Apple Inc. said Monday that it sold more than 1.7 million iPhone 4s in the first three days since the device went on sale, fueled by current iPhone owners upgrading their phones.
While the iPhone has enjoyed early success, some analysts believe that sales could have been even stronger had Apple had more phones stocked. In an acknowledgment of a shortage, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said, 'We apologize to those customers who were turned away because we did not have enough supply.'
Overall, the iPhone 4's early sales were significantly higher than the one million units that Apple sold of the previous iPhone model, the iPhone 3GS, in its first three days last year. In his statement, Mr. Jobs called the latest i Phone's sales 'the most successful product launch in Apple's history.'
The iPhone 4's early sales include preorders for the device through Saturday. Apple said it took advance orders for more than 600,000 new iPhones world-wide on June 15, the first day it opened for preorders, the most ever taken by the company in a single day.
The iPhone 4, which starts at $199 and has a higher-resolution screen than its predecessors and other improvements, went on sale in the U.S. and four other countries last Thursday. Throngs of enthusiasts lined up at Apple stores and other retailers world-wide to be among the first to get the gadget. Sales didn't appear to slow even after reports of antenna reception problems, which Apple said could be solved by getting a case or changing the way users hold their phones.
In total, Apple has sold more than 50 million iPhones since it introduced the first model in 2007. Wall Street is expecting the latest model to help Apple sell about 37 million iPhones in the fiscal year ending in September, up nearly 79% from 20.7 million a year earlier.
Earlier this month, Apple admitted to problems manufacturing the white version of the iPhone 4. U.S. carrier AT&T Inc. also stopped taking new orders on the first day of preorders, citing processing problems.
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