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Estimates of 500K iPhone 3G S weekend sales too low by half

It's a good thing Gene Munster shaded his anticipatory numbers a bit over the weekend, otherwise he'd be in the market for a new crystal ball. As mentioned yesterday, the signs were pointing to a bigger opening weekend for the latest handset from Apple, and the results did not disappoint: in a company press release this morning, Apple announced sales of 'over a million' iPhone 3G S units through Sunday 6/21. Also noted in the brief release were the six million downloads of the iPhone 3.0 software update; no details on the number of iPod touch users who have also updated.

In addition to the raw number -- impressive enough -- there are two other tidbits in this release that bear mentioning. One, it's got a quote from Steve Jobs; this reinforces the notion that El Jefe Esteban is on his way back to the iCEO seat on a more active basis, as reported in the Wall Street Journal on Friday. Two, it looks like bloggers and journalists aren't the only ones having a problem with the odd spacing on Apple's latest product name; the press release repeatedly refers to the new phone as the "iPhone 3GS." We feel your pain.

[via AllThingsD]

It's a good thing Gene Munster shaded his anticipatory numbers a bit over the weekend, otherwise he'd be in the market for a new crystal...
 

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Rob

It is amazing considering there are many more (myself included) that would love to have the iPhone but aren't willing to go to a third rate network like AT&T to get it. You want to see staggering numbers? Watch how big it gets when it finally comes to Verizon (after LTE is in place in 2011).

June 24 2009 at 12:36 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Liam Cole

I agree, I
know many people who currently have iPhone 3G's and are refusing to get the 3G S because of 02's stupid upgrade plan!
I'm just giving my 3G to my dad and buying the new one on pay and go so I can sell it and upgrade whenever I want next year without any carriers screwing me around.

June 22 2009 at 7:48 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
tekkenshihan

What the heck is so hard about properly labeling the iPhone

iPhone 3G [S]

Problem solved. Mimics the square around the S that appears in all the marketing graphics. And personally, I think it's the way people should have been typing it from the beginning.

God, everyone makes crap 10 times more complicated for no reason.

June 22 2009 at 3:33 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to tekkenshihan's comment
Kevin

I looked at Apple's website, and except in the logo they refer to the phone as the iPhone 3G S.

As in:

iPhone 3G S Guided Tour

That is uncomplicated enough for me.

June 22 2009 at 5:40 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Alejandro el Grande


not only are bloggers and journalists confused, apparently Apple is
also...

case in point, check out the iPhone 3GS press promo page:

http://www.apple.com/pr/products/iphone/iphone.html

June 22 2009 at 3:19 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
storr

Amazing... I work at a restaurant and I watched a man at a table pull out his iphone and talk about how cool it is (not knowing about the 3.0 update) then continued to talk about how he and his whole family would be in the tropics for a month long vacation... and he barely tipped my table.
People are complaining about the economy and it's people like me with no stocks or retirement plan that are suffering because of the greed that consumes the top 2% of the world. I hope your iPhone is nice... I'm struggling to work my way through college.

June 22 2009 at 1:45 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to storr's comment
Kevin

Thanks, I really do like my iPhone. I remember struggling to get through college, and barely being able to afford rent and food.

But it's worth it.

Once you're out, and have a good paying job (the recession won't last forever), you'll probably find yourself indulging in little luxuries like smart phones, that you can't (and shouldn't try to) have now.

Just remember to tip. Not all people with gadgets are jerks.

June 22 2009 at 1:58 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Bryan

The lines at the apple stores were much smaller this time. I have a feeling ALOT of people opted for UPS like i did.

June 22 2009 at 12:45 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Chris

It just goes to show that love or hate Apple, they know how to make, market, and sell you practically the same product with slightly better specs and a few new features. I'll stick with my 3G for now but I still have to give Apple its props for pushing 1 million in 3 days. Good work!

June 22 2009 at 10:44 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Chris's comment
Kai Cherry

"Slightly Better" specs? :)

A whole generation up cpu and gpu, clocked faster, is "slightly better" now?

Interesting, indeed :)

-K

June 22 2009 at 12:39 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
wengleung

At this rate... the iPhone will take over the worlds of developed nations very soon...

June 22 2009 at 10:13 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
oliver.pospisil

Indeed that was jump start. Where are the killers?

June 22 2009 at 10:02 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Flanagan

Palm Pre: 50,000-100,000 units sold over the first week, a record for Sprint. (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124447397245194429.html)
TMobile G1: 1 million units sold over 6 months, Oct 22, 2008 - April 23, 2009 (http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2009/04/tmobile_usa_and_1.html)

It took Apple 74 days to reach 1 million sales of the original iPhone (http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2007/09/10iphone.html). It simply boggles the mind that Apple can sell that many of the 3G S in 3 days.

June 22 2009 at 9:37 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to Flanagan's comment
Kevin

I agree completely.

I figured that since I was sitting this upgrade out, a lot of other people were, too.

The iPhone continues to be a phenomenon.

We fanbois are in the minority. The general public has decided that iPhone is the platform for them.

All the nitpicks: "We should be able to tether for free...Why would I want a stupid compass? ... It should have had a compass from day one. FAIL!", trampled under the tide (mixing metaphors) of consumer demand.

I imagine many of the buyers are repeat buyers, upgrading their first gen iPhones, or power users of the 3G whose monthly bills are high enough for AT&T to give them upgrade pricing, or ineligible 3G owners who are willing to pay extra to upgrade early (as I might have done in less frightening economic times). But I bet their old iPhones are going to relatives, or Ebay, or somewhere else where they will be still in use. My sister's boyfriend has offered his to my brother. My sister-in-law already has one of my hand-me-down iPhones.

There will be iPhones everywhere you go. You won't be able to get away from them.

At this rate, pretty soon the only person without an iPhone will be the POTUS.

I love it!

June 22 2009 at 10:12 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Mike

The 3G S is available in many more markets than the original iPhone was when it was first launched. I'm not surprised that it sold more

June 22 2009 at 11:16 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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