Economic Calendar

Sunday, October 9, 2011

AT&T: IPhone 4S Preorders Broke Sales Records

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By Adam Satariano - Oct 8, 2011 7:08 AM GMT+0700

AT&T Inc. (T) received more than 200,000 preorders for the iPhone 4S in 12 hours, marking the company’s most successful debut yet for the Apple Inc. (AAPL) device.

There has been “extraordinary demand” for the new iPhone, the Dallas-based carrier said today in a statement. AT&T, along with Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel Corp. (S), provide service for the phone.

The rush of orders signals that there’s pent-up demand for the new model, which followed the previous version by 16 months -- longer than usual. Apple unveiled the iPhone 4S at a press conference earlier this week, pricing it at $199, $299 and $399, depending on the features. The device comes with new voice- command features and a higher-resolution camera.

It also has an A5 chip that will make graphics seven times faster than the old processor and an “intelligent antenna system” for improved call quality. The phone works with both CDMA and GSM wireless standards, and users will have up to 8 hours of talk time on one charge.

The new model will be the first Apple product release since the Oct. 5 death of co-founder Steve Jobs. The iPhone represents the company’s biggest source of revenue, accounting for nearly half of its sales. For the first time, the device is available from all three of the largest U.S. carriers. The other two, Verizon and Sprint, haven’t disclosed preorder sales.

Shares of Cupertino, California-based Apple fell $7.57, or 2 percent, to $369.80 today. The stock has risen 15 percent this year.

To contact the reporter on this story: Adam Satariano in San Francisco at asatariano1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Tom Giles at tgiles5@bloomberg.net



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