The waiting lines for Apple’s iPhone never reached huge lengths, according to reports, and they dissipated rather quickly, leading to speculation if the company would beat some analysts’ projections of selling 400,000 iPhones in the first 48 hours. As well, Apple’s own availability Web page Friday night shows no stores without iPhones. A Fed-Ex delivery to the Palo Alto (N. Calif.) appeared to show somewhat more than 500 iPhones, but only about 424 were on display at the Genius and Studio bars when the store re-opened. Even so, if all of those initial display iPhones were sold in equal numbers among all AT&T and Apple stores, the company would easily surpass the analysts’ forecast. An ample supply would kill the secondary market for iPhones, such as on Craigslist or eBay. Although there were some successful line-sitting deals made, there were others that ended with no money changing hands at all.
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Pretty sure I called this one….
http://www.ifoapplestore.com/2007/06/20/solution-to-iphone-line/#comments
Headline of “First Day Sales Seem Thin” is based on what figures? I believe that if all the stock supplied to the various stores are sold, it comes to almoxt 1 million phones. Is that slim? I was at the Tice’ Corner store and they were selling a lot of two phones per customer sales. At least 60% of the customers were buying.
MacMan:
Well I wouldn’t go so far as to say you “called” this one. you said:
“My prediction: No crowds. No lines. Maybe at a few stores. But I predict most stores will be business as usual.”
Most stores had crowds, lines and sold a ton of iPhones. and it was hardly “business as usual”. So while it may not have been and end-of-the-word event, i would say iPhone is a hit and will continue to be this weekend, and in the coming weeks and months… especially for the Holiday season.
If Apple would have worked with other carriers they would have sold out – The phone is awsome, But limiting to ATT was a mistake – If I could have used with my carrier VZW I would have bought one for sure!
If the iPhone is intended to use the most widespread technology for coverage, WiFi browsing and international travel, it needs to be just what Apple made, GSM and AT&T.It’s just a rude fact of the U.S. mobile market that carriers like contracts. That means you gotta choose one carrier and for international use and broad U.S. coverage, who better than AT&T?
I beg to differ. Every Apple retail employee I know has told me that at their stores, the iPhone line exceeded their store opening and the Tiger launch.
-jcr
I agree with John C here…
Almost all Apple Stores are sold out, there is a 2-3 week wait on the Apple online store, ATT stores are sold out, nearly half a million units sold in one weekend. THAT is a failure? iPhone is the biggest thing to ever come along in the mobile phone market. When was the last time people waited in lines like this for the new Blackberry? Or the latest version of a RAZR? Never, thats when.
And to make the phone and service work well together, Apple needed to pick ONE provider they could work with. If iPhone were opened up to all the providers, it would be a mess. Apple was smart and stuck with one- that way they could make sure the hardware, software and service all worked in harmony… just like the Mac!