Apple Sells One Million iPhones Over the Weekend

Cupertino (CA) - Apple announced that it has sold more than one million iPhone 3Gs over the weekend. However, it remained unclear whether that number included the phones of the second batch AT&T was already pre-selling and the number of phones that actually could be activated.

"iPhone 3G had a stunning opening weekend," said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, in a prepared statement. "It took 74 days to sell the first one million original iPhones, so the new iPhone 3G is clearly off to a great start around the world."

These numbers and especially the comparison to the first iPhone have to be taken with a grain of salt, as the device is available in 21 countries right from the start and not just one. The estimate comes in at the lower end of the scale of sales expectations, as most analysts have been predicting sales of more than one million units. Some estimates even put sales estimates into the three to six million unit range.

Given the rocky start of the iPhone with some users around even stating today that they have not been able to activate their iPhone, we are a bit surprised that Apple stays on its PR path boasting how many people actually purchased the phone. Instead of stating that the "iPhone 3G had a stunning opening weekend," CEO Jobs perhaps should have issued an apology to all those who were left with a bricked phone over the weekend.

Apple also said that more than 10 million applications have been downloaded from the company’s AppStore and a platform that now includes more than 800 applications. More than 200 applications are offered for free, Apple said. "The App Store is a grand slam, with a staggering 10 million applications downloaded in just three days," said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. "Developers have created some extraordinary applications, and the App Store can wirelessly deliver them to every iPhone and iPod touch user instantly."