Apple Confident in All-Time Record iPhone Sales for Holiday Quarter

[waldobushman]

Just the opposite

It's Apple's secrecy that helps fuel rumors.....then people hold on phone because they want the newest model. This year bit them in the arse because they went off schedule with iPhone releases (June vs. October), so people held off.

Steve Jobs mentioned in an interview (with Gates) that he was to blame for Apple's problems before he got fired by the Apple Bd in 1986(?). He referred to Apple then as a sinking ship that leaked from the top. Not enough secrecy. He implied that he learned much during his 10 years before coming back.

Rumors about Apple are the best free advertising that Apple could have devised. Apple doesn't have to spend a dime. A supposed leak here, or there, and websites spreading the rumors, and Apple is constantly in the news. Apple doesn't have to issue statements to the press.

By keeping everything secret, they don't have to keep many public promises, and the public doesn't need to know if their internal expectations have been met. The public never is aware of failures.

See the Osborne Effect.

 

[joneill55]

When you run your business in secret and provide no information in advance of launch day, you will get rumors. People will speculate. I would think Apple would benefit more from hype and marketing, rather then secrecy. Maybe things will change with the change in leadership.

Hey MacBoy Pro:

How many 365B market cap companies have you built?? I'd say the boys in Cupertino know what they are doing, hey?

Don't look for any phone calls from TC for a consult

 

[ChrisTX]

Apple can't be too worried, 4million phones on opening weekend is just BEASTY! Seriously name one other OEM for Android that has sold 4million of one design opening weekend?

 

[komodrone]

more like, blame their own pattern for releasing a new iphone around every September/October.

 

[erzhik]

blame your design department. Did Apple really think they would sell more 4s than iphone4 by giving us exactly the same design 16months later?

 

[Gunga Din]

blame your design department. Did Apple really think they would sell more 4s than iphone4 by giving us exactly the same design 16months later?

Yep....I saw 4S and decided to wait for number 5 baby !!! The S stands for Sucker by the way.....

 

[aristotle]

Yep....I saw 4S and decided to wait for number 5 baby !!! The S stands for Sucker by the way.....

I disagree. I upgraded from the iPhone 3G(S) to the iPhone 4(S). Anyone bought the iPhone 4 is a sucker because you bought the first revision of a brand new design. I think anyone who buys the iPhone 5 will be a sucker too. I'll wait for the iPhone 5(S).

But you go ahead and keep telling yourself that you don't want Siri, the speed, the 1080P video recording with stabilization or the 8MP still photos.

 

[MartiNZ]

Didn't read enough of the thread but I'm sure it has come up:

Really?? I mean wow . You know, Apple could easily calm the rumours down if they weren't so damned secretive about things. It seems to me this has really gotten to the point that it is hurting them, even if we're still talking pretty big numbers in sales.

----------

It's Apple's secrecy that helps fuel rumors.....then people hold on phone because they want the newest model. This year bit them in the arse because they went off schedule with iPhone releases (June vs. October), so people held off.

Oh yep, there it was .

 

[jona2125]

HEY **** YOU APPLE. i bought your "crappy" phone.

What this guy said. Eveyone complains too much. We still bought it right like come on. You sold it on 3 carriers and you're upset? You've got to be kidding me

 

[tom vilsack]

all i know is my stock is going to take a hit tommorrow... :-(

 

[Picka]

All the gains from the iP4s release has been lost today, 5.8% down. Samsung is very likely to go above them in units sold this quarter, with over 20m units sold, compared to Apples 17.1m.

The reasons seem pretty simple. First, despite the headline grabbing 4M iP4S sold in 3 days, the key thing is that it was released in more territories and many more carriers than the previous one, so ofcourse it will have sold more, investors aren't stupid. Had the previous launch done the same, the numbers would have been the same, if not superior.

Secondly, as an annalist for BGC Partners said ""The reality is their business is not an annuity. They have to sell their quarter's worth of revenue every 90 days." Missing targets will send their stock tumbling.

Thirdly, Samsung has 23 smartphone models, from low to high end to meet all customers need at a price they can afford. While Apple is trying to fight back on this front by making previous generations free on contracts, it's still offers way less choice than the competition.

And lastly, iOS and the iPhone are no longer the standard bearers they once were. iOS5 200 improvements were basically implementing things that Android has been able to do for a long time. Siri still can't navigate Home if you ask her directions, heck, it doesn't even work properly outside the US. Simple network features such as 4G is still missing, NFC payments is still missing in the new iPhone, it doesn't even have a proper file system. Something as basic as attaching a file to an email is a pain in the backside.

When the first iPhone was released, you knew you were holding something special and miles ahead of everything else, that is not the case any more. That is the main reason why Android in the last 3 months has a 56% market share in the US. People vote with their wallets.

 

[AGSP]

The 4S is no big deal

Vote with your feet! The iPhone 4S is no big deal. If you have an iPhone 4 and you go to 4S you really have more money than sense. Apple have spent the last few years driving (manipulating) the market. Their cash pile is directly a result of consumer spend. The Apple product is great but the hype around minor revisions is ridiculous.
Consumers, it's time to start driving Apple - who's is charge? Them or you?

 

[the8thark]

Cook noted that iPhone sales declined somewhat sequentially as rumors regarding a new model circulated.

I blame Arn....it's his rumor site.

So Apple blames rumours like the ones put on Arn's website too?

 

[teme]

I don't understand why Apple fans brag about Apple's profit margins. You're happy to pay more for your products? Even though I like Apple, I'd rather pay less for their products. Isn't a big profit margin bad for customer?

 

[xfadam]

I know that every consumer doesn't check sites like MR for iPhone updates and rumors but Apple has had a pretty reliable release cycle with iPhone. However, with the rumors at the "fever pitch" mentioned in the OP, I am not surprised that people held off buying an iPhone between the regular release date and the eventual release in October.

 

[Ed91]

The rumour mill always leads to disappointment at Apple events. It spins wildly out of control, and everyone expects a giant leap in technological standards. Come the event, Apple releases a nice upgrade, but people are angry and disappointed that apple didn't deliver something totally unrealistic. Eventually most people calm down and see a decent upgrade over the previous generation, a massive upgrade for those that have waited longer, and cautious, incremental upgrades start to make sense.

This is a weakness, and thinking about it, I could see how it could be exploited by others..

Step one: Leak details of a feature everybody wants badly, knowing Apple's release timetable. Possibly fake evidence. Get people talking it up. Everybody goes crazy in anticipation.

Step two: Apple release without said feature. People are surprised, angry, and saddened.

Step three: Release device with feature. People want your device.

The tough bit would be finding the right bait.

 

[Gunga Din]

I disagree. I upgraded from the iPhone 3G(S) to the iPhone 4(S). Anyone bought the iPhone 4 is a sucker because you bought the first revision of a brand new design. I think anyone who buys the iPhone 5 will be a sucker too. I'll wait for the iPhone 5(S).

But you go ahead and keep telling yourself that you don't want Siri, the speed, the 1080P video recording with stabilization or the 8MP still photos.

You might be right, i forgot about that lol. 5S it is !!

 

[FourCandles]

So Apple blames rumours like the ones put on Arn's website too?

I was being sarcastic. Hence the

 

[Digital Skunk]

Apple blames rumors... I blame lack of redesign.

Agreed! Even some of the die-hard iPhone junkies out there are starting to admit that the OS is a bit on the stale side, let alone the design of the devices itself.

I know there are users out there with smallish hands that would hate to see the iPhone with a larger screen and more ergonomic shape but its really needed. Not simply because everyone else is doing it, but because the iPhone is begging for it.

 

[KnightWRX]

I disagree. I upgraded from the iPhone 3G(S) to the iPhone 4(S). Anyone bought the iPhone 4 is a sucker because you bought the first revision of a brand new design. I think anyone who buys the iPhone 5 will be a sucker too. I'll wait for the iPhone 5(S).

No one is a sucker. Neither those who bought the iPhone 4, nor those who bought the iPhone 4S and neither will those who buy the next one (the 6, the 5, the 4G, whatever it's called).

Why do you people have to always categorize differences in a "win/lose" way ? Why can't all be different and all "win" at the same time.

The iPhone 4 was a nice phone. For me it didn't warrant an upgrade from my 3GS. For some it did. The 4S was the iPhone I was expecting (and I never valued Siri anyway, so it's a non-issue to me that I don't quite find it useful). I don't see anyone as a sucker for thinking differently than I do.

 

[Tiger8]

I think it is the shift in timeline

It is not the rumors, as much as everyone expected Apple to release something in June, as usual, but when they didn't, a lot of contract free people, like myself, decided to wisely hold out and wait until Apple makes an announcement. Especially when you knwo whatever choice you make will lock you in for two years.

 

[jdbr]

A little less secrecy

A little less secrecy might help manage expectation.
An iPhone revision in June as in previous years, might have helped.
Phenomenal profits on a product means that the consumer is being charged too high a price.

 

[wovel]

blame your design department. Did Apple really think they would sell more 4s than iphone4 by giving us exactly the same design 16months later?

They are and will. Not sure what your comment has to do with this story or reality. The 4S was not even out last quarter. This story is aout 4S anticipation preventing people from buying the old phone while they waited o buy the new phone.

I don't understand why Apple fans brag about Apple's profit margins. You're happy to pay more for your products? Even though I like Apple, I'd rather pay less for their products. Isn't a big profit margin bad for customer?

The short answer is no. Without profits companies have precisely 0 motivation to develop new products.

 

[Mattie Num Nums]

Apple, its not the rumors. We are ready for a new iPhone not a recycled one with some add ins. While the 4S is a great phone for new users its not a worthy upgrade for most of us (who already shelled out money less than a year ago and are dealing with uncertain financial times.) Give me a good reason to spend $600 on an iPhone and I will switch back until then I'll wait. The iPhone 5 prototype rumors were exactly what I was hoping for. Now Ill just hold on to my EVO and iPhone 2G until then.

 

[KnightWRX]

Apple, its not the rumors. We are ready for a new iPhone not a recycled one with some add ins. While the 4S is a great phone ..

The quarter being discussed here pre-dates the 4S announcement.

The 4S sold 4 million units in under 3 days. This has nothing to do with the 4S not being redesigned.

This has been addressed in this thread and is simple logic. We're discussing the July-September sales.