“The iPhone’s dead.” That’s what they said. “Android’s going to take over, and Apple’s going to be left out in the cold.” What proponents of the Android phone don’t realize is that the majority of the world lives outside of the tech-bubble, and Apple’s pre-sale numbers not only disprove early arguments from Android users, but they also pretty much sum up the argument that Android devices are geek-specific.
When was the last time you heard an Android phone selling out on a pre-order day? According to early reports, Apple’s both completely sold out of their first round of phones, and approximately 600,000 phones (On the first day) have been pre-ordered by consumers. That’s a lot of “fanboys” lining up to make a purchase before the phone is even available to take home. At some point, Android fans are going to have to realize that the iPhone is mainstream, and that Apple’s market reach extends far beyond “Fanboys,” who’ve “drank the Kool-aid.” Because we’re not exactly sure that fanboys would be able to deliver AT&T the busiest day in their history all alone.
So where’s that put the iPhone market this quarter? About 9.5 million handheld devices could be sold, and put in the hands of consumers by the end of this quarter. That’s one hell of an army of fanboys if you ask us. I don’t care what you think about the phone or the competition to the iPhone; it’s hard not to be impressed with those kinds of numbers. It’s surely an eye-opening experience for people who argue against Apple’s philosophy of the device. People don’t care about a garden being open or walled, they just want a phone that works, and clearly they think the iPhone “Just works.” Is it any surprise that Apple decided to focus on iOS at WWDC this year?
Despite all the setbacks yesterday, Apple managed to outsell their entire stock of the device, and now consumers won’t be able to get their devices shipped until July 2nd when the second batch of phones becomes available for sale. Fresh off the heels of iPad supply issues, we’re starting to wonder if those “five” international companies who were supposed to be included in the fray sometime in July will see their release dates pushed back — just like they were with the iPad. It sucks for consumers looking to buy the device, but clearly it’s a good problem to have if you’re Apple Inc.
