Reports: iPhone Sales Surpass 500,000

While declining to give a specific number, AT&T said over the weekend that it had nearly sold out of its entire stock of iPhones, while Apple Stores were reportedly not far behind.

An analyst with Piper Jaffray said that 500,000 phones had been sold nationwide over the weekend, and other reports indicated that the highest concentration of sales came from the western US.

The biggest sales were centered in the San Francisco Bay area, although much of the rest of the state of California saw high sales as well. Major cities such as Las Vegas, Miami, and Oklahoma City had depleted their stocks.

Various reports, as well as BetaNews' own observations, indicate that AT&T's retail locations had a far smaller stock of the devices than Apple Stores. In one case, a store in Ashburn, Virginia with a line of more than 80 people waiting for hours only received about 14 iPhones.

Regardless, AT&T was offering "direct fulfillment" ordering options to those that may have missed the initial chance to get their hands on the device. An AT&T employee told BetaNews on Friday that these orders would take priority over replenishing stores' stock.