AT&T Pre-Announces 'Best-Ever' iPhone Sales in 4Q 2012

[MacRumors]

Ahead of its official earnings release for the fourth quarter of 2012 later this month, AT&T today announced that it sold over 10 million smartphones during the quarter, including "best-ever" sales of both iPhone and Android devices.

"We had another incredible quarter of smartphone sales as the mobile Internet continues to drive strong growth in wireless," said Ralph de la Vega, president and chief executive officer for AT&T Mobility. "These are the industry's most valuable postpaid subscribers with average revenues twice that of non-smartphone subscribers. During the quarter, we averaged more than 110,000 smartphone sales a day as customers flocked to our leading portfolio of the latest Android, Apple and Windows devices.

AT&T's previous best quarter came in the fourth quarter of 2011, when the carrier activated a total of 9.4 million smartphones with 7.6 million of them being iPhones.

Apple is expected to report a strong holiday quarter when it releases its earnings on January 23, buoyed by a full quarter's worth of iPhone 5 sales and fresh updates across much of the rest of its product lineup.

Article Link: AT&T Pre-Announces 'Best-Ever' iPhone Sales in 4Q 2012

[Joe-Diver]

Yay! Go iPhone sales! It'll be interesting to see how many of these smartphone sales are the i5.

[newdeal]

like most things these days this good news will likely drive Apples stock down LOL

[smitha96]

As the US smartphone market reaches the very beginnings of smartphone saturation, I think we'll see iPhone growth rates around 10-20% domestically and much higher numbers overseas. The iPhone is only on half of the world's wireless cellular providers. It'll be very interesting to see if apple can join with china mobile to tap its 900 million subscribers.

[EbookReader]

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2013/01/...ing-subsidies/
Could Verizon, AT&T Follow T-Mobile in Ending Subsidies?

Last month Deutsche Telekom AG's DTE.XE +0.57% T-Mobile USA said it would completely stop subsidizing phones in 2013, instead offering plans that essentially allow for interest-free financing.

“That is a great thing,” Verizon Communications Inc. VZ +0.88% Chief Executive Lowell McAdam said in an interview at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. He joked that Verizon would support U.S. regulators in banning phone subsidies.

Although he likes the idea of ending subsidies, he questioned whether U.S. customers are ready for that type of shift because they have been conditioned to getting lower-cost phones for so long.

Verizon “could move to that very quickly” if people wanted it, he said.

AT&T T +0.45% Mobility Chief Executive Ralph de la Vega said Monday the company is watching the T-Mobile strategy, and AT&T could make a similar move if it becomes popular, but the company isn’t focused on the issue.



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If T-Mobile is successful with no subsidy strategy, Verizon and AT&T might follow suit?

[iMikeT]

Since AT$T is making money hand over fist with the iPhone, why don't they do something for a change and treat their customers right like giving them the truly unlimited data they are paying for.

----------

Originally Posted by newdeal

like most things these days this good news will likely drive Apples stock down LOL

AAPL was up in the pre-market and opened on session highs yet the gains were cut in half as of now, just a little under 45 minutes since the market opened.

[Eduardo1971]

...and yet I get anywhere between a "'searching' to one or two bars" on my iPhone display since moving into our new condominum. Curse AT&T and their lack of adequate cell towers.

[ArtOfWarfare]

the latest Android, Apple and Windows devices.

I find it a little interesting that they decided to say OS, company and OS.

If they went all OS's, they could say Android, iOS, and Windows devices.

If they went all companies... that becomes a bit confusing with Android... is it Google's? Then why are the Google APIs/SDKs/services separate from the ones for Android?

That's one of the biggest frustrations about trying to develop for Android... no one really controls it firmly enough, so everyone is free to make tweaks to it that makes it so code that run fine on one device completely breaks on all the others.

[orangebluedevil]

Complain about AT&T's service with your wallet, not your mouth. The former actually warrants attention.

[ozziegn]

9.4 million smartphones with 7.6 million of them being iPhones?

gee, I guess the proof's in the pudding. iPhones still outsell Android garbage by far. (at least with AT&T)

[Popeye206]

Impressive market share of sales. Sure to drive the stock down!

[unplugme71]

Originally Posted by iMikeT

Since AT$T is making money hand over fist with the iPhone, why don't they do something for a change and treat their customers right like giving them the truly unlimited data they are paying for.

----------




AAPL was up in the pre-market and opened on session highs yet the gains were cut in half as of now, just a little under 45 minutes since the market opened.

Or at least offer a promo to existing customers like $30 for 5GB with tethering instead of $30 for 3GB without tethering. I know its not a huge difference, but its at least something that is reasonable to AT&T

[samcraig]

Originally Posted by ozziegn

9.4 million smartphones with 7.6 million of them being iPhones?

gee, I guess the proof's in the pudding. iPhones still outsell Android garbage by far. (at least with AT&T)

It means that iPhones outsell Android and Windows phones.

There are several Android phones which are not remotely "garbage"

----------

BTW - the article headline is misleading

We don't know if ATT's iPhone sales for this quarter were best ever for the iPhone - we just know that ATT's smartphone sales were best ever

[malexandria]

Have almost no issues with ATT, but I'm thinking about going with T-Mobile this year because they have unlimited LTE plans.

[JHankwitz]

Originally Posted by EbookReader

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2013/01/...ing-subsidies/
Could Verizon, AT&T Follow T-Mobile in Ending Subsidies?

Last month Deutsche Telekom AG's DTE.XE +0.57% T-Mobile USA said it would completely stop subsidizing phones in 2013, instead offering plans that essentially allow for interest-free financing.

What's the difference between "subsidies" and "interest-free financing"? It would be great if AT&T and Verizon would just have three lines on their bill:
1. Monthly contract fee.
2. Monthly phone subsidy or finance fee.
3. A flate cost/MB data usage fee.

This way, consumers would clearly see what they're paying for.

[MonkeySee....]

Apple are clearly in trouble

[JHankwitz]

Originally Posted by malexandria

Have almost no issues with ATT, but I'm thinking about going with T-Mobile this year because they have unlimited LTE plans.

Great idea if you are in an area serviced by T-Mobile.

[Jaro65]

I remember reading here on MR that at&t store staff was instructed to try to move potential smartphone customers away from iPhone. Doesn't seem to be working all that well.

[rjohnstone]

Originally Posted by ozziegn

9.4 million smartphones with 7.6 million of them being iPhones?

gee, I guess the proof's in the pudding. iPhones still outsell Android garbage by far. (at least with AT&T)

Those are 2011 numbers, not the current ones.
Those won't be released until the 23rd.

[IJ Reilly]

Originally Posted by samcraig

BTW - the article headline is misleading

We don't know if ATT's iPhone sales for this quarter were best ever for the iPhone - we just know that ATT's smartphone sales were best ever

Yup, you beat me to it. It might turn out that AT&T sold more iPhones this quarter than ever, but the plain language of the press release does not say that.

[KdParker]

wow...those are some crazy numbers for activations for iPhones.

[Macboy Pro]

Originally Posted by iMikeT

Since AT$T is making money hand over fist with the iPhone, why don't they do something for a change and treat their customers right like giving them the truly unlimited data they are paying for.

----------




AAPL was up in the pre-market and opened on session highs yet the gains were cut in half as of now, just a little under 45 minutes since the market opened.

Sorry but do they CAP your data? or do they throttle you over a certain amount so that you get what you are paying for with your 2007 unlimited data plan. You are paying for 3G speeds, not LTE. I suggest AT&T let you have 3G unlimited, at the 1mb or less you would have gotten in 2007.

I get 35-40mb/s regularly on AT&T LTE network in Tampa. Should I be allowed unlimited data on the cellular network at that speed. If they did, it would crush the network.

I am flipping sick of clueless people who moan and complain when they can't get stuff for free.

AT&T is clearly investing in faster LTE networks which is not free...

[KdParker]

Originally Posted by rjohnstone

Those are 2011 numbers, not the current ones.
Those won't be released until the 23rd.

Sure, but the numbers are going to be higher, so still good for apple.

[TMar]

Originally Posted by ozziegn

9.4 million smartphones with 7.6 million of them being iPhones?

gee, I guess the proof's in the pudding. iPhones still outsell Android garbage by far. (at least with AT&T)

Reading comprehension isn't your strong suit is it?

[pnoyblazed]

every damn quarter has been the "best ever" for AT&T