X

Apple to sell 107 million iPhones in 2012, analyst says

The analyst, Bill Choi of Janney Capital Markets, says Apple's shipments could hit 84 million this year, and grow another 27 percent next year.

Don Reisinger
CNET contributor Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
See full bio
Don Reisinger
2 min read
The next two years could be big ones for Apple's iPhone, an analyst says.
The next two years will be big ones for Apple's iPhone, an analyst says. Apple

With Apple's iPhone event just a day away, one analyst says the smartphone's shipments could reach new heights, according to a report.

In a recent note to investors, Janney Capital Markets analyst Bill Choi wrote--according to AllThingsD, which obtained a copy of the document--that Apple will ship 84 million smartphone units this year alone. Next year, iPhone shipments will reach as high as 107 million units, Choi said, according to AllThingsD.

So far, it has been another successful year for the iPhone. In Apple's fiscal second quarter ended March 26, the company sold 18.7 million iPhones. In its fiscal third quarter ended June 26, iPhone sales hit 20.3 million.

Choi reportedly said that the iPhone is currently shipping to 105 countries and 228 carrier networks. However, because Apple has yet to ink key deals with other major carriers, including Sprint and T-Mobile in the U.S., as well as China Mobile, there is still a major opportunity for growth.

Related stories:
• Apple iPhone shipments to hit 95 million in 2011?
• Apple to sell 149 million iPads in '15, researcher says
• Apple suppliers eying strong quarter from iPhone 5

Choi isn't the only person who's bullish on iPhone shipments. In August, DigiTimes cited sources who claimed Apple was planning to ship as many as 95 million iPhones this year.

But it's not just the iPhone. Last month, research firm Gartner said it believes Apple will ship a whopping 149 million iPads in 2015. In 2012, the research firm says, Apple could ship 69 million iPads.

For its part, Apple, which will announce its fiscal fourth quarter earnings later this month, has not commented on how many iPhones or iPads it expects to sell this year.

Much of Apple's success in the final quarter of calendar year 2011 relies on what the company will announce tomorrow at its iPhone event. As usual, Apple has been tight-lipped on its plans for the future of its smartphone, but the latest rumors suggest the company will unveil two new iPhones at the event.

Apple did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment on Choi's comments.