Commentary
Million iPhone March: Apple's Smartphone Continues Drive To Ubiquity
- by Mark Walsh @markfwal, June 22, 2009
Anecdotal evidence of crowds at Apple stores Friday also suggested demand wasn't as feverish as for prior iPhone launches.
Adding an element of surprise, the announcement featured a quote from Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who has been on medical leave since January and whom The Wall Street Journal two days ago reported has been recovering from liver transplant surgery.
"Customers are voting and the iPhone is winning," said Jobs, in the statement. "With over 50,000 applications available from Apple's revolutionary App Store, iPhone momentum is stronger than ever." Jobs is still expected to return by the end of June. Apple also said that six million customers had downloaded the new iPhone 3.0 operating system boasting more than 100 added features. Few had predicted that the iPhone 3G S would match the million units sold out of the gate by the 3G model a year ago, especially since it was released in only eight countries, compared to 21 last year.
In another promising sign for, 12% of customers buying their first iPhone said they were switching from a BlackBerry device, up from 6% last year, according to an informal survey done by Munster. The shift could mean more smartphone users are becoming comfortable with the iPhone for corporate use.
Mark Walsh can be reached at walsh@mediapost.com
Friday's lines were deceiving, since a large number of phones were reserved online this time around, allowing folks to come stand in line at their convenience with the phone of their choice guaranteed to be waiting for them. Sunday I went by the Apple store in our local mall in New Jersey and surprisingly, there was a long line snaking out of the entrance and down the hall.