18th Oct 11
Sales of the Apple iPhone 4S on target for gadget world record
by Paul Russell
Hot metal: the latest iPhone could become the fastest selling gadget of all time
Hot metal: the latest iPhone could become the fastest selling gadget of all time
Apple has already sold over four million of its iPhone 4S smartphones, just three days since the product launched, with handsets purchased at a speed which is likely to break the record for the quickest selling consumer electronics gadget in the world.
The current record was set when the iPad 2 sold a minimum of 156,000 units a day in its first 80 days. This surpassed Microsoft’s Kinect gaming system which had sold 100,000 a day during its first 60 days after launch. The 4S, which became available in stores on Friday, sold over one million units a day during its opening weekend.
Guinness World of Records spokesman Damian Field said that they are eagerly awaiting Apple’s official announcement on sales figures. He said that if the 4S surpasses the 156k a day sell-through rate – which will need to be independently verified – the product will take the record.
Apple’s new chief executive Tim Cook is due to announce the company’s full-year financial results this Thursday night, when he is expected to reveal that there has been a 67 per cent increase in worldwide revenues, from $65bn (£41bn) last year to $109bn to the end of last month. Revenues during the final quarter are expected to hit $29.2bn, highlighting the increasing appeal of Apple’s tablet computers and phones, and the continuing growth of its overseas sales.
Jeffrey Co analysts are predicting that Apple will have sold almost 29 million iPhones during the last quarter of its financial year, as well as 17 million iPads. In spite of rumours that the manufacturer has cancelled a proposed HD version of its iPad 2 and plans to bring forward the launch date of the iPad 3 to late January next year, Jeffries believes the firm will have sold 29 million tablets over the second half of its financial year, two times as many as during the opening six months.
Cook is expected to face questions concerning what the group plans to do with its cash pile of $76bn, with a number of experts having speculated that the firm could purchase a mobile network operator to gain even greater control of the user experience. Others are of the opinion that this is unlikely, as Apple runs a lean business, outsourcing all its manufacturing.
But Katy Huberty, an analyst at Morgan Stanley, predicted last month that the company’s cash pile would hit $136bn before the end of next year. Cook is likely to face pressure for a dividend – something Apple does not pay – or stock buyback.
Apple revealed there are already 25 million customers who are using iOS 5, the latest version of its mobile operating system, despite the software only being launched last Wednesday.
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