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Apple's iPhone Misses Sales Targets
The Street ^ | 7/3/2007 2:16 PM EDT | By Scott Moritz

Posted on 07/03/2007 7:31:16 PM PDT by Swordmaker

Apple's iPhone missed a 1 million unit sales target and rivals are rejoicing.

While the much-hyped phone helped AT&T take a big bite out of its competitors' business, industry observers say effects are far from deadly.

Analysts estimate somewhere between 200,000 and 700,000 iPhones have been sold since the debut blitz started Friday evening. And about half of the sales came by winning customers from Sprint, Verizon Wireless -- co-owned by Verizon and Vodafone -- and T-Mobile, the U.S. unit of Deutche Telekom.

The sales goal -- or so-called whisper number -- both internally at Apple and on Wall Street was a nice round 1 million phones.

Missing this hugely ambitious target is hardly a failure, but competitors in the wireless sector are certainly breathing a little easier.

"There's a lot of rejoicing at Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile," says IAG Research's Roger Entner. "By not selling out, it is still a solid success, but it also proved that not everyone in the country is willing to drop $600 on a new phone."

"For the other carriers, it's not a game changer. It's business as usual again," says Entner.

Sprint shares are up 60 cents, or nearly 3% since the iPhone's debut, and Verizon is up about $1, or 2% in that same time period, as investors buy into a mini-relief rally.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Computers/Internet
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What the FUD? Not one analyst I saw in the lead up to the iPhone's release predicted 1,000,000 sales in the first weekend.
1 posted on 07/03/2007 7:31:17 PM PDT by Swordmaker
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To: 1234; 50mm; 6SJ7; Abundy; Action-America; af_vet_rr; afnamvet; akatel; Alexander Rubin; Amadeo; ...
This is absurd... TheStreet.com claims Apple missed the iPhone's sales targets... PING!

If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.

2 posted on 07/03/2007 7:32:55 PM PDT by Swordmaker (Remember, the proper pronunciation of IE is "AAAAIIIIIEEEEEEE)
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To: Swordmaker

Except that there have probably been more than 1.2 million sold already...


3 posted on 07/03/2007 7:35:33 PM PDT by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: Swordmaker
The article continues:


Had Apple sold out of the iPhone on its debut, thirst for the phone would be seen as unquenched and potentially unknowable, say observers. But since only about three-quarters of the magical allotment were sold, "We now know that demand was less than a million," says Entner. Based on the early sales estimates, analysts predict that AT&T could take about 2.6 million customers from its rivals. But that assumption is built on current demand, which could be unsustainable.

All the hoopla around the iPhone's launch and the well-staged sales kick off helped create a lot of pent-up demand.

"What we saw the first day were the diehards who wanted the phone, no matter what," says Entner. "Now we have the rational buyers. And these people are looking much harder to see if the phone is worth $600."

4 posted on 07/03/2007 7:35:39 PM PDT by Swordmaker (Remember, the proper pronunciation of IE is "AAAAIIIIIEEEEEEE)
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To: Swordmaker

I wonder if Cramer is short AAPL and upset at the run-up in the stock today.


5 posted on 07/03/2007 7:36:04 PM PDT by 50mm (Inside every cynical person, there is a disappointed idealist - G. Carlin)
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To: Swordmaker

Damn, it looks like Apple is finally going to go bankrupt. Well, at least Steve Jobs still has that Pixar gig to fall back on.


6 posted on 07/03/2007 7:37:11 PM PDT by SamAdams76 (I am 70 days away from outliving Marvin Gaye)
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To: 50mm

“I wonder if Cramer is short AAPL and upset at the run-up in the stock today.”

Anyone that believes anything they read on thestreetDOTcom is an idiot.


7 posted on 07/03/2007 7:38:18 PM PDT by Sunnyflorida ((Elections Matter)
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To: Swordmaker

thestreet.com is a blog and a not very good one at that. And [someone mentioned Cramer] ... he’s wild for Apple and iPhone from what I can see.


8 posted on 07/03/2007 7:38:58 PM PDT by BunnySlippers (Buy a Mac ...)
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To: Sunnyflorida

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=AAPL&t=1y

Boy, that Steve Jobs is such a looser.


9 posted on 07/03/2007 7:40:26 PM PDT by Sunnyflorida ((Elections Matter)
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To: Swordmaker
Note everyone wants to spend $600 for a 8GB iPod, even if it includes a phone. Especially after dropping $300 on an 80GB iPod.

I mean, 4GB and 8GB flash MP3 players are supposed to be compact, and large devices like the iPhone are supposed to have 30GB, 60GB, or even 80GB of space.

As an Internet device, it might be okay if it had a 3G connection and a slide-out keyboard. Given the sludge that one gets on a Treo or Blackberry just by talking on the phone, I cannot imaging what kind of slime the screen of the iPhone is going to pick up as both a phone, keyboard, and mousepad.

Give the iPhone an EV-DO or HSDPA data connection, and a hard drive, and I may bite. But not an 8GB GPRS/EDGE device.

10 posted on 07/03/2007 7:43:40 PM PDT by magellan
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To: Sunnyflorida
Anyone that believes anything they read on thestreetDOTcom is an idiot.

Which is why I'm questioning the story. Isn't Cramer in trouble with the SEC for pumping stocks recently?

11 posted on 07/03/2007 7:44:47 PM PDT by 50mm (Inside every cynical person, there is a disappointed idealist - G. Carlin)
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To: 50mm

It’s not against the law to “pump” stocks. It is to pump then dump.


12 posted on 07/03/2007 7:47:01 PM PDT by Sunnyflorida ((Elections Matter)
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To: Swordmaker
For those of you that want to build your own iPhone... PARTS LIST FOR iPHONE
13 posted on 07/03/2007 7:49:51 PM PDT by tubebender (Large reward for person offering leads to my missing tag lines...)
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To: 50mm
Let's see what the author was saying just a few days before the roll out:


iPhone's $200 Million Jackpot

By Scott Moritz
Senior Writer
6/25/2007 7:20 AM EDT
Click here for more stories by Scott Moritz

Apple's (AAPL - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) iDay will put a $200 million revenue ka-ching on the end of this quarter

The temps are trained, crowd control measures are in place and the stage is all set for Friday's debut of the huge iPhone. If Apple can pull it all off, this most orchestrated of product introductions should manage to move nearly 400,000 phones out the door on the first day.

14 posted on 07/03/2007 7:50:01 PM PDT by Swordmaker (Remember, the proper pronunciation of IE is "AAAAIIIIIEEEEEEE)
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To: magellan

“Note(sic) everyone wants to spend $600 for a 8GB iPod, even if it includes a phone. Especially after dropping $300 on an 80GB iPod.”

But some people want an iPhone and they do not give a crap if it only costs $600. Some people have money and like to spend it on gadgets. I know people with barely the money to pay rent yet the money goes to Marlboros and Busch. How much does the typical smoker pay on cigs? Seems like iPhones is a better choice than butts.


15 posted on 07/03/2007 7:51:05 PM PDT by Sunnyflorida ((Elections Matter)
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To: Swordmaker

“Let’s see what the author was saying just a few days before the roll out:”

Sword, great find. I never can tell who to rank lowest on the credibility scale.

- Gartner and that ilk.
- The “tech-press”
- Sellside tools (aka analysts).


16 posted on 07/03/2007 7:54:14 PM PDT by Sunnyflorida ((Elections Matter)
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To: Sunnyflorida
Here it is:

Cramer's Past Manipulation

17 posted on 07/03/2007 7:55:49 PM PDT by 50mm (Inside every cynical person, there is a disappointed idealist - G. Carlin)
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To: magellan
Five days is hardly enough time to call it either way, but I'd imagine that the activation mis-steps hurt sales at least somewhat. At $600, I'd imagine that alot of the potential market is adopting a wait and see attitude. If the iPhone holds up and performs as advertised Apple will have another winner on their hands.

Personally, I think marrying the iPhone to AT&T for such an extended period was a huge mistake. But time will tell.

18 posted on 07/03/2007 8:01:29 PM PDT by Space Wrangler
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To: Swordmaker

“Analysts estimate somewhere between 200,000 and 700,000 iPhones”

200,000 to 700,000!!!! the lack precision is your first clue this is a swag. one Gartner analyst once claimed that 47.3% of users will do “this or that”. I said where did that number come from. She said if she said 50/50 it would not sound as good.


19 posted on 07/03/2007 8:01:41 PM PDT by Sunnyflorida ((Elections Matter)
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To: Sunnyflorida
It’s not against the law to “pump” stocks. It is to pump then dump.

I know the SEC rules. I've been trading for 20 years. However, I also know I can't get sued for libel for accusing of him of "pumping" without adding the "dumping."

20 posted on 07/03/2007 8:03:47 PM PDT by 50mm (Inside every cynical person, there is a disappointed idealist - G. Carlin)
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