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Topic: iPhone

How many iPhones did Apple sell last quarter?

Summary: What's your guess?

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

By for Hardware 2.0 |

Wall Street analysts estimate that Apple has sold some 29 million iPhones during the past quarter. However, one analyst thinks that this number could be off by a whopping 50%.

UBS analyst Maynard Um sent the following note out to clients yesterday:

Assuming 8mn iPhones from AT&T, 1.2mn from Sprint, & 4.2mn from Verizon, the US alone would make up ~45% of our 30mn unit est for CY4Q. US mix has not been this high since the June qtr of '09 & seems unlikely given the cont'd rapid expansion of int'l countries & carriers since that qtr. US mix in FY11 ranged between 25-29%. If US mix was similar to the high from FY10 of 38% for CY4Q, it would imply demand for ~43.6mn iPhones (albeit unlikely that high given lower supply relative to demand). Each incremental 1mn iPhones is ~$0.21 in EPS.

According to CNN Money, the consensus reached by 15 independent analysts is that Apple as sold 33.37 million iPhones during the Q1 2012 period, higher than Wall Street expectations, but not a 50% bump.

We'll know come January 24 how many iPhones Apple has sold, but in the meantime time for a prediction - how many iPhones do you think Apple sold during the Q1 2012 period?

[poll id="743"]

Topics: iPhone, Apple, Hardware, Mobility, Smartphones

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29 comments
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  • RE: How many iPhones did Apple sell last quarter?

    1
    Return_of_the_jedi
    Reply Vote

    • RE: How many iPhones did Apple sell last quarter?

      @Return_of_the_jedi

      Ha!
      sackbut
      Reply Vote

  • RE: How many iPhones did Apple sell last quarter?

    Sales results are not bad for an old design with beta software, a fragile glass construction design, battery issues, a small display screen and poor customer support. (At least that is what I gather from online tech publications.) Go figure. Grin.
    kenosha77a
    Reply Vote

    • It leads to only 1 conclusion

      The competition's products are even worse.

      BTW can you please change your screen name? If I want to delete one of my posts, all I have to do is put your name in my post and ZDNet's automated "spam" filters delete the post for me. This is good when I do it on purpose. Not so good when I forget to remove the @yourname at the top of the post.

      And I'm only teasing about changing your screen name. I can't figure out why ZDNet hates your name so much though.
      toddybottom
      Reply Vote

      • RE: How many iPhones did Apple sell last quarter?

        @toddybottom

        Hello Todd. Really, I have no control over deleting our talkback posts. In fact, I posted my original note using Safari and it took for about ten minutes. When I refreshed the screen, it was gone and the first two posts by Return of the jedi and sackbut had taken it's place. I reposted using Firefox and this post took.

        I am at a lost as to why ZDNet hates my screen name. Its such a friendly name. Grin. But having my posts mysteriously vanish is a recurring theme on this cite. I have had correspondence with ZDNet administrators over this issue but ... from time to time ... some comments get deleted. Sorry, Todd - to use an old refrain - It's not my fault. Very Big Grin.
        kenosha77a
        Reply Vote

  • Hmmm, a brief bit of zdnet reasoning would lead me to believe that:

    "Experts" seem to be completely brain-dead when considering Apple's sales, so the obvious answer is to look at an "average" of their views and then go higher or lower than that by a safe margin.

    Mind you, their predictions/guesses are probably out by 1-few million. Why might you ask? Clearly Apple has sold at least 1 million each to of the magical and so predictable zdnet regular Apple-lovers such as Loverock and ToddyBottom.
    ego.sum.stig
    Reply Vote

    • LOOK EVERYONE HE MENTIONS ME!!!@#@##!!!

      woo hoo I get mentioned and I haven't even commented yet!!!
      Loverock Davidson-
      Reply Vote

  • I see it being a little higher than their estimates.

    My only basis for this obvious guesstimate is that I know people who were swearing two years ago they would never buy an iPhone who bought them for their families this past quarter. Two main features pushed them over the edge. They saw the quality of photos I took with the 4S camera and they saw how easy it was to video chat with my nieces/wife/mother-in-law, who all have iOS 5 devices. There is also a fascination with Siri that I feel is unjustified, having tried to use it myself. Then again, I have tried for decades to use voice recognition software and they all suffer from the same primary problem. I am rarely sitting in a completely noise-free environment, so I either have to speak obnoxiously loud or repeat everything several times. In my mind, it's easier and quicker to enter things manually. For now, Siri is just a gimmick. Perhaps they will find a way to cancel background noise and improve it in the future.
    BillDem
    Reply Vote

    • RE: How many iPhones did Apple sell last quarter?

      @BillDem no disrespect, but I am glad I do not have the same phone as your mother-in-law ...
      AdnanPirota
      Reply Vote

  • A lot

    Sales are usually pretty brisk when there is no real choice and you have a monopoly.

    This is a sick market. We all lose.
    toddybottom
    Reply Vote

    • Maybe except Apple that is:P So once again the phrase

      @toddybottom ... "we all loose" is incorrect for like it or not Apple is part of the all:)

      Pagan jim
      James Quinn
      Reply Vote

      • Oh dear

        @James Quinn
        We all "lose" when you let "loose" your inane ramblings.

        Stay in school kids, don't turn out like James Quinn.
        toddybottom
        Reply Vote

      • OUCH!!!! My feeling!

        @toddybottom ... Nope, I'm good. Well not so much good. No never been nor have I ever strived for good just not my thing:) But I'm OK. Well to be honest that's not it either. No the more accurate term would be "Un harmed" yeah that's it. Still misspelled or not the point is clear we all do not LOSE for "all" is inclusive of well all and that would include Apple and it's many employee's who obviously are benefitting in a HUGE way!<br><br>Pagan jim
        James Quinn
        Reply Vote

      • RE: How many iPhones did Apple sell last quarter?

        @James Quinn don't bother NonZealot has not taken his meds this morning. If it was Microsofts product in the lead, we???d hear it was a great world, and how we all win. It is a deep rooted psychosis, associated with Stockholm Syndrome. ;)
        Rick_Kl
        Reply Vote

    • Sure you have a choice.

      @toddybottom

      You can buy and iPhone or you can buy any of hundreds of other choices from LG, Samsung, ZT, HTC and dozens of other manufactures. Saying Apple is a monopoly is like saying Samsung is a monopoly because only Samsung can sell Samsung products.
      Bruizer
      Reply Vote

      • But all those other phones suck

        @Bruizer
        There is no real choice. No one here can honestly suggest that Android or WP7 phones are as good as iPhones. So while I agree, there are a lot of bad phones to "choose" from, they all suck. Only an idi0t would buy anything other than the iPhone.

        I want real choice. You too should demand real choice.

        It is a sick market. We all lose.
        toddybottom
        Reply Vote

      • YOUR opinion on the quality of the competition is just that

        @toddybottom .. YOUR opinion nothing more. Are these devices not selling well I keep reading many an article about the MARKET SHARE of Android do i not? So your OPINION is not shared by all. Except maybe me for I do agree with you but OUR opinion is not universal sorry but no as wise and handsome as I am and you wish you were it is not so:( Sigh.<br><br>Pagan jim
        James Quinn
        Reply Vote

      • RE: How many iPhones did Apple sell last quarter?

        @toddybottom
        Since you are a MS fan, I'll take your word that WP7 sucks. However, your opinion of Android is biased.
        anono
        Reply Vote

      • MS fan?

        I look to my right and I see my iPhone 4. I look to my left and I see my iPad.

        There is no real competition to these products. All Android devices suck and the customer satisfaction figures reflect that. WP7 devices must suck because they are losing marketshare.

        iPhone / iPad owners love and keep their devices.
        Android owners hate their devices and switch to iPhone / iPad as soon as they can.
        WP7 owners, actually, there really aren't many WP7 owners since no one buys these things.

        It is a sick market. We all lose.
        toddybottom
        Reply Vote

      • RE: How many iPhones did Apple sell last quarter?

        @James Quinn unless the magical ???God-phone??? is in the number one spot, NonZealot will continue his insane rants about how sick the market is. This is the same individual that thinks there is noting wrong with the desktop/notebook/netbook market. Only because his favorite abusive monopolist has the number one spot.
        Rick_Kl
        Reply Vote
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