Will A Record iPhone Sales Weekend Finally Silence Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s Skeptics?

Additionally, as a counterpoint to the record-breaking tale being woven by Apple and much of the press, it should be noted that the forthcoming launch will include Apple’s second-largest market, China, which last year’s launch did not. Therefore, it is actually to be somewhat expected that Apple should break last year’s records, as global sales would have fallen quite dramatically if not. To further that point, pre-orders from China have reportedly been very strong.

All told, that may account for why shares have only made marginal gains today, despite the positive headlines blaring across news outlets. That continues the market’s tepid reaction to the new iPhone models in general, as well as the other products unveiled during Apple’s event last week, which included an iPad Pro with a 12.9-inch screen that also boasts an optional smart keyboard and stylus (both of which are sold separately), and the latest version of Apple TV, which will now run music and gaming apps, the latter point being seen as a potential death knell for the console gaming industry by at least one iOS developer. Jeff Smith, CEO of Smule, told Forbes “It’s game over for console (sic). It truly is. It’s Apple opening up this second big market. I think they’ve now opened up the home for the first time.”

Suffice to say that the console industry has been prematurely marked for death umpteen times and yet continues to thrive even as mobile gaming has also steadily and exponentially grown alongside it. Until Apple TV can play Destiny or the Final Fantasy VII remake, it poses no threat to consoles and doesn’t promise any great new revenue stream for Apple in its gaming capabilities alone.

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