iPhone Sales to Surpass 71 Million in Holiday Quarter: Analyst

Apple is projected to sell more than 71.5 million iPhones during the holiday quarter, with the “regular” 4.7-inch iPhone 6 accounting for the majority of sales, forecasts well-connected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities in a note to investors and obtained by AppleInsider.

If we can believe Kuo’s projections, iPhone shipments will grow 82% quarter-over-quarter. The most popular version will be the iPhone 6, accounting for more than 60% of all sales in the fourth calendar quarter. Kuo estimates that Apple will sell 41.65 million of these units alone.

The iPhone 6 Plus will surpass the 15 million mark, but as the analyst highlights in his note, short supply doesn’t equal high demand. He has also heard that Apple is having manufacturing issues.

Nearly all iPhone model sales will see quarter-on-quarter contraction save for entry level iPhone 5C and iPhone 4S variants, which are tapped to grow 77.3 percent and 58.2 percent, respectively. Kuo expects promotional pricing will drive iPhone 5C demand, while the three-generation-old iPhone 4S numbers suggest Apple is marketing to emerging markets.

On the other hand, according to Kuo, the iPhone sales curve will record a notable drop in the first calendar quarter of 2015, due to poor off-season demand. After the 71.5 million for the holiday quarter, Kuo predicts sales of a combined 49.4 million units. This includes 21.6 million iPhone 6 and 10.6 million iPhone 6 Plus units.