UBS nearly doubles forecast for AT&T iPhone activations
updated 03:55 pm EDT, Tue September 7, 2010
Prospect of Verizon sales lays on horizon
A UBS analyst, John Hodulik, has significantly raised an estimate for how many iPhones AT&T will activate by the end of the September quarter. The number has has almost doubled from an earlier forecast, shifting from 2.5 million to 4.5 million. During the recent June quarter, AT&T activated roughly 3.2 million iPhones. The iPhone 4 only launched in the US on June 24th though, giving the model little chance to have an impact on Apple's latest financial report.
The September quarter may thus be an opportunity to gauge the real popularity of the newest hardware. For AT&T however, the period may be one of the last in which it can count on the iPhone to fuel profits. Verizon is expected to become a second US carrier in the next several months, possibly as soon as January. An exclusive arrangement between Apple and AT&T is believed to be expiring in the near future.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2001
activations vs. new subscribers
Bear in mind this is just the number that is bought (which Apple would tell you anyway), not the number of new users who bought an iPhone vs. the normal "Gotta upgrade immediately!" crowd.