Numbers Game: Apple Manipulating iPhone Stock To Boost Interest?

The news that Apple has sold over 1 million iPhones during the weekend it launched is impressive considering the same feat was achieved in 74 days for the 1st generation model. But let’s take some things into account here, last year’s numbers were for the U.S alone until Apple seeped supply into Europe. This time around Apple has 22 launch countries padded with iPhones and that 1 millionth sale doesn’t look too hot considering that Apple reported 270,000 sales the first weekend last year.

The figure of 270,000 is derived from Apple’s 3rd quarter earnings statement and only reflects U.S. based sales and is extremely high considering that only about 72 days later, the millionth iPhone would be sold. Fast forward to today and that number has long been surpassed but the hype completely diminishes once we acknowledge our friends in foreign borders, oy mates! When you crunch it down, roughly 50,000 iPhones were sold in each country that weekend which resulted in short supply. Even if supply numbers fluctuated in each region, it’d be hard to measure up to last year’s numbers. Apple recognized that the only ones gunning for an iPhone 3G were the desperate hold outs crying for faster Internet connectivity and of course GPS. Well it got packaged it one nice piece of plastic and glass goodness but those die hard late adopters seem so few in number in the US when held up against the low amount of iPhones sold. Even a price drop is not enough to sway purchasers, that $200 slashed off is immediately negated once a contract termination fee is violently extracted from you.

AT&T has a hand in it too, the pivotal part of the iPhone 3G is the much awaited faster Internet connection. For that to be pulled off, coverage needs to be far reaching from bum fuck nowhere all the way to where EDGE coverage exists. Sadly AT&T has yet to expand the 3G loving all across the US and coupled with a spotty GPS, it’s no wonder not every user is clamoring to upgrade. Those fully covered in the wireless department obviously reap the benefits but for us stuck on the other side, all we can do is stand back and grovel at those bits going multitudes faster to their iPhones and not ours.

Through it all Apple continues to drum up hype with two simple words: sold out. Even though shipping in iPhones hasn’t kept up with demand due to a decreased order count, consumers gain interest the more this is mentioned. It gives the impression its doing successful but when compared to last years numbers it’s not on par and there isn’t much incentive for current adopters to upgrade. Instead Apple is hoping to attract new purchasers by drumming up excess hype for the latest generation iPhone by controlling and limiting supply.