It looks like the perennially popular iPhone is growing more popular still. According to a note from Cowen and Company analyst Timothy Arcuri, experts are forecasting that Apple will ship a whopping 41.5 million iPhone units in the current quarter. That represents an increase of more than one million units from the same quarter last year, indicating that retailers continue to believe that the Apple smartphone will fly off the shelves.
However, Arcuri also pointed out that sell-through of these units (which means, the number of phones actually bought by customers) could go down, noting that last June, Apple had a “4 million unit channel inventory drawdown.” Regardless, confidence in Apple seems as robust as ever, as investors suggest that Apple will earn $44.9 billion in revenue this quarter, which again represents an increase from last year’s figure of $42.4 billion.
Perhaps much of this goodwill stems from the anticipation surrounding Apple’s highly anticipated iPhone 8, which is slated to make its debut later this fall. For the 10th anniversary of the now iconic handset, Apple is expected to go all out, and you can check out all the rumors and news we’ve been rounding up here.
Apparently, experts are expecting what they call a “super cycle” for this new iPhone, with a great deal of hype surrounding its release, along with its new features and new design. And even though it will likely be six months before we can actually get our hands on the iPhone 8, Arcuri thinks that the mere announcement of the phone in September of this year will be enough to send the market and investors into a frenzy. Indeed, Arcuri “sees the handset being a ‘powder keg’ for sales and the company’s stock price,” according to Apple Insider.
So if you’re looking for a time to buy into Apple, it seems like you might want to beat the fall rush.
