Report: 500 000 iPhones sold on first weekend
Apple and AT&T sold about 500 000 iPhones over the weekend, according to a report from research firm Piper Jaffray.
The phones, which include a fully integrated web browser and digital media player, went on sale on Friday night following months of excitement.
Controlled via an innovative touch-screen rather than a keypad, the iPhone has been hailed as the future of cellphones. But many customers reported long delays in activating their new gadgets.
Piper Jaffray’s estimate indicated higher-than-expected demand. The company had predicted that about 200 000 iPhones would be sold over the debut weekend.
But Apple and its network partner, AT&T, seemed to have done a better job gauging the demand. Though supplies were limited at some AT&T stores, Apple had iPhones available in each one of its stores on Saturday, and in 84% of its stores Sunday, the report said.
According to the study, 95% of iPhone buyers in San Francisco, New York and Minneapolis purchased the 8GB model for $599, rather than the lower capacity 4GB model for $499.
Industry analysts expect the first iPhone to continue selling quickly, with predictions that Apple and AT&T could shift about three million handsets within the first weeks. Apple itself is hoping to sell 10-million units by the end of 2008, giving it 1% of the total cellphone market.
The iPhone is expected to go on sale in Europe later this year and in Asia in 2008.—Sapa-dpa
