What's better than 30 million? How about 190 million. Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty has predicted that Apple is set to shatter its previous sales records in 2012, with 200 million iPhones expected to fly off the shelves.
Oddly, more consumers are expected to buy iPhones in the first quarter of next year rather than this holiday 2011 quarter. Demand for the iPad isn't weakening, either.
Santa can't touch Apple. According to several industry analysts, Apple is expected to sell 30 million iPhones by the end of December.
Carriers like AT&T are also expected to see record-breaking smartphone sales this holiday season mainly due to continued consumer demand for the iPhone 4S.
Citi analyst Richard Gardner claims in a note to clients today that the iPad 3 (or whatever its name may be) will launch in February of 2012 and will feature a Retina display:
According to "several sources" the next iPad will launch in February, and it will sport a screen with double the resolution of the current model.
As usual, these analysts' predictions should be taken with a grain of salt, as they rarely rely on any evidence. But looking at the past two years, it seems clear that the next iPad will probably launch between February and April.
Amazon recently unveiled the Kindle Fire. The new tablet has seen a fair amount of success, although it's definitely not an iPad killer. What's next for Amazon? A phone, of course!
While details on such a device are scarce, it's believed that Amazon will launch a KindlePhone in 2012. Android is expected to be the operating system of choice...
Despite the 17.3 million units pushed in the third quarter this year, Apple's iOS platform has actually lost market share to Google's Android, according to Gartner. The iOS platform made up 15% of the market, which is a 1.6% loss from last year's third quarter. This loss comes contrasts with the huge growth that Android has seen this last quarter, with the little green robot doubling its shares since last year and making up over 50% of all smartphones sold in the three-month period.
Although Apple held its ground with a significant year over year increase in sales, it's very evident that the Android platform is expanding quickly. Nokia's Symbian platform has taken a hard loss this quarter, bringing in less than half of what it did last year. RIM, also saw a 4% decrease, going from 15.4% market share to only 11% this year.
So, what does that mean for our beloved iPhone?
Ever since Tim Cook and company committed to a $37 billion dollar 4th quarter, analysts have been watching Apple's every move. The forecast is nearly $10 billion dollars above its previous quarter's revenue, which was an all-time record for the iPhone-makers.
Getting to $37 billion this quarter isn't going to be easy, even with the holidays coming up. Apple will have to sell a lot of iPhones and iPads to hit the mark. And this could prove to be extremely difficult, considering some folks believe demand for Apple's tablet is fading...
If you're still in need of an iPhone 4S, you're best shot is probably your local Apple Store. With Apple's latest smartphone selling out around the world, many are still unable to get their hands on the iPhone 4S.
According to recent industry checks, retails stores are still running out of iPhone 4S supply on a "daily basis." Apple seems to be giving supply priority to its own stores, meaning that the Apple Store should have the most available stock for customers. And even then, your chances are slim...
Steve Jobs wasn't exaggerating when he said that 2011 would be the year of the iPad 2.
With 11.1 million iPads sold in the most recent September quarter alone, Apple's champion tablet is set to eat up over two-thirds of the market before the end of the year.
Apple's iPhone accounts for 52% of the overall profits for the entire mobile phone industry, according to a new report by Cannacord Genuity analyst T. Michael Walkley. The iPhone consisted of more than half of the industry's profits in the last business quarter.
The iPhone 4S is expected to push Apple's share of the mobile industry's profits to 60% in the final quarter of 2011. According to the report, the iPhone 4S was the best-selling handset on Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint for the month of October.
Judging by the huge number of people queueing for the iPhone 4S release a couple of weeks ago, it is fairly safe to say that demand for the iPhone that analysts called a "disappointment" is still strong.
Now, one analyst is pointing to dwindling Best Buy stocks as a sign that stock shortages are creeping up on all iPhone vendors, and that demand is outpacing Apple's supply chain.
W. Baird analyst William Power told clients that during research, his company checked with a number of Best Buy stores, and many locations are running out of stock...
You would think that with an iPhone refresh on the horizon, sales for last year's model would start to decline. Why would you buy an outdated handset, when you knew that a new one would be announced soon for the same price?
Apparently not everyone followed the iPhone rumors, or if they did, they just didn't care. Because according to BGR, the iPhone 4 was still the top-selling smartphone for both Verizon and AT&T during the month of September...
Asymco has released a report that compares Apple's and Microsoft's financial earnings. Asymco's Horace Dediu compares product revenue from both companies to determine who has better financial performance.
Microsoft has its mind-boggling array of Windows products, along with multiple enterprise solutions. And there's of course Windows Phone 7. Apple has all of its 'i' hardware, software, percentage cuts from the iTunes store, Mac sales, and peripherals.
So, who is the victor in the battle for revenue? You guessed it...