AT&T Pre-Announces 'Best-Ever' iPhone Sales in 4Q 2012

attlogo375wideAhead of its official earnings release for the fourth quarter of 2012 later this month, AT&T today announced that it sold over 10 million smartphones during the quarter, including "best-ever" sales of both iPhone and Android devices.

“We had another incredible quarter of smartphone sales as the mobile Internet continues to drive strong growth in wireless,” said Ralph de la Vega, president and chief executive officer for AT&T Mobility. “These are the industry’s most valuable postpaid subscribers with average revenues twice that of non-smartphone subscribers. During the quarter, we averaged more than 110,000 smartphone sales a day as customers flocked to our leading portfolio of the latest Android, Apple and Windows devices.

AT&T's previous best quarter came in the fourth quarter of 2011, when the carrier activated a total of 9.4 million smartphones with 7.6 million of them being iPhones.

Apple is expected to report a strong holiday quarter when it releases its earnings on January 23, buoyed by a full quarter's worth of iPhone 5 sales and fresh updates across much of the rest of its product lineup.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Wednesday October 1, 2025 1:26 pm PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, and Safari. More features and changes will follow in future versions,...
iPhone 17 vs Air and Pros Feature

New iPhones See 'Stronger Than Expected' Demand With One Exception

Thursday October 2, 2025 7:26 am PDT by
Nearly two weeks after the iPhone 17 series launched, analysts at investment banking firm Morgan Stanley said demand for the devices has been "modestly stronger than we originally expected," based on a combination of extended shipping estimates on Apple's online store and information it gathered from Apple's supply chain. There has been strong early demand for the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro,...
space black mbp

Here's Every New Apple Product That Leaked Yesterday

Wednesday October 1, 2025 8:27 am PDT by
A handful of upcoming Apple products leaked yesterday, through a combination of YouTube videos out of Russia and U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) documents that were released, despite Apple's confidentiality requests. The leaked products include an iPad Pro with an M5 chip, as well as updated MacBook Pro and Apple Vision Pro models. All of these devices had already been rumored...
Apple 2025 Thumb 1

Apple's 2025 Product Roadmap: What's Still Coming

Wednesday October 1, 2025 3:56 pm PDT by
Apple's two big yearly events, WWDC and the iPhone launch, are done and over with, but there are still some new products that we're expecting to see before the end of the year. Apple TV The Apple TV hasn't been updated since 2022, so it's due for a refresh. It doesn't look like Apple is going to change the design of its set-top box, but we can expect a faster chip Apple code suggests...
macbook air prime day 2025

M5 MacBook Air: Release Date, Features, and Performance Predictions

Friday October 3, 2025 3:39 am PDT by
The MacBook Air is Apple's most popular laptop – a thin, fanless machine that wields quiet power thanks to the efficiency of Apple silicon. While the M4 model isn't exactly old, attention is already turning to its successor. Apple doesn't telegraph new product launches ahead of time, but we can draw a surprisingly clear picture of what to expect by looking at Apple's silicon roadmap,...
Tim Cook Rainbow

Apple Event in October? Here's What to Expect

Monday September 29, 2025 9:31 am PDT by
Apple's annual iPhone event is in the rearview mirror, but rumors suggest the company plans to release a handful of additional products before the year ends. Will there be another Apple event this October? We discuss the possibility below. Apple in October Apple's most recent October events were in 2021 and 2023. In 2022 and 2024, Apple did not host an October event. Instead, it...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro teal 1

Apple's iPhone Driver's License Feature Now Available in 11 U.S. States

Tuesday September 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Apple recently revealed that the feature would soon be available in North Dakota, and starting today, the feature has officially gone...
iPhone 17e Feature 1

iPhone 17e: All the Rumors So Far

Thursday October 2, 2025 4:55 am PDT by
Earlier this year, Apple released the $599 iPhone 16e – a budget-friendly late addition to its iPhone 16 series and a replacement for its long-running entry-level iPhone SE line. Given the iPhone 17 lineup has now launched, can we expect an iPhone 17e anytime soon? If you're holding out for a more affordable device with the 17 moniker attached, here's everything we know so far about the...
iOS 26 Everything New Feature

26 Hidden iOS 26 Tricks to Change How You Use Your iPhone

Wednesday October 1, 2025 9:16 am PDT by
Apple released iOS 26 in mid-September, bringing a range of new features and changes to iPhones across the globe. But not all of the included improvements have been showcased with Apple's typical fanfare, and many are likely to have been overlooked. Below, we've highlighted 26 lesser known additions and enhancements that could potentially change how you use your iPhone on a daily basis. Got...

Top Rated Comments

ozziegn Avatar
166 months ago
9.4 million smartphones with 7.6 million of them being iPhones?

gee, I guess the proof's in the pudding. iPhones still outsell Android garbage by far. (at least with AT&T)
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
samcraig Avatar
166 months ago
9.4 million smartphones with 7.6 million of them being iPhones?

gee, I guess the proof's in the pudding. iPhones still outsell Android garbage by far. (at least with AT&T)

It means that iPhones outsell Android and Windows phones.

There are several Android phones which are not remotely "garbage"

----------

BTW - the article headline is misleading

We don't know if ATT's iPhone sales for this quarter were best ever for the iPhone - we just know that ATT's smartphone sales were best ever
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kdarling Avatar
166 months ago
Carriers will always find a way for something to be "record sales", whether it's over a weekend, quarter, hour, whatever :)

The main thing to keep in mind, is that while they give total smartphone sales, AT&T never reports the number of iPhone sales... they only report the number of iPhone activations, which results in a more impressive figure.

Activations include hand-me-down and resold iPhones. They also include all the new iPhones, of course, no matter which model (5, 4S, 4) they are.

Often AT&T will add something like "the majority of activations were the new model XX", which could mean anything from 34%-99% of the three models being sold.

--

As for old phones, historically, if the incoming iPhone is a rehash model, the percentage of old device activations is only around 11%, as people don't upgrade as much for incremental changes.

OTOH, if the new iPhone is a very desirable style change or software addition (like Siri), people are quicker to get rid of their old phones, and the fallout used activations can be over 20% of the total on AT&T.

-- For example, when the 4S came out, AllThingsD and CIRP Research found:


* 79% of iphone sales on AT&T were upgrades.
* 49% of those upgrade buyers sold/gave their old phone to someone else.
* 87% of those old phones were likely activated by the new owner.
* ========
* 33% total (87% of 49% of 79%) of sales result in a used activation

So for every three new iPhone 4S sold+activated on ATT, one used iPhone was also activated... or 25% of the total eventual activations. That's an impressive used market, but it also meant some of the headlines about 4S "sales" were way off if they just relied on activation count.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
samcraig Avatar
166 months ago
Seeing that the iPhone just recently surpassed over 50% marketshare in the U.S. for the first time ever and Android continued its slide to 40%, I would find it hard to believe this wouldn't be reflected in AT&T's sales since they sell more iPhones than any other U.S. carrier.

I wouldn't argue that point. That being said - the title of this article and any reference to the fact ATT has stated as such at this point is not accurate.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
samcraig Avatar
166 months ago
Since when is looking for factual information being a Debbie Downer? If no one cares - why associate my desire for the actual fact with being "depressing"

Assumptions can be made in any direction - they are assumptions.

FYI - the past doesn't equal the present and future. Just because historically it's been 80 percent doesn't mean that's a given....

Okay, Debbie Downer, choose to assume the downside. No one really cares if they did or didn't, but why wouldn't anyone just assume they did?

I'm not picking random numbers. The iPhone has always pretty much been 80% of AT&T's smartphone sales. Let's also look at recent reports of Apple pushing past 50% US marketshare and knocking Android down to just over 40%.

You're absolutely right, we won't ACTUALLY know until AT&T releases ACTUAL numbers, but in the meantime, why would you assume otherwise?


Honestly, Samsung NEVER releases ACTUAL numbers and yet no one has a problem believing what all the analysts say with regards to their #1 marketshare.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Macboy Pro Avatar
166 months ago
Since AT$T is making money hand over fist with the iPhone, why don't they do something for a change and treat their customers right like giving them the truly unlimited data they are paying for.

----------




AAPL was up in the pre-market and opened on session highs yet the gains were cut in half as of now, just a little under 45 minutes since the market opened.


Sorry but do they CAP your data? or do they throttle you over a certain amount so that you get what you are paying for with your 2007 unlimited data plan. You are paying for 3G speeds, not LTE. I suggest AT&T let you have 3G unlimited, at the 1mb or less you would have gotten in 2007.

I get 35-40mb/s regularly on AT&T LTE network in Tampa. Should I be allowed unlimited data on the cellular network at that speed. If they did, it would crush the network.

I am flipping sick of clueless people who moan and complain when they can't get stuff for free.

AT&T is clearly investing in faster LTE networks which is not free...
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)