APPLE CRUSHES EXPECTATIONS, SELLS 9 MILLION IPHONES OVER THE OPENING WEEKEND

Business Insider ^ | 09/23/2013 | Jay Yarow

[SeekAndFind]

Apple announced that it sold over 9 million iPhones during the opening weekend of sales. This is much better than analysts expected. Analysts were forecasting 5 million at the low end, and 7.75 million at the high end.

The stock is up ~6% on the news.

Last year Apple sold 5 million iPhone 5s during the opening weekend, so this is a huge increase.

The new iPhone drew huge, enthusiastic crowds and long lines when it was released last Friday, despite the fact that there were no external changes to the device. Part of the reason there were big lines is that the company didn't allow pre-orders of the new iPhone 5S. Another part of the reason: People like iPhones.

Apple is mostly sold out of the iPhone 5S, which suggests this number would have been even higher if Apple had enough phones in stock.

Apple's 9 million units include both iPhone 5S and iPhone 5Cs. Apple didn't break out how many units of the iPhone 5S it sold or how many iPhone 5Cs it sold. Total iPhone sales were likely boosted by the new 5C model, which didn't exist last year.

[ken5050]

I’m curious..what happens to all the old ones? I know there’s a secondary market...does this huge glut drop the price..

[Just mythoughts]

http://www.macrumors.com/2013/09/22/chaos-computer-club-bypasses-apples-touch-id-system/

“Chaos Computer Club Bypasses Apple’s Touch ID System (with copy of original fingerprint)”

[HamiltonJay]

This is THE differentiating factor between Droid and iPhone. I develop for both platforms, and while the developer in me LOVES droid, because it is wide open and I can pretty much do almost anything I want to on them... From a user side of things, Apple blows every Droid ever made out of the water and yes that includes the S4.

From a developer side as well, while apple can frustrate me to no end with how they just arbitrarily change things because they control the entire stack, I also know that my code is going to work once its out the door... where Droid will always have some crap cheap phone out there, or even expensive one, where the manufacturer tweaked something that causes apps written 100% in compliance with the OS core to not work on that device.

Apple’s differentiator is simply this, the products work.

[HamiltonJay]

Well since the 5S sold out, the 5C numbers are probably inflated, in fact if you go to apple.com right now they are promoting the 5C because they are out of stock on the 5S... so they are now in the make something rather than nothing mode.... It is odd to see the secondary device taking the spotlight, but since the 5S is sold out what choice do they have.

9 Million units in a weekend, truly amazing. I upgraded last year from a 3G to the 5, so I really have no desire to go to the 5S though a faster processor is nice and as a develper playing around with the fingerprint stuff can be interesting, and I like what the fingerprint stuff could mean for mobile ecommerce, so getting up to speed on that front I could justify and expense the 5S if I really wanted to, but will just wait until next upgrade cycle... but I will likely buy the new iPad when they come out next month.

[jettester]

Lemmings.

[Resolute Conservative]

Just the opposite, I have had 2 iPhones and switched to a LG Optimus G Pro (Android). Ten times better.

[justlurking]

Well since the 5S sold out, the 5C numbers are probably inflated, in fact if you go to apple.com right now they are promoting the 5C because they are out of stock on the 5S...

This blog claims the 5S outsold the 5C by 3.4X this weekend:

iPhone 5s Outsells 5c by a Factor of 3.4x in the United States Opening Weekend

In less than 3 days, the iPhone 5s and 5c combined now represent about 1.36% of the total numbers of all iPhones activated in the U.S. market across the top 4 carriers AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint and T-Mobile. From the data we are seeing, 1.05% of all iPhones in the United States are now iPhone 5s and just 0.31% are iPhone 5c. That means that the iPhone 5s outshines the 5c by a factor of 3.4x, a clear indicator that the early adopters are favoring the high-end 5s compared to 5c.

They don't describe their methodology, but they operate a service that monitors application usage for their clients I presume they are compiling information from data they already gather for their clients.

[justlurking]

Lots of them go on the market as "refurbished".

I usually resell mine to Gazelle.

[staytrue]

apple’s largest shareholders (yes it is that Al gore)

LEVINSON ARTHUR D

162,199

Feb 1, 2013

COOK TIMOTHY D

87,316

Aug 24, 2013

MANSFIELD ROBERT L

49,543

Jun 21, 2013

GORE ALBERT JR

61,961

Feb 1, 2013

FEDERIGHI CRAIG

24,303

Sep 15, 2013

[BRK]

The 5c was no bargain. I ordered a 5s for my wife’s birthday.

Bryan

[staytrue]

the good news is the saudi prince who used to own 5% of apple sold his stake too early

from: Wiki
Al Waleed’s stake in Apple was sold in 2005.[10]

[Sans-Culotte]

I have never understood the need iPhone users have to upgrade their phones every time a new one comes out; let alone the need to stand in line overnight to get them on the day of release. What is the attraction to the newest model? I’m still using an Android I’ve had for over a year, and I have not felt the need to upgrade my iPad 1.

[justlurking]

The 5c was no bargain.

I agree. If it had been $200 less than a similar 5S, I think it would have been more interesting, at least in the US.

But, I think Apple may have missed a big opportunity in developing countries like India and China by pricing the 5C out of those markets.

[John O]

I’m confused. Does this thing make phone calls that much better than the previous version (or than any other version) that it is worth people spending that much money on it?

[justlurking]

Does this thing make phone calls that much better than the previous version (or than any other version) that it is worth people spending that much money on it?

Making phone calls just barely the most popular single activity on a smart phone:

Not just for talking, smartphones are hubs

Of an average 114 minutes per day using a smart phone:

1. 23 minutes talking
2. 20 minutes texting
3. 18 minutes emailing
4. 16 minutes surfing the web
5. 11 minutes on social networks

If you were keeping score, that adds up to 88 minutes, leaving 36 minutes for things like:

• Navigating
• Taking photos or videos
• Playing games
• Checking the weather

Add all the activities requiring a data connection, and phone calls fall into a distant second place. And faster data connection usually mean a better experience. Both the 5C and 5S support more LTE bands, which means they can use LTE in more locations.

The 5S has a better camera, and better flash. The new CPU and graphics processor are each about twice as fast in the 5S, compared to the previous version.

If you are just using a smart phone for making phone calls, you are wasting your money.

[TexasKate]

Apple has always geared their products towards the more affluent buyer because they will continue to buy their new products. That’t always been their business model. I bought a Galaxy S4 and I can’t wait til the 5’s are reduced so I can trade in this S4 for iphone 5. No comparison-I’ll never buy anything again except iphones

[rwfromkansas]

I did have an old Droid phone, so it is possible the newer versions are improved and run find now. Haven’t used one lately.

[rwfromkansas]

As an aside, I have an app idea but frankly I don’t have any idea how to code. Is there any WYSIWYG apps or sites that can design the whole app? From what I have seen, all I have seen are ones that just design the look.

Wish I had coding skills, for it looks like hiring a professional could cost thousands.

[rwfromkansas]

Oh, and I did like the free nature of the Androids as well....rooting and such was pretty cool.

But, it wasn’t necessary, and I would much rather have a phone that just works even with a closed ecosystem.

[rwfromkansas]

Good question...not sure myself.