Apple said Monday it sold one million new iPhones in the initial weekend, on par with estimates set by analysts.
The original iPhone, introduced in late June 2007 in the United States only, sold about 270,000 units in its first two days. Sales topped one million by early September. The new device is sold in 21 countries.
“IPhone 3G had a stunning opening weekend,” Apple’s chief executive, Steven P. Jobs, said in a statement.
Steven Hodges, president for the Northeast region for AT&T, Apple’s only carrier in the United States, would not disclose how many iPhones it had sold, but he said the iPhone would be AT&T’s key device for the holiday shopping season this year.
Activation problems marred the phone’s introduction Friday in the United States, with many buyers leaving stores frustrated that they could not use it after waiting in line for hours.
AT&T blamed problems in synchronizing the phone with Apple’s iTunes online music and software store, saying they were probably caused by too many people trying to gain access to iTunes at the same time.
“We don’t yet know the breakdown of how many phones were sold to new customers and how many existing iPhone customers upgraded, but regardless, sales during the first weekend were very impressive,” said Jeffrey Kagan, an independent telecommunications analyst.
Still, iPhone sales pale compared with those of established mobile phone makers, like Nokia, which sells almost 10 million phones a week, or the Samsung Electronics Company or LG Electronics, which each ship more than 100 million a year.
A Million New iPhones Sold in the First Weekend
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