June 18th, 2009
iPhone 3G S expectations: 500,000 units sold over the weekend
With Apple’s iPhone 3G S hitting stores on Friday analysts are starting to guess how many units will be sold over the weekend. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster is guessing Apple will sell 500,000 iPhone 3G S units over the weekend, that’s half of what the iPhone 3G did over three days last year.
In a research note (Techmeme), Munster wrote:
Apple will begin selling the new iPhone 3G S in 8 countries. We expect Apple to sell 500k iPhone 3G S units over the weekend. This would compare to 1m iPhone 3G units in the launch weekend last year, and 270k units in the original iPhone launch weekend. Several factors lead us to believe Apple will sell less iPhone 3G S’s at launch than it did for the iPhone 3G including a less dramatic change in value proposition and fewer available countries at launch.
Here’s Munster’s launch comparisons:
Here’s why Munster is expecting less drama:
- The iPhone 3G S will run you $199 just like it’s predecessor. The 3G launch introduced a better phone at half the price of the previous model.
- The iPhone 3G launched in 21 countries compared to the 8 that will feature the 3G S.
In other words, the iPhone 3G S ramp will be slower that its predecessor, but still deliver sales as more countries are rolled out. And relative to the Pre launch the Apple iPhone 3G S should win the unit wars easily.
More reading:
Matthew Miller: iPhone OS 3.0 update fails connecting to cellular data network
- David Morgenstern: Signs of iPhone growing pains at Apple’s WWDC?
- What can you expect with the iPhone OS 3.0 update?
- Ryan Naraine: Apple iPhone OS 3.0 update plugs 46 security holes
- New iPhone 3.0 OS available
- Sam Diaz: Can MLB.com hit an iPhone homerun with AT&T powering the network?
- Jason O’Grady: Some pre-ordered iPhone 3GS’ delayed
- AT&T revises iPhone upgrade eligibility policy
- How-to: Enable tethering under iPhone 3.0 right now
- Walt Mossberg: New iPhone Is Better Model — Or Just Get OS 3.0
- Jason Perlow: What would you do for a free iPhone 3G S?
Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and Editorial Director of ZDNet sister site TechRepublic. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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| 06/18/09
