Apple says iPhone 6s launch on track to break record 10M sales

Posted:
in iPhone edited September 2015
After just a few days of preorders, Apple already feels confident that its forthcoming iPhone 6s series will break records, with the company stating on Monday that initial sales are already topping last year's blockbuster iPhone 6 launch.




Last year, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus sold a record 10 million units in their first three days of availability. That number is likely to be outdone by this year's iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, Apple revealed in a statement to CNBC.

"Customer response to iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus has been extremely positive and preorders this weekend were very strong around the world," Apple's statement reads "We are on pace to beat last year's 10 million unit first-weekend record when the new iPhones go on sale September 25."

Preorders for the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus began early Saturday morning direct through Apple, as well as via its carrier partners. The new devices will officially make their way into consumers' hands on their launch date of Sept. 25.

Apple is launching iPhone 6s and 6s Plus in 12 countries, including Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore, the U.K., and the U.S. That's larger than the iPhone 6 launch, which debuted in 9 countries and did not include China.

Monday's statement by Apple is likely meant to calm fears on Wall Street, where investors have expressed concerns that this year's "s" cycle upgrade may not excite consumers as much as last year's complete overhaul, which debuted larger 4.7- and 5.5-inch screens.




Apple, however, has countered by noting that most iPhone users have not yet upgraded to the larger displays of its latest models. The Cupertino company has said it sees the potential for future growth with this product cycle as consumers gravitate to the new design and form factor.

Though the iPhone 6s series looks largely identical to the iPhone 6 externally, the handset has a number of internal upgrades, most notably the addition of the new 3D Touch pressure sensing input. This is paired with the company's Taptic Engine, providing haptic feedback to give a feeling of depth when interacting with the device's display, akin to Force Touch on the Apple Watch and latest MacBook trackpads.

The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus also feature upgraded 12-megapixel cameras capable of capturing 4K video. And the devices feature an improved A9 processor sporting 2-gigabytes of RAM, faster performance, and the ability to respond to "Hey Siri" prompts without external power.

Saturday's start to iPhone 6s preorders appeared to go off largely without a hitch, aside from some minor delays once sales began. That's in contrast to long delays caused by server issues in years past.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 52
    richlrichl Posts: 2,213member

    Apple seem to have plenty of stock this year, which should help it break all records.

  • Reply 2 of 52
    The geniuses on CNBC seemed surprised by this....
  • Reply 3 of 52
    You shouldn't have said anything, Tim. Perfect time to buy back a bunch of stock. ;)
  • Reply 4 of 52
    I guarantee that sales in Australia will be down, due to the exchange rate the iPhone 6s Plus 128GB is an extra $280 than last years model.

    I usually upgrade every year but this one I might give it a miss.
  • Reply 5 of 52


    NYU - Barrons weekend - No one Talking- Huge - Barrons said Apple should be 50% higher NOW based on products and new phone plan





    Barron's story huge - 50% hear that number hear that number.

     

    CNBC talking dead heads don't know how to read . just in the Hampstons enjoying the ruling parties free parties

  • Reply 6 of 52
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post



    The geniuses on CNBC seemed surprised by this....

     

    Given that there are 3 more launch countries this time compared to last year (12 in 2015 vs 9 in 2014), one of which being China (currently the #2 iPhone market in the world), then it would be a big disappointment if they didn't exceed last year's pace.  I guess the CNBC guys didn't consider that.

  • Reply 7 of 52
    Apple nailed it with the 6S. There's something for everyone from the techies to the selfie takers that makes this both a great upgrade and a great first-time iPhone for switchers.
  • Reply 8 of 52
    It is weird that Apple issued such a statement because they would love to avoid the sale numbers such as Apple TV and Apple Watch. Are they trying to stabilize their stock price since China is dumping US debt ~

    Let's see how stock performs today :) Good luck Apple !
  • Reply 9 of 52
    damonf wrote: »
    Given that there are 3 more launch countries this time compared to last year (12 in 2015 vs 9 in 2014), one of which being China (currently the #2 iPhone market in the world), then it would be a big disappointment if they didn't exceed last year's pace.  I guess the CNBC guys didn't consider that.

    Otoh, last year's launch started on a Friday morning, as opposed to this year's which started on a Saturday. So the definition of "weekend" favors last year by 33% more days.

    The bottom line is, these statements are extremely difficult to parse for genuine comparison purposes.
  • Reply 10 of 52

    Ready to buy some more shares!

  • Reply 11 of 52

    Will Munster be off by 5 million units again this year?

  • Reply 12 of 52
    jungmarkjungmark Posts: 6,926member
    Didn't analysts say China would be delayed or China is too poor due to the currency issues?
  • Reply 13 of 52
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post





    Otoh, last year's launch started on a Friday morning, as opposed to this year's which started on a Saturday. So the definition of "weekend" favors last year by 33% more days.



    The bottom line is, these statements are extremely difficult to parse for genuine comparison purposes.



    Somewhat true. But they are not talking abut pre-orders but sell through over the first weekend. And this year the iPhone goes on sale on September the 25th. If I am not mistaken this will be a Friday as well. That being said. I think the main reason they come out with this information is that supply is much higher this year. Therefore wait times will be shorter and some analysts may be misled by this into thinking that there is less demand. Some journalists already write that rose gold is the favorite version because it has the longest wait times. Most likely Apple ordered fewer of the new color because they wanted to get an idea of the demand for it first. 

  • Reply 14 of 52
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by EricTheHalfBee View Post



    Apple nailed it with the 6S. There's something for everyone from the techies to the selfie takers that makes this both a great upgrade and a great first-time iPhone for switchers.

    Not if you believe the media. This update was ho-hum according to most announcement event articles.

  • Reply 15 of 52
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by DamonF View Post

     

     

    Given that there are 3 more launch countries this time compared to last year (12 in 2015 vs 9 in 2014), one of which being China (currently the #2 iPhone market in the world), then it would be a big disappointment if they didn't exceed last year's pace.  I guess the CNBC guys didn't consider that.


     

    Lesss days... So, hey, it all works out evenly I think

  • Reply 16 of 52
    rob53rob53 Posts: 3,241member

    I made two reservations for two iPhone 6S 64GB space gray (silver and both golds out) at an Apple Store in WA. The website says they are in stock, which I hope means will still be in stock when I pick them up Friday morning, 9/25. None of the 128GB models were left but there were still plenty of appointment times available starting at 10am.

  • Reply 17 of 52
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Dickprinter View Post

     

    Not if you believe the media. This update was ho-hum according to most announcement event articles.


     

    True, but who gives a damn what the media says. I know 3 people at work who are getting this JUST for the improved seflies (better camera and flash). Personally I hate selfies, but I realize that they are important to an awful lot of people.

  • Reply 18 of 52

    Considering AT&T's allotment of 6S +'s were sold out before preorders even went live, I bet they're on pace for a huge sell (my order was placed by 3:03 AM with an October delivery date, stupid AT&T with their tight rules on upgrades).

  • Reply 19 of 52
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Sebastian37 View Post



    Somewhat true. But they are not talking abut pre-orders but sell through over the first weekend. And this year the iPhone goes on sale on September the 25th. If I am not mistaken this will be a Friday as well. That being said. I think the main reason they come out with this information is that supply is much higher this year. Therefore wait times will be shorter and some analysts may be misled by this into thinking that there is less demand. Some journalists already write that rose gold is the favorite version because it has the longest wait times. Most likely Apple ordered fewer of the new color because they wanted to get an idea of the demand for it first. 


    You're reading too much into it (as al the media and the analysts are) when you have simply no basis to. Apple did not use the word "sell-through" anywhere. You're welcome to speculate, but don't pass it off as what "they" said (I am not sure if you mean Cook or AI).

     

    What the article above says about "three days of availability" is completely meaningless. All that matters is what Cook specifically said, and what he had in mind when he said it (he obviously has some type of calculation in mind base on pre-orders and subsequent first weekend sales, about which we have no clue). He simply said  that this year's numbers (whatever it is that he was referring to) are better. Period. Either you believe him or not.

  • Reply 20 of 52
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,382member
    Whichever way you cut it, this is fucking impressive. Don't forget there was massive pent up demand last year for a larger phone, and it was also completely redesigned which ups the wow factor.

    It's one thing to develop something like the 6S. But it's astounding how they can manufacture or in such massive quantities. At that level of quality and precision.
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