SAN FRANCISCO — Apple Inc. notched more than 4 million sales of its new iPhone 4S in its first three days of availability, a record for the company and a strong start for the device as competition continues to heat up.
Throngs of customers lined up Friday at Apple retail stores around the world in hopes of being among the first to get the iPhone 4s, the latest iteration of the company’s smartphone. The handsets initially went on sale in seven countries. In the U.S., Apple added new carrier partner, Sprint Nextel Corp. Analysts say the strong sales give the company momentum heading into the competitive holiday season.
“This certainly puts them on a pace for a strong quarter of sales,” said Tavis McCourt, a Morgan Keegan & Co. analyst, who expects Apple to record 27 million iPhone sales globally this quarter. Spokeswomen for Sprint, Verizon Wireless and AT&T, the three U.S. carriers with rights to the iPhone, declined to provide sales details for the weekend.
The iPhone continues to be a key driver of growth for Apple, which sold more than 20 million units in its third quarter. The phone represented nearly half of the company’s overall revenue.
Ian Sherr and Greg Bensinger, Dow Jones Newswires
