An analyst with RBC Capital Markets says Apple may sell as many as 14 million iPhones in 2008 and as many as 8 million this year.
Those paying attention will remember that Apple's goal was to sell 10 million in 2008 (antler tip to Daring Fireball). RBC's Seeking Alpha is off on the numbers, though. The 10 million figure does not include 2007. Tim Cook's verbiage in the quarterly conference call is somewhat confusing, but Apple's stated goal is really to sell 1 percent of the cell phones sold in calendar 2008, which they say will be 10 million units. Of course, that's using 2006 numbers. The market should reasonably be larger by 2008, so Apple may be trying to have it both ways, hoping to come in with at least 10 million and hopefully 1 percent.
But they should beat that as RBC's analysis expects. With the sales figure coming close to 1 million already, 8 million this year certainly seems doable to the horned one what with the holiday buying-each-other-crap-we-don't-need season still ahead.
Meanwhile, a survey of 200 iPhone owners says 50 percent switched from another carrier.
But the Macalope's sure those competitors are still breathing a sigh of relief the iPhone launch wasn't really successful or anything.