How many iPhone 7 and 7 Plus phones sold in the first weekend? Nobody can say because Apple isn’t sharing iPhone 7 sales figures yet. That said, sales of Apple’s newest model smartphone are as strong as iPhone 5s, 6S and 6S Plus for the first weekend, though not as strong as iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. The chart below shows the data in more detail.
Apple iPhone 7 sets sales records, carriers say – CNET – https://t.co/8Z6BfGH1aX #charlesmilander
— Charles Milander (@charlesmilander) September 13, 2016
iPhone 7 Sales Are Strong
iPhone 7 sales figures for the first weekend haven’t been released. They will likely never be released. This is the first time the Cupertino company has kept first weekend iPhone sales numbers close to the vest since the first iPhone hit stores in the summer of 2007. Apple took the step toward sales secrecy because, according to an Apple statement, they are “now at a point where we know before taking the first customer pre-order that we will sell out of iPhone 7.” In other words, Apple purposefully keeps the initial production run low, so they know in advance what the first weekend sales numbers will be.
Related: How Much Money Has Every iPhone Made?
iPhone 7 Sales by Market Share
If Apple isn’t releasing the data, how do we know anything about iPhone 7 sales? Market share. What is known is the market share held by each iPhone at the present time. That means we know that as of 9/19/16 the iPhone 7 represents 1% of all iPhones currently in use. The iPhone 7 Plus makes up 0.2%. That’s according to data from analytics firm Localytics. The company also pointed out that the iPhone 5S commanded the same percentage after its first weekend in 2013. So did the iPhone 6S in 2015. The only iPhone in recent years that has done better than the iPhone 7 in its first weekend was the iPhone 6 with a 2% market share.
Is iPhone 7 Sales Secrecy a Good Idea?
Apple’s stated reason for keeping iPhone 7 sales a secret during the first weekend sounds logical. The company says that since they set the production of the phone and since they know it will sell out each time, there’s no need to release sales figures. Still, at least one important segment of the population doesn’t seem to be buying it: investors. Investors are a data-hungry bunch, and they don’t like being kept in the dark even in an empty, padded room. The Apple stock price timeline below shows the company’s share price during August and September. The midrange peak of $108.36 came on September 7th, the day before Apple told the world it wouldn’t be sharing first weekend numbers. The company’s stock fell about $5 per share after that announcement. Not to worry, as the stock rose again by more than double that amount by the weekend.
iPhone 7 Sales: Lots of Room to Improve
With iPhone 7 sales about equal to most other iPhones in recent memory, there’s at least a decent chance the phone will sell similarly in the future. The chart below shows current market share held by previously released models. The iPhone 6 is still king with 31% of the market, followed by iPhone 6S with 21% and iPhone 5S with 15%. Whether the iPhone 7 will end up with a slice of the Apple pie as big as its 6S younger brother remains to be seen, but its first weekend numbers at least are currently on par.
