Why did Apple release iPhone 5 close to Q4 ending, and as a result, split the revenues between Q4 & Q1? That’s unlike the iPhone 4S’s release, which had its enormous impact solely on their previous Q1 results.

Why did Apple release iPhone 5 close to Q4 ending, and as a result, split the revenues between Q4 & Q1? That's unlike the iPhone 4S's release, which had its enormous impact solely on their previous Q1 results.

Asked by Anonymous

That’s correct, the iPhone 5’s financial impact will be split a bit between Q4 (being announced on October 25) and Q1. Still, most of the impact will be in Q1. I’m not sure the exact closing date of Apple’s Q4, but it was around September 30, which means roughly nine days of iPhone 5 sales would have been counted (including the 5 million sold in the first weekend).