iPhone Outsells Storm
On Wednesday, AT&T credited the sales of 1.9 iPhone 3Gs for boosting its fiscal fourth-quarter results. Attributing the profit increase directly to its partnership with Apple, the Dallas-based powerhouse reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the fourth quarter. AT&T announced 2008’s full-year earnings to be $2.16 per share, up from 2007’s earnings of $1.94 per share.
Fourth-quarter earnings reflect the success of AT&T’s partnership with Apple in launching the iPhone 3G. During the second half of 2008, AT&T activated 4.3 million iPhone 3G devices. This includes the 1.9 million activated in the fourth quarter. Approximately 40 percent of the above mentioned activations were for customers switching from another wireless provider.
Refusing to disclose details about the success of its iPhone competitor, the Blackberry Storm, New York-based Verizon released results Tuesday. According to the Wall Street Journal, Verizon activated approximately 500,000 Blackberry Storms. The iPhone’s nearly 2 million activations place the Storm’s success at a one-to-four ratio during 2008’s fourth quarter. In comparing the first quarter success of AT&T’s iPhone 3G and Verizon’s Blackberry Storm, the iPhone resulted in five times the number of activations.
"Customers across the country lined up to purchase the new BlackBerry Storm," stated Verizon’s press release. "The Storm offers customers the reliability of the Verizon Wireless 3G network and the full power of a revolutionary touch-screen, multimedia Smartphone with global connectivity."
Poor reviews and customer complaints may account for the Storm’s lackluster debut. Many reports claim that the Storm wasn’t ready for consumer use; various software bugs need to be resolved. The future of Verizon’s Storm is uncertain, while sales of AT&T’s iPhone continue to steadily increase.
According to Apple Insider blogs, the next generation iPhone may be launched as early as June 2009.