iPhone sales put shine on Apple share price

Apple's stock soared to a record high today amid analyst reports that sales of highly profitable iPhones easily rocketed passed $US300 million ($A351.68 million) after its US launch.

Apple shares were up nearly five per cent, rising to $US127.17 when the New York Stock Exchange closed. The price slipped a fraction to $US126.82 in after-hours trading.

Investors were evidently reacting to reports from analysts that from 310,000 to 700,000 iPhones have been snapped up since the devices began selling on Friday and that the profit margin on the devices is estimated at 55 per cent.

Apple and US telecom giant AT&T, the exclusive iPhone service provider, did not disclose sales figures "for competition reasons".

"In its first weekend we sold more iPhones than in the first month of any other wireless phone AT&T ever offered," AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel told AFP. "That's how good it's been. We are simply not releasing figures."

Nearly all of AT&T's 1,800 stores were sold out of iPhones by yesterday and new stocks were en route, according to Siegel.

The touch-screen devices, which combine internet, telephone and iPod-like music and video play, are sold at Apple and AT&T stores and at Apple's online store.

An eight-gigabyte iPhone is priced at $US599 ($A702.19) and a four-gigabyte version is $US499 ($A584.96).

Among the hordes of people that raced to get iPhones are those that tore them apart to figure out which companies supply parts and how much the devices cost to make.

Research firm iSuppli reported today that it dismantled an eight-gigabyte iPhone and determined Apple paid approximately $US266 ($A311.82) for the parts.

The iSuppli analysis pegs Apple's iPhone profit margin at 55 per cent, even more than the 40 to 50 per cent it makes off each iPod MP3 player.