James Delahunty
4 Sep 2007 20:03
According to research data from iSuppli, July was a very strong month for Apple Inc.'s iPhone. Even though the company has not reached 1 million sales as quickly as some analysts were predicting, it still accounted for 1.8% of all handsets sales in July. Don't be fooled by the seemingly low percentage, it may have been enough for the iPhone to outsell all Smartphones like BlackBerrys, the Palm Portfolio and anything on offer from companies like Nokia and Motorola.
iSuppli considers the iPhone to be a "crossover" phone, not a smartphone, because it lacks official support for third-party software. "This is a remarkable accomplishment for Apple, considering that July marked the first full month of sales for the iPhone," wrote iSuppli in a statement. The firm was impressed with Apple's strong numbers when faced with the offerings of its competitors.
However, the true test for the iPhone's appeal will come in the following months and next few years. iSuppli believes that Apple will sell 4.5 million iPhones by the end of 2007, which is an ambitious figure. Even Apple itself expects to reach 1 million by the end of September, so selling 3.5 million more in the fourth quarter would be no easy task. All eyes will be on Apple's next major announcement tomorrow for further insight.
Source:
Ars Technica