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Has Apple sold its 500 millionth iPhone?
It appears that Apple may have recently sold its 500 millionth iPhone. News of the milestone, which will likely be touted by Apple during their next earnings report in April, was first noticed by Forbes earlier this week. Here's how the data all comes together. At the beginning of Apple's most recent quarter, the company had already sold 472 million iPhones. Using Apple's Q2 of 2013 as a barometer, we find that Apple during the March 2013 quarter sold 37.4 million iPhones. That's about 415,555.55 iPhones sold every single day. To get to 500 million, Apple needed 28 million in iPhone sales beginning in January. Employing some basic arithmetic (28 million/415,555), and assuming that the iPhone sell through rate remains constant throughout the quarter, we see that Apple would need just 67.37 days to reach the 500 million iPhone mark. That would mean that the milestone likely occurred on or around March 7. So even if iPhone sales this quarter were slightly lower than they were during the same quarter a year-ago, it still stands to reason that Apple, as of March 26, will have already sold its 500 millionth iPhone. Note that even if iPhone sales this quarter come in 10% lower than they were last year, the 500 millionth iPhone would have been sold by March 15. That's certainly impressive considering that Jobs, when introducing the original iPhone, said that Apple's 2008 goal was simply to sell 10 million units. As a final note, Forbes also put together this handy chart mapping the iPhone's impressive growth over the past few years.
78% of new iPhones sold globally are iPhone 5s models
For all of the publicity that swirled around the less expensive and more colorful iPhone 5c, the reality is that the new iPhone 5s is the top dog in worldwide sales. That's the report from Localytics, a firm that analyzes mobile stats. In the data analysis that started Friday and ended yesterday, Localytics saw that despite some expectation that the iPhone 5c would fit perfectly with Chinese consumers, the fact is that 91 percent of iPhone sales there were for the more expensive iPhone 5s. Numbers were pretty similar around the world, with the UK having the lowest ratio of iPhone 5s to iPhone 5c sales, with "only" 69 percent of new iPhone sales being for the 5s. Here in the US, 76 percent of new iPhone sales were for the 5s. One possible explanation is the sale of the gold-colored iPhone 5s. The gold color has been a terrific seller in China and the rest of Asia, while black or white phones are less popular. Globally, the iPhone 5s accounted for 78 percent of new iPhones purchased. The US has the highest concentration of new iPhone sales, with 68 percent of iPhone 5s and 5c devices. Japan is next with 13 percent. Sales of both new iPhones were robust, to say the least, with Apple selling 9 million over the weekend.
AT&T activates 1 million iPhone 4S handsets
Continuing in the vein of record iPhone launches stories, AT&T has announced it has activated more than 1 million iPhone 4S handsets as of Tuesday. They say that makes it the most successful launch in the company's history, which might explain why some customers experienced activation delays on day one. AT&T is so pleased with the result, it has put together a little video with AT&T staff and customers saying how much they love the iPhone on AT&T. If you're a user of the carrier, you may feel a pang of pride! Meanwhile, Sprint realized its best ever single-day sales on iPhone 4S launch day and Apple sold 4 million units within the 72 hours of availability. For a phone that's not the iPhone 5, the iPhone 4S is causing quite a stir!
Android is taking the smartphone market, but don't panic just yet
To read all the latest internet posts, the iPhone is all but dead, succumbing to the onslaught of Android phones being bought by customers in massive numbers. ComScore, who watches mobile use very carefully, pretty much says Android is rapidly eating away at the iPhone market share. It's enough to make an Apple stockholder or fan weep, or at least get a bit nervous. The problem is, it's all a bit over-hyped. In a Fortune column today, the numbers get a bit of welcome perspective. While Android phones are doing very well, with market share up 5% in the three month period ending July 31 from the previous three months. Meanwhile Apple is down 1.3%, but the numbers don't tell the whole story. First, the iPhone sold out on the U.S. launch day on June 24, and has been in short supply ever since. Of course that means that the iPhone wasn't even on sale for all of May and most of June. Further, since everyone and their cousin Clem knew a that a fresh iPhone model was coming out, it also likely suppressed sales. Will Android eventually be the number one smartphone? Good chance. Suppliers and carriers get the OS for free, it's a good phone with a vibrant app store and an increasing loyal user base. It's not such good news for RIM and Microsoft, but who knows what the future might bring. It's just that the shovels are getting deployed just a bit early to bury the iPhone, and Apple continues to be innovative and responsive to the competition, which is good for all smartphone users.
Android OS pulls ahead of Apple in smartphone market
It's not a stunning surprise, but the Android OS has knocked Apple out of the number 2 slot and slid just behind RIM. Market Researcher NPD says first quarter sales give RIM (Blackberry) 36% of OS sales. Android has 28% while Apple has 21%. These percentages are only smartphone numbers and do not include the iPod touch. NPD says that the Droid, Droid Eris and Blackberry Curve are flying off the shelves, largely because of a 2-for-1 sale at Verizon. At the same time, customers are hesitant to buy iPhones with a new model rumored to be available soon. The NPD Group compiles and analyzes mobile device sales data based on more than 150,000 completed online consumer research surveys each month. Surveys are based on a nationally-balanced and demographically-representative sample, and results are projected to represent the entire population of US consumers. Note: Sales figures do not include corporate/enterprise mobile phone sales. This is a good wake-up call for Apple, and things may change when the new iPhone with OS 4.0 ships, most likely in June. Apple shouldn't get too comfortable, as HP may be doing some interesting things with Palm, and later this year the Windows Phone 7 will arrive with a highly-motivated Microsoft behind it. Ultimately, competition is good for everyone, and iPhone owners can expect to see better phones and features as Apple continues to see it does not have the smartphone market to itself. It might also help Apple in any pending antitrust case.
AT&T suspends online iPhone sales in New York City, reasons still unclear
Here's a Sunday night conundrum for you: it's no longer possible to purchase an iPhone from AT&T's online store if you live in New York City, and as of right now, the carrier isn't saying why. Making matters worse, some online customer service reps have apparently gone rogue in providing explanations to curious would-be customers and the occasional inquisitive blogger -- the Consumerist was told that NYC wasn't "ready for the iPhone," and a few others (including us) were fed a line about credit card fraud causing a ban on online sales. The fraud explanation would actually make sense, considering NYC-area Apple and AT&T stores all have the phone in stock and are happily selling them, but Ma Bell still hasn't put this story to bed with an official explanation -- all we've heard so far is the charmingly generic "We periodically modify our promotions and distribution channels." Way to quell a fire with the gasoline of ambiguity, friends. Anyway, if you want an iPhone in New York City right this instant, you should start walking to the 24-hour Fifth Avenue Apple Store, taking the opportunity to assess your priorities and fundamental sense of purpose along the way. The rest of us will continue spending a reasonable percentage of our income on housing. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
iPhone controls 46% of Japanese smartphone market
Impress Corporation of Japan is reporting that Apple now controls almost half the smartphone market in Japan with over 3 million iPhones sold to date. Keep in mind, it has taken the iPhone little more than a year to accomplish this. Impress reasons that the major shift towards the iPhone is because of its ease of use and the Japanese App Store. About 77 percent of iPhone 3GS owners use a half-hour's worth of data per day while Android and iPhone 3G users are neck and neck at 66 percent using data for half an hour a day. Apple is having incredible success in other Asian markets as well. While the iPhone took a lot of slack from the press during its initial Chinese launch, it is picking up steam there, with China Unicom now saying the iPhone "Will become China's best-selling smart phone." In South Korea, where 90,000 iPhones have already been sold in less than three weeks, 700,000 are expected to be sold in 2010. With all this success, no wonder Apple is expected to sell 10 million iPhones this quarter. The question is, where will the iPhone dominate next? And at whose expense?
China Unicom's dismal iPhone sales
Two weeks into official iPhone sales, China Unicom has sold only 5 units* through the online retailer Taobao.com according to PCWorld. China Unicom sells iPhones through its own site, but doesn't share sales figures. Still, PCWorld reports, Taobao.com is the country's largest e-commerce site, and has a large iPhone section. What could account for the poor performance? The Golden Shield Project for one, which (among other things) prevents the sale of iPhones with Wi-Fi enabled. iPhones purchased outside of China do have Wi-Fi, of course. Another factor could be China's bustling black market. Despite the recent official release, the iPhone has been available in China for quite some time now. AppleInsider estimates that nearly 2 million iPhones are already circulating China, most of them jailbroken. Cost is another factor. For example, a contract-free 32GB iPhone 3GS costs 6,999 yuan (approximately US$1,024 as of this writing) in China, compared to about US$800 in Hong Kong. The news isn't all gloom-and-doom, however. AppleInsider reports that those who do purchase iPhones legitimately are flocking to the App Store. Still, the problem of getting more official iPhones into the hands of Chinese customers remains. *As of Dec. 3rd, 2009.
App Store performing well in China despite hindrances
Last August, China Unicom Ltd (CHU) announced a 3-year partnership to officially bring the iPhone to China. As predicted in July, the CHU's iPhone is sold with Wi-Fi disabled, in accordance with the Golden Shield Project. Additionally, 3GS hardware is still unavailable in China. Despite these hindrances, handset and App Store sales have been doing well, AppleInsider reports. It's estimated that $1 million in legitimate app sales have been made this year, with a little over a month-and-a-half left in the quarter. Black market phones are a huge problem in China, and it's been estimated nearly 2 million are in circulation, most of them jailbroken and running pirated apps. Apple hopes to sell 500,000 iPhones in China by the year's end. Next year looks brighter: Wi-Fi regulations were relaxed back in May, and CHU hopes to have a Wi-Fi enabled model available soon. [Via AppleInsider]
3GS shortages expected overseas due to demand
It's like Econ 101 with the iPhone lately, says our old friend Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster. Demand is high, supplies are low, and so shortages are apparently expected. Especially in international markets, there just aren't enough iPhones to go around -- Munster cites a fellow analyst's report that 3 Italia, the Italian company charged with selling Apple's smartphone in that country, is selling 20K iPhones, but could be selling many more if they had the stock to do so. Of course, they probably don't need to -- iPhone sales are already holding the company up above expectations, and Apple may even be figuring that a little demand never hurt anybody. Why sell a ton of phones when you're already selling more than you expected to? I doubt it's as mysterious as that (they probably expected to sell a certain number and it turns out there are more iPhone fans than they counted on overseas), but even if shortages happen, no one's going to be second guessing Apple's strategy. As far as straight results go for the iPhone, they haven't done anything wrong yet. [via 9to5Mac]
iPhone 3GS ranked #1 in cellphone sales in Japan... for now.
TG Daily (via Fortune) is reporting that Japanese market research company BCN's latest rankings of cellphone sales in Japan are showing that Apple's smartphone is the the current market leader in that country.I did a quick check at BCN this afternoon while writing this post, and the iPhone 3GS 32GB is listed in first place in sales (see screenshot at right), with the iPhone 3GS 16GB in second place. The 3GS was just introduced in Japan on June 26th, and the sales figures are from the week of June 22 - 28. BCN's source of data includes point-of-sale information from many of Japan's largest electronics retailers, including Amazon Japan, Eiden, Bic Camera, K's Denki, and Best Denki. Akky Akimoto at Asiajin is providing some perspective on the numbers. It's not unusual for a new phone to jump to the top of the list as it is released. As he notes, the Sony Network Walkman was #1 in the BCN ranking of music players at one time in 2005, but for the complete year, Apple iPod had a 60% share of the Japanese market.Still, this is good news for Apple, and as Mr. Akimoto says, "Becoming No. 1 even for a week is better than never being No. 1..."
iPhones still selling like hotcakes?
Despite the notable backlash at some of Apple's questionably-nefarious corporate agendas recently, Blackfriars' Marketing blog notes that iPhones are still selling rather well - and that stock is low in a dozen or so stores. GigaOM is also reporting people are causing noticeable queues at silly hours of the day at the twenty-four hour Fifth Avenue store, just to buy handsets.Of course, the mass-buying could be purely down to people buying plenty of handsets to hack, brick, and re-lock to try and score a feature on Joy of Tech, but the reasons from Blackfriars seem to be slightly more business-orientated. Demand for the iPhone elsewhere in the world - particularly Europe, despite the fact there's now a launch date and pricing for at least some European territories - is clearly a tempting proposition for people looking to make a tidy profit from sending iPhones abroad, and plenty seem to be doing so.Thanks, Mike.
iPhone was the best selling smartphone in July
Numbers released by iSuppli show that the iPhone outsold all smartphones in the month of July. Further, it outsold all "feature phones" with the exception of the LG Chocolate (which it tied). All told the iPhone represented 1.8% of handsets sold in the US in July. The numbers breakdown also show that 25% of iPhone buyers switched to AT&T. Based on these numbers iSuppli estimated that Apple will move 4.5m this year and (somehow) estimates worldwide shipments of 30m by 2011. In any case, it's abundantly clear that the iPhone is well on it's way to being a major success in the most profitable part of the market. Of course, it's hard to know how well the sales numbers will hold up once the initial rush has passed, but if Apple continues its iPod trend of improving features and lowering prices I suspect we'll be talking about amazing iPhone numbers for quite some time to come.[via electronista]
