蘋果(Apple)驚人的iPhone銷售沒有呈現(xiàn)放緩跡象——至少從首個(gè)周末的銷量來看是這樣。
本周一,,蘋果公司表示,,新的iPhone 6s和6s Plus從上周五開始發(fā)售以來共賣出了逾1300萬部,創(chuàng)下了首個(gè)周末的銷售記錄,。去年iPhone 6和6 Plus的首個(gè)周末銷量為1000萬部,。
新iPhone銷量增長的重要原因,可能是其首發(fā)市場的變化,。iPhone今年的首發(fā)市場包括十幾個(gè)國家和地區(qū),,其中就有蘋果最大的市場之一中國。去年,,中國不在iPhone的首發(fā)地區(qū)名單中,,似乎是因?yàn)樵O(shè)備當(dāng)時(shí)沒有獲得中國監(jiān)管機(jī)構(gòu)的批準(zhǔn)。
BTIG研究公司(BTIG Research)分析師沃爾特·皮西科(Walter Piecyk)表示,,將中國加入首發(fā)地區(qū)名單使得初始市場規(guī)模增加了一倍多,。穴鳥研究公司(Jackdaw Research)的首席分析師簡·道森(Jan Dawson)表示,他也認(rèn)為首個(gè)周末的銷量會超過去年,,因?yàn)榕c前一代產(chǎn)品相比,,新iPhone從預(yù)定到銷售相隔的時(shí)間要長一些。
這一銷售數(shù)據(jù)略微超過了華爾街的一些預(yù)測,。FBR資本市場公司(FBR Capital Markets)分析師丹尼爾·艾夫斯(Daniel Ives)預(yù)計(jì)蘋果在開售周末會賣出1300萬部手機(jī),,他表示,華爾街認(rèn)為蘋果會售出大約1200萬部,。派杰投資研究公司(Piper Jaffray)分析師基尼·蒙斯特(Gene Munster)預(yù)計(jì)銷量在1200萬至1300萬之間,。
首個(gè)周末的銷售數(shù)字在一定程度上反映了對iPhone的總體需求,是一個(gè)重要的衡量標(biāo)準(zhǔn),,因?yàn)閕Phone為蘋果帶來了大部分收入,。最初的銷售狀況也預(yù)示著新款iPhone智能手機(jī)在年終假日季的表現(xiàn)會有多好。對于個(gè)人消費(fèi)品公司而言,,年終假日季通常是最重要的銷售時(shí)段,。
瑞銀(UBS)預(yù)計(jì),蘋果在今年第四季度將會售出7840萬部iPhone,,比去年增加400萬,,而FBR資本市場預(yù)測,iPhone的銷量將會達(dá)到7700萬部,。
周末期間,,人們在一些蘋果商店前露營,以便買到新款iPhone,。這一潮流已經(jīng)變成了某種傳統(tǒng),。為了減少漫長的排隊(duì)等候時(shí)間,蘋果讓顧客在網(wǎng)上預(yù)約,,選好前往商店拿手機(jī)的時(shí)間段,。
艾夫斯表示,他周五去了位于曼哈頓第五大道的蘋果商店,,看到大約1100名顧客排隊(duì)等待在上午8點(diǎn)的預(yù)約時(shí)段,,還有500多名未經(jīng)預(yù)約而來的顧客,這比他去年見到的人多,。
在位于洛杉磯格魯夫購物中心的蘋果商店,,顧客們在華氏90度(約合32攝氏度)的高溫下排隊(duì)等候獲取自己的新手機(jī)。商店員工分發(fā)了免費(fèi)的瓶裝水,、可沛利(Capri Sun)飲料,、水果燕麥棒,并提供大型遮陽傘,。
接近傍晚時(shí)分,,主演《歡樂合唱團(tuán)》(Glee)的電視明星萊亞·米歇爾(Lea Michele)來到格魯夫取走自己的手機(jī):蘋果新推出的玫瑰金iPhone 6s Plus。(中國進(jìn)出口網(wǎng))
Apple’s iPhone juggernaut is showing no signs of slowing down — at least wher first-weekend sales are concerned.
On Monday, Apple said it had sold more than 13 million new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus devices since they became available for sale on Friday, a record for first-weekend sales. That was up from the 10 million iPhones sold last year during the first weekend that the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were sold.
Any increase in sales was most likely helped by the geography of the markets wher the new iPhones became available. This year, the iPhones went on sale in a dozen countries and territories, including China, which is one of Apple’s biggest markets. Last year, China was not among the countries that sold the iPhone on the first weekend, apparently because the devices had not received approval from Chinese regulators.
Adding China to the product introduction more than doubled the initial market size, according to Walter Piecyk, an analyst at BTIG Research. Jan Dawson, the chief analyst at Jackdaw Research, said he also expected first-weekend sales to be higher than last year because the period for ordering the new iPhones before their sale date was longer than that for the previous generation of the device.
The sales numbers slightly outpaced some Wall Street estimates. Daniel Ives, an analyst at FBR Capital, projected that Apple would sell 13 million phones on the opening weekend, and he said that Wall Street had expected that Apple would sell about 12 million. Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray had predicted sales of 12 million to 13 million.
First-weekend sales help indicate overall iPhone demand, an important measure given that the device accounts for the majority of Apple’s revenue. The initial sales also are a marker for how well the new smartphones may do during the end-of-year holiday season, which is typically the most significant sales period for consumer product companies.
This year, UBS estimates that Apple will sell 78.4 million iPhones in the December quarter, up four million from last year, while FBR predicts the sale of 77 million iPhones.
Over the weekend, people camped out in front of some Apple stores to buy the new iPhones, a trend that has become something of a tradition. To cut down on long wait times in line, Apple let people sign up online for time slots during which to pick up their phones in stores.
Mr. Ives said he was at the Apple store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on Friday, wher he saw about 1,100 customers in line for the 8 a.m. appointment slot and 500 more people walking in without appointments, which is more than he saw last year.
At the Apple store in the Grove mall in Los Angeles, customers stood in the 90-degree heat to collect their new phones. Store employees handed out free bottled water, packs of Capri Sun, fruit and granola bars and provided large umbrellas for shade.
Late in the afternoon, the “Glee” TV star Lea Michele stopped by the Grove to pick up her phone: the iPhone 6s Plus in Apple’s new rose-gold color.