iPhones sales could beat the iPod this holiday quarter
How many iPhones do you think Apple will sell during the holiday quarter? A lot. OK, but that's not a number.
Kevin Dede, an analyst with Brigante Advisors, pulls out a crystal ball and predicts that the number of iPhones that Apple will sell over the coming quarter could be as high as 24 million.
"Positive device reviews in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Boy Genius Report all of which noted the better-than-expected performance of Siri, Apple's voice-activated digital assistant (a working manifestation of artificial intelligence), and in concert with record setting pre-orders (separately, bolstered by broader distribution, of course) leave us confident that today's 4S release should be met with fanfare typical of new Apple product," Kevin Dede, an analyst with Brigante Advisors, wrote in a note to investors Friday.
That 24 million number is significant. Why? Because it tops, by a significant amount, the number of iPods that Apple sells during a typical holiday quarter. Here's some data for you, I've highlighted the holiday quarters:
Can Apple pull this off 24 million sales? Well, it's not as big of an achievement as you might think because Apple shifted over 20 million iPhones last quarter. Here's some more data for you:
For completeness, here are how many Macs Apple sells per quarter:
Bottom line, I think that Apple might be able to sell more than 24 million ... perhaps breaking the 25 million figure. Apple's not managed to sell 25 million of anything in a quarter before, but it could be Apple's lucky quarter.
The takeaway ...
- The appeal of the iPod has been diminishing for years now, and Apple knows this.
- Moving the iPhone launch to October pushes it into the holiday quarter
- A new iPhone just in time for the festive spending jamboree is likely to be on a lot of people's wishlists
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