Apple Stores Reportedly Sell Just 24% Of iPhones In US — So Who Accounts For The Bigger Pie?

A new report by Consumer Intelligence Research Patterns, or CIRP, stated that Apple Inc.'s AAPL Stores account roughly for just one-quarter of the total iPhone sales in the U.S.

What Happened: CIRP surveys iPhone buyers to assess which models they prefer and where they're shopping — crucial information that Apple doesn't share with the public — reported The Verge. 

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According to CIRP, while advertisements, anecdotes and memes suggest that customers wait in line at Apple Stores while buying the latest iPhones, in reality, carrier stores — AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile — dominate the market. 

These wireless carriers account for 67% of the sales, while only 24% of recent iPhones in the U.S. were sold directly by Apple. 

Why It's Important: For customers living near one of the 272 U.S. Apple Stores, buying iPhones directly from the tech giant would make sense. However, for other customers, wireless carriers have significantly more advantages in terms of phone sales. 

First, there are more wireless stores in the U.S. than Apple Stores and second, it's likely that most customers are comfortable buying new phones from their carriers.

This is why consumers choose their trusted carriers hile buying a new iPhone instead of Apple Stores, which often offer discounted iPhones, the report noted.  

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