All Articles Tagged production numbers

Everybody has been playing the guessing game on how many iPhone 3Gs Apple has sold. The numbers have been pitted at 11 million this year and 25 million in 2009 on the low end and 13 million this year and 45 million in 2009 on the optimistic side. Well according to people familiar with Apple’s production plans, it looks like Apple is preparing for the high end of the spectrum, upping their yearly production to around 40 million.

As it stands, Apple is pumping out 150,000 iPhones a day which roughly equates to 39 million a year (5 days a week, 52 weeks a year). Apple should have no problem selling these iPhones because of the international rollout and the Best Buy initiative, greater availability leads to more sales.

What does need to be fixed is the activation process, analysts deem the current process as the bottleneck that limits efficiency. Analysts are also pointing at a cheaper iPhone model to be announced during Macworld. That’ll certainly help Apple reach its ambitious goals.

We at TiPb think it’s entirely feasible to reach 40 million by 2009. Even after the initial hype subsides, there are still plenty of new markets to reach. If the iPhone begins to come in colors, new models, and more polished apps the iPhone 3G will continue to stay fresh for a long while. Now if Apple ever decided to sell the iPhone online again, well then, 40 million will be easy as pie. What do you think?

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Michael Arrington over on TechCrunch turns his attention to how the iPhone production numbers crunch, and comes back with:

Foxconn, the Taiwanese electronics giant that produces the iPhone 3G for Apple, has ramped up production to 800,000 units per week, says a source close to Apple with direct knowledge of the numbers. This is “above current full capacity” and there may be some concerns with quality control.

Steve Jobs originally, and famously said Apple would move 10 million iPhones in 2008. With the above production, however, that’s 10 million a quarter — 40 million a year! Crazy. And what with 22 countries about to become 42 and eventually 70+ by years end, and reports of cracks in the plastic backing of the new iPhone 3G already filtering in, could quality control be any more important right now?

Here’s hoping Apple sells a ton of iPhone’s this year. And here’s also hoping quality assurance numbers are just as high.