Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) said it sold a total of 13 million iPhone 6s and 6s Plus phones during the first three days that the devices were available. The numbers point to continuing demand for Apple's news phones, noteworthy considering this year is an "s" year for Apple, where the company issued improvements to its existing iPhone models rather than an overhauled design.
 |
|
Click here for Apple's quarterly iPhone and iPad sales since 2007. |
"Sales for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus have been phenomenal, blowing past any previous first weekend sales results in Apple's history," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "Customers' feedback is incredible and they are loving 3D Touch and Live Photos, and we can't wait to bring iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus to customers in even more countries on October 9."
Apple's iPhone 6s and 6s Plus are currently on sale in 12 countries including the United States, China and elsewhere. The company said the phones will be available in more than 40 additional countries beginning Oct. 9, including Italy, Mexico, Russia, Spain and Taiwan, and then in 130 countries by the end of the year.
The company said all iPhone sales through Sept. 26 will be included in Apple's 2015 fourth fiscal quarter results, and sales thereafter will be included in its 2016 first fiscal quarter results.
As BTIG analyst Walter Piecyk pointed out, Apple has posted increasing sales on each of its iPhone launch weekends. Last year, the company said it sold 10 million new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models on the first weekend of those gadgets' availability -- that was up from 9 million units of the iPhone 5s and 5c during the comparable period the year prior. And that was a big jump from the 5 million first-weekend sales Apple announced of the iPhone 5.
This year's numbers were undoubtedly aided by the addition of China to Apple's initial launch markets. Last year, Apple kicked off iPhone sales in China weeks after the gadget went on sale in the United States, Europe and elsewhere. China is the world's largest cellphone market, and is set to eclipse the United States as Apple's biggest iPhone market.
Apple unveiled its new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus phones earlier this month. The gadgets sport the same external design as the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, but boast Apple's 3D Touch that "senses force to enable intuitive new ways to access features and interact with content." The devices also sport Retina HD displays, 7000 series aluminum, and 12-megapixel cameras. Importantly, the phones support fully 23 bands of LTE, including the 700 MHz band 12 that T-Mobile US is using and Sprint's 2.5 GHz carrier aggregation.
In the United States, Apple's iPhones are enjoying significant promotions by the nation's top wireless carriers. For example, Verizon Wireless (NYSE: VZ) said that customers will be eligible to get a new iPhone every year if they purchase the iPhone 6s or 6s Plus through Verizon's new "Device Payment" equipment installment plan, which requires monthly device payments that start at $27.08 per month for the 16 GB iPhone 6s.
And Sprint is hoping to generate momentum with its own iPhone promotion: The carrier is offering a 16 GB iPhone 6s for $1 per month in leasing payments and a 16 GB iPhone 6s Plus for $5 per month with the trade-in of an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus.
In its most recent quarter, Apple said it shipped 47.4 million iPhones, a figure slightly below what some analysts had expected. However, the company's quarterly profit jumped 38 percent, slightly more than analysts had expected.
For more:
- see this Apple release
Related articles:
Apple's iPhone 6s, 6s Plus go on sale as Verizon looks to match Sprint, T-Mobile offers
T-Mobile offers iPhone 6s for as low as $5/month in device payments if customers trade in an iPhone 6
Apple's iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus to support T-Mobile's 700 MHz band 12, Sprint's 2.5 GHz carrier aggregation and more