Blackfriars' Marketing

Thursday, June 28, 2007

iPhone Buzz breaks 10,000 with more than 24 hours to go until launch


[Click on the above image for a larger version]

In the last 24 hours, Google News has found 10,100 stories containing the iPhone, the highest value in the last two weeks. I fully expect those numbers to go higher as we go into the weekend.

Business 2.0 has a blog entry claiming that all this buzz has been a windfall for bloggers, generating millions of dollars in new ad revenue for sites writing about the iPhone. Based upon Blackfriars results, we're not seeing that claim in practice -- our Adsense and affiliate income is about what it was back in January before the iPhone launch, despite somewhat higher traffic. Go figure.

Apple has announced that it will be keeping all Apple stores open until midnight on Friday and will provide free iPhone workshops and one-on-one iPhone training starting on Saturday. The release also notes that Apple retail stores in the US will open an hour earlier throughout the summer to accommodate increased traffic due to the iPhone. Somehow, it doesn't sound like Apple expects the iPhone boom to stop after this weekend.

ZDNet's Russell Shaw has a pretty good analysis of why Apple is requiring a few Apple Store employees to sleep over at each store overnight. It's not just for security; it's to accept those armed guard iPhone stock deliveries from FedEx in the middle of the night when the crowds will be lighter or at least asleep. Sounds like good attention to logistics detail to me, lining up nicely with the plans at some malls to bring in portable restrooms for the people waiting in line.





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