It's all too easy to get caught up in the microanalysis of holiday sales trends. Analysts and investors can sometimes seem to consider a few weeks' sales an ironclad harbinger of a company's longevity. Apple
The most recent stats come from France Telecom's
In reality, all this week-to-week tracking means little in the long run. Scrutinizing Orange's French sales, or how they pale next to sales for AT&T
Consider that it took Research In Motion
At this point, investors in iPhone-selling wireless carriers should care more about customer conversions than total sales. For instance, Orange states that 48% of iPhone buyers are new to its network. This means that the iPhone is helping Orange take a significant number of customers from SFR, the No. 2 wireless carrier in France.
And the iPhone really doesn't matter to Apple right now anyway. We already know the iPhone is a success, but we won't know just how successful until a few more generations of the device come out -- not to mention competing devices from the likes of HTC, Nokia
We're still in the first inning of a long game here, folks. The iPhone has held up very well on its first release, establishing a firm footing in the market. For now, Fools shouldn't draw too many conclusions beyond that.
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