It's funny how sometimes blogs and other media outlets like to pick one side because they know it'll make for a more controversial (and thus, more interesting) article. Case in point: iPhone's million sold units.
When I wrote about it, I was enthusiastic, and stated that it was a good start. Many blogs agreed that it was, at the very least, a very good result for Apple and the iPhone 3G.
Now, everyone seems to be "coming to their senses", quoting sales numbers of other mobile giants such as Nokia, LG, and Samsung. Yes, a little perspective is good, but let's not for a second think that iPhone's million sold units in the opening weekend is anything less than a stellar accomplishment.
Similarly to all those "why you shouldn't buy product x" articles which come up a couple of days after the launch, and probably due to lack of any other meaningful iPhone-related news, some are trying to convince us that a million sold iPhones is nothing special. Carlo Longino's "analysis", also quoted by Techdirt and in turn by Gizmodo brings some numbers to the plate but forgets a couple of other crucial facts, which makes it, well, totally flawed.
The points?
- Nokia sells 1.28 million handsets per day.
- 282 million handsets are sold every quarter.
Heck, before I continue, I'll add some more stats in favor of his argument:
- Apple didn't sell any iPhones, new or old, in the period preceding the iPhone 3G's opening weekend. Thus, some people were obviously waiting for an iPhone and when new ones finally came, the sales were higher.
Now, let's look at the other side of the coin.
- Apple sells only one phone, and it's a smartphone. Nokia sells everything from low-end, subsidized, 99 cents models to smartphones.
- The iPhone was basically sold out. A lot of Apple and AT&T stores would sell more iPhones if they could but they simply ran out.
- iPhone is an OLD phone. It's a slightly revised version of a year-old model. I don't know of any comparable model from any other manufacturer that will sell in 1 million units over one weekend.