Friday, January 25,2008 @ 3:40pm
Analyst: 'unlockers' bought 838,000 iPhones
Apple reported 3.7 million iPhone sales in 2007 when the company disclosed its December quarter financial results last week, but AT&T this week announced 2 million iPhone activations in the same time period. Piper Jaffray senior analyst Gene Munster believes that the remaining 1.7 million iPhones were divided up between U.S./European channel inventory (512,000 iPhones), 350,000 sales overseas, and about 838,000 handsets sold to 'unlockers,' or customers who bought the iPhone with the intention of using a cellular carrier other than Apple's exclusive partner.
Apple holds exclusive agreements with wireless carriers in most countries where its iPhone is available, resulting in revenue sharing between the carriers and Apple itself. The Cupertino-based company just reported its best quarter in history, driven by numerous factors which include better than expected iPhone sales.