Apple Sells One Million iPhone 3Gs In First Weekend

Despite encountering a slew of activation issues, long lines, and shortages of units during last Friday's launch, Apple announced Monday it sold 1 million iPhone 3Gs over the weekend.

By comparison, it took the company over two months to sell 1 million units of the original iPhone last year.

"iPhone 3G had a stunning opening weekend," said Apple CEO Steve Jobs, in a statement. "It took 74 days to sell the first 1 million original iPhones, so the new iPhone 3G is clearly off to a great start around the world."

Apple has sold over 6 million iPhones since it entered the cell phone market last year, but it had only been selling in 6 countries. The company launched its latest touch-screen smartphone in 21 countries, and it plans to sell handsets in 70 countries by the end of the year.

Jobs has previously said he wanted to sell 10 million iPhones by the end of the year, and the strong sales number this weekend may put that figure within reach.

"It will be interesting to see how long this robust sales cycle will continue and when it will start to level off," said Jeff Kagan, a wireless industry analyst, in an e-mail. "I think selling the first 10 million of these phones, globally, by the end of the year is doable."

Announced at Apple's WWDC conference in June, the iPhone 3G improved on the original version by adding integrated GPS and 3G-network capabilities for faster mobile data access. Additionally, many consumers were interested in the updated firmware because it gives users access to the application store, as well as makes the phone capable of receiving corporate e-mails.