In another sign consumers were waiting for the new iPhone 4S, AT&T Thursday said iPhone activations dropped in the third quarter. However, since Tuesday, the carrier announced 1M iPhone 4S units were activated, making it the company’s best-selling Apple handset.
The first U.S. carrier to offer the iPhone in 2007, the Dallas-based company now is the only to offer the iPhone 4S with “4G” speed. Still unknown is how Verizon’s subscriber numbers were affected by Apple’s addition of Sprint as a U.S. iPhone carrier.
A possible clue is the apparent return of contract subscribers during the third quarter, after dipping upon Verizon Wireless gaining the iPhone earlier this year. The carrier announced a net gain of 384,000 contract subscribers after reporting a first-quarter gain of just 62,000 contract customers.