Jim Cramer on 9 million iPhones sold in first weekend: Apple analysts were wrong; this could be AAPL’s launchpad

A a new video for TheStreet, Jim Cramer points out that Apple analysts were wrong.

The analysts all decided [iPhone 3-day weekend sales total] was going to be 5 million. I don’t know how they got that, so suddenly it’s [actually] 9 million, which means the estimates are too low. So there will be a series of – the same people who maybe downgraded it a few weeks ago now have to upgrade it. But everybody’s got to raise [their] numbers; [the] numbers are too low, if numbers are too low, the stock is going to finally break through that ceiling… This could be the launchpad.

Full video here.

MacDailyNews Take: The analysts got their numbers from the same place they usually do: From whence the sun don’t shine.

Related article:
Apple destroys smartphone sales record: First weekend iPhone sales top nine million units – September 23, 2013

56 Comments

    1. I appears that Apple misjudged the number of expected sales since iPhone 5s sold out in many, if not most, locations. Were Apple executives duped by these same “ignorant liars” or were Apple’s own calculations similary flawed?

      1. Yeah, Apple investigated sourcing the exess production ( over the 7 or so million on hand available for for the launch to other planets but no one could help produce all the extra parts and iPhones…

        Any ideas freek?

        1. It is obvious that Apple could have prepared for the demand for iPhone 5s, but did not. If this was due to miscaluclation of demand the fault lies squarely on Apple. If Apple anticipated the actual demand and failed to ensure adequate production of the 5s this also lies squarely on Apple. So, Apple has two choices. One, improving its methods for estimating demand. Two, devoting its hoard of cash toward improving the supply of components and increased fabrication of its products. Happy now?

        2. Your idiotic reponse further proves my point that Apple and a whole host of otherslef-described “experts” and card-carrying fanbois were worefully incorrect in their accessments. Thanks!

        3. How? With each successive launch, apple has increased the stock on hand. Yet it is still not enough. Did the galaxy s4 come even close to selling out?

          More importantly, they stretch their production costs out over a longer period, and keep the buzz up this way.

          I can’t upgrade till my contract is up in feb, so I really had no reason to worry.

        4. For gawd’s sake, Freek, LEARN TO PROOFREAD! (“reponse, otherslef, worefully, accessments,” et al.) Or is English not your first language? Methinks we smell a Korean troll here who would rather WE correct his postings for them to make any sense at all.

        5. You really are an idiot.

          If, Apple had stated before they went on sale that they had 8 million phones in stock, 3 million more than what the iPhone 5 sales were for it’s opening weekend, everyone one would have laughed at that number and said it was impossible.

          Even without an Apple prediction, all the “expert” analysts predicted way lower numbers.

          So even they were way off.

          My guess is Apple had the factories running 24/7 and moved as many as they possibly could.

          9 million is just a ridiculous number. No-one could have predicted that.

          Here’s a little saying you may not have heard: Hindsight is 20/20.

        6. Apple has again failed to meet consumer demand even with the brilliance of Tim “Supply Chain” Cook.

          Here’s a little saying you may not have heard: Pissing in the wind, betting on a losing friend, making the same mistakes we swore we would never make again. This appears to be Apple’s motto.

          To say that no one coud have predicted 9 million sale is beyond stupid. Apple simply choose the left side of the confidence interval and lost. Apple bet wrong. that’s all.

        7. One weekend of lost sales shouldn’t make a difference. Only Wall Street makes it that way. So what if it takes longer to sell more iPhone 5s models? Why should Wall Street demand Apple to sell everything at once? That’s just plain stupid. Factories are set up like that. They should balance production inventory over time. As long as Apple steadily sells iPhones over the next couple of quarters, everything should work out just fine for the company.

          I do agree with you that Apple should use its reserve cash for putting quality components out of reach of rivals using their unique economies of scale. I honestly don’t know any other company that could do that besides Samsung and Apple has far more unused money just lying around than Samsung.

        8. Three possible outcomes of crystal ball gazing. Get it exactly right on the money. (almost impossible to do) guess low, and guess high. Of the last two, guess wrong and your stock takes a hit because all the doomsdayers on Wall street are proved right. Sales falter etc. Bad move. Or do what apple did. Once again we see Apple got it just right. Way to go Tim. You can’t buy the kind of press they are getting now.

        9. If Freek is such an operational genius, why isn’t he running a company and making millions.

          There is always huge demand on launch day. However, it takes time to ramp up. Also, you don’t invests huge amount of money in equipment and factories to produce enough for one weekend, and have those factories site idle when demand level to normal.

        10. “Also, you don’t invests huge amount of money in equipment and factories to produce enough for one weekend, and have those factories site idle when demand level to normal.”

          That kills it. But it’s WAY too simple, factual and obvious for MacFreekComplainer.

      1. Jim Cramer is big time stock manipulator, not just a run of the mill moron stock analyst. Stocks prices often do exactly what he says they will because so many people listen and do what he tells them to.

  1. These people LOVE Apple – they make a fortune day-trading on the volatility of the stock.
    You dont have to understand apple, just have an eTrade account or whatever its called these days…

    Fortunately, Apple is not concerned with this gambling – they simply continue to make the best quality products.

  2. When is MDN going to start grading the analysis and hang a scarlet letter on all thrash published by them?

    When is MDN going to fix their own app so articles do not start an inch down the screen and the first paragraph font size never changes from tiny?

    1. When are you going to realize the MDN is two-headed that can’t agree on what’s important. They are winning on content and advertising, even though they touch “user experience” as being vital to Apple’s success. If they put user experience first, they would just blend in among all of the other new sites. Their ad-overkill and crappy user experience is their signature. But hey, they post great content on 10% of their pages. 😛

  3. Yes, and I couldn’t even buy the teenage step-son’s 5s as planned this weekend. I had to break the bad news that his phone contract isn’t up until Nov. 3rd. so he will be doomed to live with his “Droid Regret” at least another 41 days (I think the neighbors could hear the cry of anguish when I broke the news to him). [Insert evil laugh here, maybe next time he’ll listen to me.]

    1. Totally agree with you! The W/S game is to shake down nervous investors with bad news, scoop the stock at the low and sell out on the high when reality hits. If you listen to an analyst, sadly, you’re a sucker — the analysts (like Cramer) are playing you to benefit their friends, and right now their friends are looking to cash out so Cramer is shilling a ‘still higher’ price so that uninformed buyers buying in now on this supposed surprising news will hold up the price until W/S has taken its capital gains. It’s a scam.

    1. No you keep the numbers together like “Android” likes to do. Apple Iphone is more than a phone. Its the whole ecosystem. When people are buying new phones this weekend they are buying into the entire “iphone” world. Appstore, Phone, Support, Retails stores, OS etc. The sales are a reflection the public likes what they have done. No need to break that out other than to give idiot analysts who still don’t get Apple a reason to whine.

  4. Report with trepidation that Uk flagship store in Regent St, London had only 4 tables of new iPhones for customers to peruse on Saturday morning, obviously a sign of severe supply outages. Look out for impending unexpected crater in stock accompanied by calls for Cookie on toast. Tables easily accessible at 10.45 am,

  5. Why are you even posting the rants of Cramer?
    Guy has no feel for anything Apple does. He’s simply a cheap squawker who has no idea of what Apple is and blows with the winds of stupid analysts who still don’t get what “Apple” is.

  6. The analysts? WHEN HAVE THEY GOTTEN ONE THING RIGHT REGARDING APPLE?

    The analysts wanted Apple to close its doors. The analysts believed Michael Dell!

    The analysts only see right now IF LUCKY.

    Apple sees and MOVES the company to where IT wants to go and bring its customers along. And that is a PLAN.

    Wall Street couldn’t understand a plan no matter what.

    Apple is planning its and THE future for mobile computing and computing in general. 3-5 years out. And a Mac let alone a PC is going to become a smaller and smaller footprint of that people use daily.

    Wall Street is blind to true innovative people.

  7. Jim Cramer is why Steve Jobs ignored what the market thinks.
    Analysts will hug and kiss you with their hands on your chest in case they need to push you off the cliff.
    Jim Cramer called a past Blackberry phone release the “new babe magnet” over the iPhone a few years back.
    He doesn’t care about helping your money at all.

  8. I don’t think the low estimates by analysts were a mistake, I think they were done on purpose to get people to sell, and then when the real numbers came out they can get them to buy. It’s not about you making money, it’s about them making money, and they do that no matter if you make, or loose money, so long as your are buying and selling, they get their commission.

  9. I think analysts would do well to listen to the conference call in which Tim Cook stated that it is not possible for someone on the outside to pinpoint one moment in time along the supply chain and make estimates about the quarter. He clearly stated that doing so would be at at one’s own folly. Case in Point.

  10. Cramer was another analyst who said that Apple blew it by not having a bigger screen and by pricing the 5C too high. Hypes everything Cramer. Should be eating crow rather than talking about how other analysts got it wrong.

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