AT&T Reports Disappointing iPhone Numbers From First Two Days

Laurie J. Flynn, reporting for The New York Times:

AT&T said it signed up 146,000 iPhone customers, well below analyst estimates, which ran as high as 500,000 units. Shares of Apple fell more than 6 percent, closing at $134.89, down $8.81 on the day. AT&T’s shares were off less than 1 percent, closing at $39.68, a decline of 35 cents.

Apple’s stock got decked by this news. It’s not clear to me what exactly AT&T reported here; the iPhone went on sale with just two days left in the quarter, but clearly it seemed like more than 146,000 iPhones were sold over the opening weekend. Maybe this is only the number of iPhones AT&T sold itself?

We should find out more when Apple reports its earnings Wednesday afternoon.

★ Wednesday, 25 July 2007