14 DAY TRIAL // Although Apple usually announces milestone figures – such as the 50 billion app downloads from iTunes or the 30th anniversary of the Macintosh – the Cupertino giant has refrained from announcing the sale of its 500 millionth iPhone.
An unofficial number, the 500-million-iPhones claim comes from Forbes contributor Mark Rogowsky, who says, “The consensus would have placed the milestone sale around March 8 given that entering the quarter Apple had sold 472 million iPhones.”
“So even if it proves a bit high as it did last quarter, we’ve crossed the point where it’s safe to assume that Apple has sold 500 million smartphones in less than 7 years. And the most recent 100 million took somewhere between 2-6 weeks less than the previous 100 million did.”
Now, more than ever, it’s amusing to look back at one of the worst predictions made by one of the tech industry’s biggest figures, Steve Ballmer, who thought the iPhone would fail.
Ballmer and many of his peers believed the phone was priced much too high to gain an army of adopters. But he didn’t bank on the loyalty of Apple’s customer base or their buying power. More importantly, Ballmer couldn’t see what the iPhone was: a personal computer to carry around in your pocket.
Seven years and 500 million iPhones later, Tim Cook and his troops are preparing the eighth-generation iPhone. Dubbed by the media iPhone 6, the device will mark a new departure from the current design. The flagship new feature will be a larger display, which many believe will be capped at 4.7 inches.
There are rumors swirling about an even larger version of the phone, sporting a 5.5-inch display or, according to some, a 5.7-inch display. Such a phone would move dangerously close to phablet territory, which Apple doesn’t care much for.
Speculating that the launch of the next iPhone will again fall in September, Rogowsky adds that “the 600 millionth iPhone will arrive very near the end of Apple’s fiscal year and around what would be the typical launch window.”
He continues: “It wouldn’t be entirely shocking to see it arrive with the opening weekend sales of the new iPhone, in fact. And if you want to place a long bet, the billionth iPhone seems likely to arrive before the calendar turns to 2017. Just don’t quote me on that.”
Other new products expected from the fruity company this year include a Retina-equipped MacBook Pro, a new Apple TV, and perhaps even the much-hyped iWatch.