American iPhone sales fall

American iPhone sales fell and fell hard in the December calendar quarter, writes Morgan Stanley. The financial firm says that judging by survey results, Apple sold 1.75 million US iPhones in the period, a drop of 24 percent versus the 2.3 million sold in the September quarter. The figures are believed to be consistent with Street estimates, which call for 5 million in total iPhone shipments during the December span.

Figures may be somewhat deceptive however, as while the 5 million number is itself a 28 percent drop from Q3's 6.9 million, shipments are still up more than 100 percent year-over-year. The success is likely attributable to the increased distribution of the iPhone, which went from availability in less than a dozen countries to several times that amount. Similarly, the recent September quarter numbers were inflated by 2 million units in inventory.

Apple is expected to help confirm real iPhone shipments in its Wednesday results call.

by MacNN Staff