Many have questioned Apple’s move to secure retail space in major retail outlets around the world. Most recently, Harrods opened a huge section in its retail stores in the UK that focuses on Apple products, but before that it was Walmart and Best Buy.
According to new data mined from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), Best Buy may be selling as many iPhones as Apple’s retail stores in the US. The report states that Best Buy is selling 13 percent of all iPhones in the US; comparatively, Apple’s selling 15 percent of all iPhones directly to customers, but only 11 percent of the national sales come from its retail store. That’s pretty crazy news.
But, that’s not the biggest story in the findings from CIRP. If you’re hoping that Apple’s going to leave behind major carriers and start their own cellular network (it’s a pipe dream that a lot of people hold on to these days), you’re out of luck. AT&T has sold 32 percent of all iPhones, Verizon 30 percent, and Sprint 7 percent of phones in the US. If that’s not an indication that Apple needs the carriers to sell phones, I don’t know what is at this point.
Via: All Things D