Receiving praise and punches in equal measure this week, the eight-day old news of the arrival of the next generation Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) smartphone culminates with its sales on Friday.
The iPhone 7, even before its physical acquisition by consumers, has already sold out globally. So we know how many have been sold on Friday, on Thursday.
Specifically, initial quantities of the iPhone 7 Plus have sold out globally as Apple prepares to roll out its new gadget in stores, the company said.
Supplies of the larger size of Apple's new phone have been exhausted in all shades, and the smaller iPhone 7 has also sold out in the new jet black colour, the company added.
But breaking with tradition, the company will not release first-weekend sales of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, saying the figure is more a reflection of supply than demand.
That kind of news helped the largest US stock’s market value burgeon some $50bln this week amid broadly positive product reviews and strong pre-order sales of the iPhone 7 and phablet version iPhone 7 Plus.
Despite initial fears, it seems investors are becoming more optimistic about Apple’s latest offering.
Not only has Apple’s nine-month high shares dominated the gainers on the Nasdaq index for days, it has also contributed to spillover gains on the industrial powerhouse Dow Jones Industrial Average too.
One of the new features of the iPhone 7 is the headphone jack-less design.
It’s one of the most controversial decisions. Instead of wired headphones Apple will ship the phone with a pair of Lightning EarPods - which connect through the charging port - and wireless Apple AirPods, powered by a W1 chip.
But not everyone is convinced that removing the 3.5mm headphone jack is a good idea. Not least of all because the jack can have many other applications and powers a lost list of hardware already.
And to turn it on its head, Sony said on Thursday it has no plans to market a smartphone-based headset, according to the head of its gaming division, who told Reuters the company is focusing on expanding content for its dedicated virtual reality headset into non-gaming areas.
Apple shares were 3.3% higher at $115.50 in late Thursday trading.