iPhone Activations Soar At Verizon, Up 44%, Much Better Than Expected

That's a 44% jump compared to the year prior, and it's well ahead of Piecyk's estimate of 3.5 million for the quarter.

What does this mean for Apple overall? Hard to say!

The U.S. market is always a tough read for Apple overall. Here, the carriers provide subsidies to make the iPhone as cheap as Android phones. And, Apple's brand is strongest here in the U.S.

However, if you'd like some implications about what it could mean, here you go: It suggests that Apple is doing a great job fending off any challenge from Samsung.

Coming into the year, everyone was talking about Apple's slowing iPhone business, and Samsung's rise. Well at Verizon at least, Apple still has over 50% of all smartphone activations, and its business is growing nicely.

Around the world, it's a different story.

But, Apple is reportedly going to release a lower-cost iPhone. This could help it compete around the world where subsidies aren't used. The U.S. market proves that when given a choice between iPhone and Android, as long as the price is equal, people choose iPhones more often than Androids.

Apple reports earnings next week, so we'll get the full picture on the state of the iPhone business.