AM Q: Are you doing anything else to address the issue? Perhaps changing hardware?
Steve: You know, the 3GS has the same problem. We're getting reports from customers that this is better than the 3GS. So I don't know changing the antenna design would help -- I don't know what our next antenna design will look like.
@Juggernaut408 Nobody cares about issue lmao! I don't, looks like 98% are happy lol
@benthe1 You know, If you don't own a iPhone 4, why in the hell are you reading or commenting on this story, if you do own one, just return the phone and go by a Android or BB phone, nobody is forcing anybody to by or own a iPhone, people that just set in front of a computer all day just to whine about this and that is just a waste of bandwidth and breath.
LOL Love the answers Steve is giving:
Q: I can't get my Bold to drop right now, maybe you can show me how to do it?
Steve: You may not see it in certain areas.
@The Advanced Kind
Oh please?!
Google claims that 160,000 Android "devices" are "activated" every day. It doesn't claim "phones" and it doesn't even claim "sold". For all we know, they are counting reactivations everytime a droid gets reparied.
To make a similar comparison, you'd have to combine the sales of all:
iPhone 4s, iPhone 3GSs, iPod Touches, and iPads. And then count "activations" instead of sales. I'm sure apple could get up to 300,000 if it fudged the numbers like Google.
@Juggernaut408 Same as me with my iPhone 4, the only way I can get it to lose 2 bars is to wet my finger and push Hard on the black seam, but that's not generally how I use my phone, so I'm not worried about it.
@HighestRanked2
It's Apple's fault for not expanding beyond their own hardware and AT&T.
@The Advanced Kind
... minus 1.7 first.
@Mikeserena
Look who's complaining? You know you have a serious problem when you point out other people's "problem" and you are doing the exact same thing. Talking about a waist of bandwidth.
@Juggernaut408
Er ... 3 million sold ?
And Mr. Jobs saying that "no one would buy a bigger phone", has he consulted the 1 million Galaxy S sold mark yet ?
@The Advanced Kind hahahah ur funny. so the ONE iphone is almost selling as much of the dozen android phones? thats what i call an EpicDissFail
@techlord
iHaters envy doesn't amount to spit. Trying to take down Apple would be like pissing into a gale force headwind. All the iHaters will get is urine in their own faces. Apple is no BP. No livelihoods were lost and no wildlife was killed. Consumers will continue to give Apple their money to buy more iPhone 4s. Apple wins, Google loses. Antennagate has been left behind and Apple will continue to charge forward.
@benthe1 Number one, If you open you're eyes and read my post again, you'll see that I didn't complain or cut down any other brand of phone, read my past posts, I make a point not to cut down other peoples phones, It's pathetic that people come on here and say that all iPhone 4s suffer from the antenna issue when almost everyone that's owns one does NOT have a problem.
@The Advanced Kind Well iPhone 4 is the most suggestful phone launch and don't forget 3GS sales and 3G and 2g activations if ulu wanna say android sales android hase like 20 phones and the iPhone 4 is still more 75% of those sales alone ;)
@The Advanced Kind Red herring. This is about iPhone sales. Not iOS vs. Android installed base.
damn.
Great, they have sold a lot of defective phones. Only Apple could pull off bragging about this.
Uh, isn't this is the live blog? I am going to write my congressman and get a law passed on the limit of apple articles that repeat exact information within a 24 hour period.
I'm 95% confident that Steve Jobs will avoid any and all issues associated with the iPhone 4.
Is that iPhones sold, or claimants named?
fix it
It's hard out here for a pimp! - Steve.
Impressive number especially considering all the negative press surrounding the phone.
GO FROYO
3 million suckers drank some kool-aid.Just goes to show when its rushed what can happen. You would of thought the guy in the bar would of noticed it before he "lost" it. I hope they fix it soon.
@ZeitgeistXiii He wouldn't have noticed the antenna issue since it was in a faux 3G case to disguise it.
@liquidkernel Ahh well they should just stick to reskinning cars then for development. lol
surprise surprise /s
That's 3000000 iPhones I hope they recall =D
@Cesarcerros You can keep hoping, but there's no way Apple is realistically doing that.
@Cesarcerros
A recall is for a dangerous product. Not one that can be fixed with a slight modification (ie a case or software fix). There already is a voluntary recall policy: Bring it back to the store!
3 million recalls and counting.
@BerkleyBerkley2011
LOL, you said it.
And only 1.7 percent returned? mmm
There are a lot of iphone 4 users which will not let their phones although there were a problem
Apple BS/PR machine is in full swing
SUCH BS! .55% Calls about dropped calls etc.... Thats because its a KNOWN issue and everyone is waiting for a fix. They KNOW a call to Tech support wont help so why would they bother calling. Nice way to mask your BS Apple.
3 million phones to be recalled and counting...
Don't worry Steve. Your return rate will go up straight, starting from TODAY.
1 of 5...waiting on the rest of the posts that have already been covered by the press conference.
Note we are talking worldwide and not really in hands of consumers, but unit bought by non-Apple entities (including the Apple stores):
that 1.7% is 51000, or basically imagine the entire US-only launch of the EVO consumers returning their phones.
It fun to PLAY with numbers. Apple knows it.
@recharged95
"Note we are talking worldwide and not really in hands of consumers, but unit bought by non-Apple entities (including the Apple stores):"
Nope. Sales are retail sales only, not distributions. It may include units at Best Buy, but since they're all out of stock, it doesn't really matter.
"that 1.7% is 51000, or basically imagine the entire US-only launch of the EVO consumers returning their phones."
And you think the takeaway fact from that statement is that Apple is playing with numbers--not that every single Evo could be returned, and it would still just be less than 1/50 of iPhone sales? 1.7% is not a high return rate for consumer products, even if every single person returned it because of the antenna (which is probably less than the number returning it after receiving an AT&T bill).