iPhone Authors Report Sales Surge on Christmas

Whether or not the Macworld show next month — Apple’s (AAPL) last, it has announced — brings exciting new gadgets, the new year could see some rising numbers for sales of the company’s iPhone and its attendant software programs. Several authors of top-selling programs for the iPhone, distributed through Apple’s online “App Store,” report a surge in sales of their programs on Christmas day last week. To take just one example, the author of the current top-selling application for the iPhone, iFart (yes, it’s a version of the classic fart-machine sound effects box for the iPhone) reports on his blog that sales of the program, which costs 99 cents, rose on Christmas day to 38,927 from 19,520 units the day before. Numerous other authors are quoted on blog posts on sites such as Toucharcade describing 3x and 4x increases in sales on Christmas day. Apple has indicated it more or less breaks even on app sales after the cost of hosting the App Store and giving developers their cut, but the popularity of programs obviously can increase the appeal of the iPhone.

I should add that the iPhone could get some post-Christmas lift from AT&T’s (T) posting on Friday on its Wireless Web site of refurbished models of the iPhone for $99 (for an eight gigabyte model) and $199 for a 16 gigabyte model.

Apple shares Monday rose 80 cents, or .9%, to $86.61.

Comments

[Anthony Dad...:]

Yes but some of the apps selling on the app store are unreal.

Why would people buy IFART ? Apparently it has sold $40,000 worth in 2 days.

Goes to show no one can predict what people will buy.

2008 Dec 30 08:10 AM

[mollytjm:]

There's now an APP that lets you print from your iPhone...and the games are wonderful..but amazingly, so are the books and very easy to read. There are thousands of apps...most aren't only for 8 year olds (ifart).
I don't know that the cost of the iPhone itself is a limiting factor...it's more like that the fixed cost of the plan might stop some people...but i'm seeing more and more iPhones out there. It reminds me of when i first started seeing iPods. Then all of a sudden there were iPods everywhere. Having the product in Wal-mart and Best Buy, where you look at what you might have come in to buy...then see this...will increase sales a lot. Apple is cash and talent rich. It's so undervalued. I'm glad Jobs is out of the spotlight...he's a great inspiration to a talented company, but it's time we realize that it's the other brilliant people who design these products. That won't stop.

2008 Dec 30 10:37 AM