New York - AT&T said it activated 146,000 accounts for new owners of Apple's iPhone in the two days after its launch on June 29, a number that was fewer than had been forecasted and which sent shares of AT&T down slightly and Apple shares 6% lower on Tuesday.

AT&T is likely to have sold more devices than were activated, both due to some confirmed activation problems early on, and consumers looking to resell the devices.

"They likely sold many more phones than they activated," Cross Research analyst Shannon Cross told Reuters. "That being said, the Street was probably around 250,000, so it's maybe a bit light."

However, AT&T reported that 40% of iPhone activations were from new AT&T customers, who were required to sign two-year contracts with the company.

Total first-weekend iPhone sales are expected to be released along with an earnings report due Wednesday from Apple, which also sells the iPhone in its retail stores.

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/22bwzp (Reuters)

http://tinyurl.com/3xrz28 (Bloomberg)

http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_6451578