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iPhone 5 Delay Having Little Negative Effect On Global Sales, But iPhone 5 Rumors Can Precipitate Trade-In Value Decline

Gartner Group’s “Market Share: Mobile Communication Devices by Region and Country, 2Q11″ report says that in 2011′s second quarter, Apple’s iPhone sales continued to exceed expectations, notwithstanding widespread expectation that the iPhone 4 will soon be replaced by a new model. Gartner notes that part of iPhone’s sales growth came from the 42 new carriers and 15 new countries that began selling iPhones in 2Q’11, bringing its total coverage to 100 countries. This expansion caused iPhone inventory to grow a little by the end of the second quarter, when sales to end users stood at 19.6 million units. In mainland China’s massive market, Apple is now the seventh-largest mobile phone vendor and the third-largest smartphone vendor.
Market Share: Mobile Communication Devices by Region and Country, 2Q11 is available on Gartner’s website here.

Meanwhile, OrangePR’s Ashley Halberstadt tells me that while iPhone 5 speculation appears to be the world’s new favorite sport, if you’re looking to upgrade, that rumor mills’ output can have a negative impact on the value of your trade in. “The important thing to consider,” says Ashley, “is not when the iPhone 5 will be available, but at what point you should trade in your old model.”
To help consumers make an informed decision about the timing of their trade-in, consumer electronics upgrades and trade-ins specialist firm NextWorth has looked at and analyzed past announcements and corresponding trade-in values for trends.
The data show that trade-in values of previous phone models begin to drop even before the actual announcement of the new version. It stands to reason that this is a result of the influx of rumors surrounding the anticipated announcement. Older generations show a relatively smaller decline in value, but the overall result is that when trading in, sooner is better.
To help provide you a frame of reference as to what to expect with the iPhone 5 announcement, NextWorth has put together a chart showing the decline in trade-in value of the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS surrounding the announcement and availability of the iPhone 4.

And speaking of trade-in value….
iPhone 4 Discounted To $170, Trade iPhone 3 For iPhone 4 For As Little As $19.99
Forbes and Laptop Mag are both reporting that RadioShack, which had already discounted the iPhone 4 last week, has slashed prices even deeper with a promotion that will run through August 20, to as low as $170 for the 16-gigabyte model, indicating that it’s clearing out inventory to prepare for the iPhone 5 (or whatever). Additionally, RadioShack customers who trade-in an existing iPhone 3G or 3GS can get an allowance under the Trade & Save Program of as much as $150 towards a new iPhone 4 purchase, Add in instant savings of $30 and you’ve effectively lowered the price of a new iPhone 4 to as low as $19.99.
However, note well LAPTOP Editor in Chief Mark Spoonauer’s caveat that there’s no guarantee that you’ll get the full $150 off on top of the instant savings. It depends on the condition of the your iPhone 3G or 3GS you’re trading.
Still, an iPhone 4 potentially for as little as $19.99 represents a pretty sweet value, whatever the imminent new iPhone is called, and it will run iOS 5 too.

This post was written by: Irfan Jam

Irfan Jam is a professional blogger, web designer and front end web developer. Follow him on Facebook