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Posted on 01/26/2008 6:47:28 PM PST by RS
Analysts looking at both Apple's results and those posted by AT&T - Apple's iPhone partner in the US - have noticed a large discrepancy in the figures.
Apple says it has sold 3.7m iPhones in total. AT&T says it has sold 2m iPhones, and European operators are believed to have sold between 300,000 and 400,000 handsets.
Which means there are either 1.3m iPhones being used as bookends, or ....
(Excerpt) Read more at theregister.co.uk ...
El Reg strikes again, posting news everyone else has had for two days and presenting it as if they’re originating the story.
Most of the “missing” iPhones are in the channel, with some going to unlockers who are using the phones with non-AT&T carriers.
Issue solved, story dead.
“However, at the company’s most recent analysts conference, Apple executives re-iterated that they expect to sell 10m iPhones by the handset’s first birthday, in June.”
This is an interesting comment ... if true it appears that by limiting it to a single year period they have wiggled a way to keep the 10 million figure AND keep the 2007 launch figures as part of the total.
Not quite really 10 million IN 2008, yet not 18 months sales vs. 12 months.
“El Reg strikes again, posting news everyone else has had for two days and presenting it as if they’re originating the story.”
Didn’t notice it here - strange how had Apple is fighting the unlockers if 30% of it’s “sales” are because of them.
I myself know of no less than 10 iPhones being used in the Philippines, where in spite of possibly reduced functionality they are the hot item.
Apple’s not fighting them. AT&T is.
Apple has already stated that they will not attempt to specifically deter unlockers through software updates or any other mechanism, though at the same time they won’t do anything if a software update renders unlocks useless.
Since Apple has decided that the phones need to be locked, anything that negates that would HAVE to be addressed and countered as a security measure.
Unless Apple changes it’s policy on locking, it would be derelict to NOT take active measures against unlocking.
“Apple has publicly stated ...”
“Apple sees iPhone unlocking as a “good problem to have” and is a sign of iPhone’s popularity”
Problems are things that require active solutions.
I suppose is simply a coincidence that every update so far has closed the door to the previous unlock.
No coincidence at all. The unlockers use vulnerabilities that Apple closes for security purposes or Apple's upgrades to the OS install upgrade files that no longer have the hooks the unlockers have placed in the OS files to make their unauthorized apps work.
One of the major changes with IPhone OS upgrade 1.1.3 is now none of the current apps run in Root...
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1.1.3 is pretty much a complete rewrite. It’s certainly a massive reorganization in preparation for the SDK.
It’s no surprise it killed unlocks.
I just started playing with the iPhone recently, and it just blows everythig else out of the water in terms of ease of use, intuitiveness, and power. What amazed me is that thanks to its superb user interface and crisp display it is actually a useable browser platform!! Which is a hell of a lot more than a phone.
It reminds me of how I felt the first time the Mac came out - light years ahead of the command based ms-dos.
Jobs lost a huge opportunity in the early years of the mac by being stubborn and not listening to user’s need and in so doing gave “tortoise” Gates the opportunity to pass him.
I hope Jobs learned his lesson and listens to the users of the iPhone. So far it’s a mixed bag - he grudgingly opened it up to developers, but is still restricting it to ATT only.
What apple should have done was to open it up to the latest G broadband - the phone part would have been a freebie via VoiP (think unlimited minutes). Adding support for Java and Flash would also be a big plus. Now that would be a winning product. In fact I have no doubt that it won’t be long that such a product will come out (hackers already have such kluges), and whoever does will take over that market.
“The unlockers use vulnerabilities that Apple closes for security purposes”
That’s exactly what I said earlier - strange how it appears that if Apple had been able to close all the openings, their sales would be down 30%.
They might have been able to shut down production completely for a few months.
You are aware that less than 3% of the nation's cell phone coverage has 3G availability? Most cities have ZERO 3G. There is nothing 3G available along even heavily traveled interstates. On the other hand, EDGE at 200 kb/s (about 5 times faster than dial up) is available where ever AT&T has cell service... even in the boonies.
And who do you think runs those 3G networks? Cellphone companies, who would not look kindly on freeby phone calls via VoiP, that's who. They are the ones who have prohibited sound over the internet on the iPhone... too much chance someone will find away around THEIR business model and stop paying them. They just won't allow that to happen.
In addition, the 3G radios are energy hogs... battery drainers... that will cut the iPhone's battery life in half.
There’s no indication that 30% of the iPhones are being unlocked.
The discrepancy between Apple’s sales numbers and AT&T’s sales numbers is easy to explain — every iPhone on an AT&T store shelf, or in an AT&T warehouse, is already a sale for Apple and not yet a sale for AT&T.
There are no ‘missing’ Apple iPhones
http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/16200/
So I presume they have been able to unlock the phones to use with their sim cards, but of course are unable to use any data, itune, etc. functions ...
When my wife and I visited the Philippines recently, her brothers said do NOT bring out any nice looking cell phones in public places, even something as "nice" as a Razr, because someone might target us for theft. Being a gringo, I already attracted way more attention than I liked. In any city, beggars dogged us constantly, saying "Joe (GI Joe), give me some money". And every single time we got in a taxi, my wife had to argue with the driver in their native language, because they would not turn the meter on, until we would tell him to just stop the taxi and let us out. They just wanted to charge us whatever they felt like. Traveling was a bit of a hassle.
Funny article ...
“...and another 838,00 were sold with the intent that they’d be unlocked.”
That’s a pretty precise figure for the author knowing what the intent of the purchasers were -
... and since this number would have to be units that went out the retail door, just where did he get it from ?
“The discrepancy between Apple’s sales numbers and AT&T’s sales numbers is easy to explain — every iPhone on an AT&T store shelf, or in an AT&T warehouse, is already a sale for Apple and not yet a sale for AT&T.”
If AT&T and the other sales outlets have a 3 month supply sitting on the shelf, that might explain why Apple would need to cut production.
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