Apple iPhone sales discrepancy with AT&T activations is overblown

January 31st, 2008 | Category: Products and services, Apple

It seems that market analysts and pundits can’t stop pulling out their anal selves from the woodwork to distress about possible sales discrepancies amoung Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL)’s iPhone sales numbers and accompanying AT&T, Inc. (NYSE: T) iPhone activations. Some have even pointed out what I sign the one million plus unit discrepancy.

Is that speculate discrepancy way off the mark? Analyst Ezra Gottheil thinks so. There is some market fear that Apple’s iPhone sales not assembly up with AT&T’s iPhone activations means that Apple stands to lose out on two years worth of revenue on those “missing iPhones.” Apple’s sweetheart deal with AT&T gives the tech company a cut of every AT&T iPhone customer’s monthly bill, you see.

Does

Apple stand to lose future revenue streams by selling iPhones that are not activated by AT&T customers? certain — but it’s not a huge financial affect to the company according to Gottheil. Although fairly a few iPhones have been rumored to have been sold, unlocked (using multiple hacking methods) and used with non-AT&T wireless carriers, these numbers have not been wholly verified by either Apple or AT&T. Has AT&T stockpiled unactivated iPhones that represent Apple’s sales numbers and AT&T’s lower iPhone activation numbers? That’s highly doubtful. Until a solid explanation comes forward, is it that big of a deal to Apple pundits? For the day being, it seems so.

Original post by Brian White

Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.