14 DAY TRIAL // It is known that Apple and AT&T sold quite a lot of iPhones during the weekend and the analyst's estimates vary wildly. Though it is not an official figure, it looks like we're looking at over 525,000 devices sold. The iPhone launch was huge, and, measuring by dollar value, the device's first weekend represents largest consumer electronics product launch in history.
Though it is hard to put a finger exactly on the number of iPhones sold, a pretty good indication is the sheer number of stores that no longer have any iPhones available for sale.
Come Tuesday, 95 of 164 Apple Stores no longer had any iPhones available, having sold them out over the weekend. iPhone supplies have dried up in 10 states, forcing customers to travel far and wide to get their hands on one. Apple Stores in Hawaii, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Utah and Washington all sold off their iPhone supply by Monday. The AT&T stores saw much of the same, the company reporting that most of its 1,800 stores were sold out within no less than 24 hours.
While the number of devices per store and the number of stores that are sold out do give hints into the success of the iPhone launch, there is one chunk of numbers that no one outside Apple knows? web sales. Apple lets customers buy their iPhone directly from the company's website and considering the lines for the launch and the fear of supplies running out, this seemed like a better choice for many. Exactly how many people ordered their iPhone online is impossible to tell. Only Apple knows and so far they have not made any statements.
While the more optimistic estimates point towards many as 700,000 iPhones being sold over the weekend, the general consensus is that it is under 1 million as Apple has not issued any statement about this first landmark reached.