Apple sells more than 10 m new iPhones in first 3 days
Wednesday, 24 September 2014 00:00
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REUTERS: Apple Inc said it sold more than 10 million iPhones in the first weekend after its new models went on sale on Friday, underscoring strong demand for phones with larger displays.
Chief Executive Tim Cook said the company could have sold even more iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus models if supplies had been available.
Analysts had estimated first-weekend sales of up to 10 million iPhones, after Apple booked record pre-orders of four million on 12 September, the day pre-orders opened.
Apple’s shares were little changed at $ 100.98 in afternoon trading on the Nasdaq on Monday.
The company’s first-quarter revenue is likely to be 9% higher than Wall Street estimates, based on reported sales and projected demand for the new iPhones, Piper Jaffray & Co analyst Gene Munster wrote in a note.
Munster said he expected earnings per share to be 12% higher than estimates.
“Despite the supply chain constraints around the iPhone 6 Plus and tightness around certain models of the iPhone 6, we believe (Monday’s) strong print demonstrates that Apple executed extremely well in the face of severe supply constraints,” Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Brian White wrote in a note.
First-day pre-orders for the new phones, which went on sale in 10 countries, far surpassed the two million recorded for the iPhone 5 model two years ago.
“While our team managed the manufacturing ramp better than ever before, we could have sold many more iPhones with greater supply and we are working hard to fill orders as quickly as possible,” Cook said in a statement.
Apple sold nine million iPhone 5S and 5C models last year in 11 countries, including China, in the first weekend they were available.
