One Million iPhone 3G S units sold. Jobs quoted in Press Release: the ins and outs

In a press release that is sure to surprise many, Apple released sales numbers for the first weekend of iPhone 3G S sales: 1 million units sold in a period of three days (Friday, Saturday, Sunday).  The surprise isn’t in the sales figures – it was widely expected that the updated iPhone would be a big hit – but rather with Steve Jobs being quoted in the actual press release.  This marks the first time Jobs’ name has officially come into the spotlight since the iconic CEO took a medical leave of absence in January of 2009.  But why would Apple quote Jobs in a press release if the CEO has not returned from his medical leave?  Hit the Read More button for the full TNR analysis.

Late last week, a report by Yukari Iwatani Kane and Joann S. Lublin for The Wall Street Journal stated that ”Steve Jobs, who has been on medical leave from Apple Inc. since January to treat an undisclosed medical condition, received a liver transplant in Tennessee about two months ago. The chief executive has been recovering well and is expected to return to work on schedule later this month, though he may work part-time initially.  Mr. Jobs didn’t respond to an email requesting comment. ‘Steve continues to look forward to returning at the end of June, and there’s nothing further to say,’ said Apple spokeswoman Katie Cotton.”  This report confirms earlier talks of Jobs being treated in Tennessee, most prominently – a report by Alexander Haislip of the PEHub blog, which covers the private equity and venture capital business:

I spoke with a well-connected business person in Memphis this morning who says that there is a house in a swank neighborhood there that has been bought for a princely sum and is undergoing minor renovations in preparation for its new resident.

He says he has reason to believe Apple CEO Steve Jobs is moving to the city to treat his pancreatic cancer.

Normally, I’d just throw this out as wild speculation. Except St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis happens to be one of the best endocrinology centers in the world and one of the top oncology spots for kids. If there’s one place in the U.S. with researchers equipped to tackle Jobs’ health problems, St. Jude may be it.

Just to be clear, this is a single source tip. We’ve decided not to chase it further as it’s not about VCs, but I thought you might enjoy speculating about it.

In effect, the inclusion of the quote by Jobs in the press release could be a three-pronged move by Apple:

1. To calm people down about Jobs’ surgery/liver transplant
2. Show shareholders, stakeholders, and fans that Jobs is well enough to have been paying attention to the launch
3. Reverse a defensive play: the news of Jobs getting a liver transplant came as a surprise  to many, myself included, since his medical leave was for an “unknown medical condition.”  Since some were deeply surprised about these news, Apple’s PR department might have also been caught by surprise that this has gotten out and wanted to do some damage control, just in case there was any damage.  By issuing a press release that mentions Jobs’ name along side extremely positive iPhone sales figures, it’s a one-two punch to 1) turn the perception of Jobs’ condition around as well as 2) begin the public transition to an Apple sans-Jobs to an Apple with Jobs (the end of June is just over a week away).

Why do you think Apple quoted Steve in the press release instead of another high-ranking Apple executive such as Phil Schiller (SVP Marketing) or Tim Cook (SVP Operations)?

As always, we wish Mr. Jobs good health, a long and joyful life, and – if it’s possible – at least some degree of privacy in his personal life.

Posted in Apple, Business, Decisions, PR, People, Steve Jobs, iPhone