Another iPhone launch has generated another record. Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) said it has sold more than 10 million units of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus after the gadgets' debut sales weekend, surpassing the 9 million units Apple sold last year during the opening weekend of the iPhone 5s and 5c.
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Just like last year, Apple did not provide a sales breakdown between the two new models, the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus. Apple sold 5 million units of the iPhone 5 during the device's opening weekend in 2012.
Pre-orders of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus started Sept. 12 and retail sales began Sept. 19. The new phones were greeted by long lines around the world and the gadgets have received largely positive reviews, though some reviewers have dinged the larger 6 Plus as being too unwieldy.
The phones went on sale first in the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the United Kingdom starting Sept. 19, and beginning on Sept 26 the phones will be available in 22 additional countries--Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
Apple said it expects the new iPhones to be available in 115 countries by the end of the year. Crucially, the new phones are not yet available--at least legally--in China, the world's largest smartphone market. The phones have not yet received the proper certifications from China's communications regulators, and Apple has not said when they will become available there. That has led some gray market electronics retailers to sell smuggled new iPhones in the Chinese mainland for $2,000 to $3,000, well above market prices.
In the U.S., the iPhone 6 costs $199 for the 16 GB model, $299 for the 64 GB model and $399 for the 128 GB model, all with a two-year contract. The larger 6 Plus costs $100 more than the iPhone 6, starting $299 for 16 GB model, $399 for the 64 GB model and $499 for the 128 GB model, all with a two-year contract.
In a research note, Wells Fargo Securities analysts Maynard Um, Munjal Shah and Santosh Sankar wrote that Apple's opening weekend sales were "generally in line with our expectations." They wrote that they expect Apple to sell around 37 million to 38 million iPhones in its September quarter, which would be up from 33.8 million in the year-ago quarter. The analysts wrote that they think Apple's manufacturing partners can produce 70 million new iPhone units by the end of 2014.
They added: "While we expect strong iPhone demand to continue through the holiday season, if consumers are holding back for the iPhone 6 Plus, which seems supply constrained, it could potentially affect overall units."
For more:
- see this release
- see this The Verge article
- see this CNET article
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