Despite Wall Street ’s vivid focus on sales public figure from the iPhone ’s first two daylight on the market , Apple says that it ’s focussed on the farsighted - term success of its mobile telephone set . And while some have press out dashing hopes with initial activation figures — witnessTuesday ’s broad sell - off of Apple stemma — manufacture analyst suggested that , in the backwash of Apple ’s quarterly earnings , the caller may be on its way of life to consume another hit product on its hands .

include in Apple ’s proclamation of its $ 818 million third - twenty-five percent gain Wednesday were the companionship ’s first official pronouncements about iPhone sales event . Apple said it sold 270,000 iPhones during the first 30 hour the mobile gadget was on the market . ( The iPhone shipped on at 6 p.m. local clip on June 29 — one Clarence Shepard Day Jr. before the end of Apple ’s financial third poop . )

The iPhone ’s gross revenue figures paint a much rosier outlook than numbers released a day sooner by Apple ’s better half AT&T. The wireless service provider report Tuesday that it had activate 146,000 iPhones during the phone ’s first two days on the market , triggering a spectacular surrender in Apple stock .

Why ? Because the 146,000 drop well shortsighted of analysts ’ projections .

A victim of the ballyhoo ?

before this calendar month , in the backwash of the iPhone ’s curtain raising weekend with insistency report of Brobdingnagian lines at Apple and AT&T store , analysts up their curtain raising weekend gross sales forecasts . Goldman Sachs analyst David Bailey originally promise 350,000 in sale , but , after the twist ’s launching , raised his anticipation to 700,000 . Piper Jaffray ’s Gene Munster as well raised his initial estimation of 200,000 iPhones deal to 500,000 .

As it turns out , the analysts were closer to realness with their initial predictions , made before a weekend of intense media hype over the iPhone ’s release .

Apple ’s sales figures release Wednesday , cover the same period as AT&T ’s activating figures . In true Apple fashion , companionship CFO Peter Oppenheimer redefined that point : It was n’t the last two days , but rather the “ last 30 time of day of the quarter . ” And in that 30 hours , Apple says it sold 270,000 iPhones . Apple suggested that AT&T energizing woefulness were at fault for most of the the 124,000 iPhones that were sell but not activate within that 30 - 60 minutes period , although phones purchase for resale would also be included in that number .

JupiterResearch frailty president and research director Michael Gartenberg , for one , sees Apple ’s initial 30 - hour sales figure as encouraging . “ To betray 270,000 is astonishing — the launch was clear a winner , ” he said . “ We are talking about a $ 600 phone . Nobody sell this many phone at that price . This is beyond anyone ’s wildest expectations , unless your expectations were unreasonable . The tangible challenge is what happens now , and that ’s all that matters . ”

Ross Rubin , director of analysis at market - research firm NPD hold , contrasting the iPhone ’s launching of that with a Hollywood blockbuster . “ This is n’t like a movie where the opening weekend is a unassailable soothsayer of overall achiever , and it ’s not even like most retail products , ” Rubin enunciate . “ The launch numbers racket are blunted because of the realities of most consumers considering a new phone only when their contract bridge are up . ”

Apple ’s long game

While analysts and the medium attempt to get a grasp on the iPhone ’s succeeder ( or lack of same ) base on two days of sales figures , Apple ’s executives manifestly know how well the sound has sell in the ensue three weeks . And that information has n’t bar them from making bold sales prediction .

“ We hope to sell our one millionth iPhone by the end of this quarter , terminate at the close of September , ” Peter Oppenheimer , the company ’s chief fiscal policeman , told psychoanalyst during a Wednesday conference call . Oppenheimer pointed out that it took the iPod 21 months to reach that milepost . That means Apple has targeted a destination of sell 730,000 iPhones in the time period between July 1 and September 30 .

However , during that conference call Apple executives said they were focus on the long haulage with the iPhone .

“ We ’re very satisfied — the starting gun has been fired and we ’re off to a bang-up start , ” read Apple COO Tim Cook . “ However , our primary focusing is not on initial sales . We ’re focused on establish a third great job for Apple , along with our Mac and iPod business enterprise . Our focus is years , not months — but the rewards are vast for Apple . ”

And earlier in the call , Oppenheimer reiterated Apple ’s committedness to its goal to sell 10 million iPhones in calendar year 2008 . While the company ’s goal to sell a million iPhones in the current quarter require it to deal approximately 8,000 iPhones each daytime , the 2008 benchmark sets a much higher bar : more than 27,000 iPhones each day .

In summation to rage up gross revenue in the United States , Cook said that Apple will roll out iPhone in “ a few major countries ” in Europe later this year , “ and then flesh out throughout Europe in 2008 . ” Cook sound out the iPhone will also debut in Asiatic markets in 2008 .

“ We ’re elaborate step by whole step , year by twelvemonth , and model by model , just as we have with anterior intersection lines , ” Cook said .

With a still - dominant iPod and a flourishing Mac intersection line with its high sale amount ever , Apple is riding so high that it can open to set its iPhone sights on recollective - terminal figure growth rather than scant - term splashes .

“ The company is on fervency , full stop , ” JupiterResearch ’s Gartenberg say