Apple today announced it sold its one millionth iPhone yesterday, just 74 days after its introduction on June 29. iPhone combines three devices into one-a mobile phone, a widescreen iPod, and the best mobile Internet device ever-all based on Apple’s revolutionary multi-touch interface and pioneering software that allows users to control iPhone with just a tap, flick or pinch of their fingers.
“One million iPhones in 74 days-it took almost two years to achieve this milestone with iPod,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, in the press release. “We can’t wait to get this revolutionary product into the hands of even more customers this holiday season.”
Apple has hit the first of their two publicly-stated goals: 1 million iPhones sold by the end of September 2007 (21 days early). Apple also has a goal (however laughably conservative it may be) of selling 10 million iPhones in calendar 2008.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs said in his Macworld Expo 2007 keynote address that Apple would set the goal of selling 10 million iPhone units in 2008, the first full year on the market. (Macworld Expo 2007 iPhone Introduction: Jobs’ remarks on iPhone goals begin at 1:15:52 into the QuickTime video). On July 25, 2007, during Apple’s conference call discussing Q3 – 2007 financial results, Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer reiterated Apple’s goal of selling 10 million iPhone units in “calendar 2008.” (Apple’s Q3 07 Apple Quarterly Results Call: Oppenheimer’s remarks on iPhone goals begin at 6:05 into the QuickTime audio stream).
Going forward, Apple’s iPhone price reductions and launches outside the U.S. will change much about these figures, but here’s what we know today about Apple’s position in the market:
• Apple sold an average of 13,514 iPhone units per day in each of the first 74 days (mostly at launch prices)
• Without taking the price cuts into account, Apple will sell 1.233 million iPhones in the first quarter.
• Using the latest numbers Canalys has available on their website (Q4 2006 – Holiday Quarter):
– Apple (with summer U.S. sales only) outsold Sony Ericsson’s worldwide holiday smartphone unit sales (1.137 million units, 5.1% market share)
– Apple (with summer U.S. sales only) outsold Palm’s worldwide holiday smartphone unit sales (1.211 million units, 5.5% market share)
– Apple (with summer U.S. sales only) places just behind Motorola’s worldwide holiday smartphone unit sales (1.463 million units, 6.6% market share)
– According to Canalys, Nokia led with 11.114 million “smart mobile device” shipments in Q4 2006 (50.2% share); RIM was second with 1.829 million (8.3% share).
(Note that we are comparing projected Apple iPhone sales in Q3 2007 (summer) to Q4 2006 (holiday) figures for others because they are the best numbers we have available to us at this time. We conduct this exercise in order to give some sense of where Apple stands in the market.)
With the iPhone’s stunning price cut, the ramp up around the world soon to begin, and the holiday season approaching, you can see just how quickly, viciously, and gluttonously Apple has moved into the world of smart mobile devices.
There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance. – Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, April 30, 2007
[UPDATE: 1:40pm EDT: Corrected Nokia Q4 06 unit sales as per Canalys.]