Apple’s iPhone outsold Android devices 7.8:1 at AT&T corporate retail stores during the month of December, reports MacObserver. The Apple device accounted for 66% of all device sales in the period.
The Observer reports:
According to the numbers we were shown—numbers not shared through official AT&T channels—AT&T sold some 981,000 iPhones through its corporate stores in the first 27 days of December, while 126,000 Android devices were sold during the same period. Even basic flip and slider phones did better than Android, with 128,000 units sold.
Research In Motion’s BlackBerry platform is also struggling at AT&T’s corporate stores, with some 74,000 devices sold during that time frame. Windows Phone 7 is reportedly even less of a factor.
These numbers are only for AT&T’s corporate-owned fleet of retail stores. Not included are authorized resellers, online sales, telephone sales, or any any other retail outlets, including Apple. The Observer also notes that they were unable to corroborate their numbers with any official AT&T source.
As the first carrier to offer the iPhone, AT&T has been the dominant iPhone carrier in the U.S. since the device was released. AT&T has always claimed the iPhone is its best selling device. Verizon was the first carrier to fully embrace the Android platform, and collectively, Android devices there have consistently outsold the iPhone since it was offered in early 2011.
Overall, in the September quarter, Android devices outsold iPhone by nearly 2:1 around the world. Research firm comScore has published numbers showing that in the U.S., Android has 46.9% of the smartphone market, while Apple holds 28.7%.
AT&T declined comment to The Mac Observer about the story, citing the company’s official policy on commenting on sales number breakdowns.
