Sprint predicted to sell 1.2M iPhones in Apple's largest holiday quarter ever
The addition of Sprint as the third iPhone carrier in the U.S. would add 1.2 million sales this year, helping Apple achieve its strongest holiday quarter ever, according to one analysis.
Maynard Um with UBS Investment Research sees Sprint selling about 1.2 million iPhones in the fourth quarter of calendar 2011. Sprint is the third-largest carrier in the U.S. with 52 million subscribers, well behind market leaders AT&T, with 99 million customers, and Verizon, with 106 million subscribers.
"We believe that the addition of Sprint as a carrier for iPhone is a logical extension of Apple's strategy," Um wrote in a note to investors on Wednesday. "The company has increasingly moved away from the exclusive carrier model and has been using country and carrier expansion as one way to drive growth of its iPhone & iPad lines."
The analysis came in response to a report issued on Tuesday by The Wall Street Journal, which claimed that Sprint will join AT&T and Verizon for a mid-October launch of the fifth-generation iPhone. That timeframe is slightly later than Um had anticipated a new iPhone to arrive, but he does not expect a mid-October launch to have a material impact on Apple's bottom line for the current quarter.
Increasing iPhone sales quarter after quarter have helped to propel Apple to new heights, with record sales and profits a common occurrence. In its last fiscal quarter, the Cupertino, Calif., company sold 20.34 million iPhones, its most ever in a three-month frame.
Um expects that upward trend to continue this holiday season, aided largely by the anticipated launch of the iPhone 5 on three major carriers in the U.S. Combined with the launch of iCloud and continuing strong performances by the iPad and MacBook Air lineups, he believes the end of 2011 will be the strongest holiday quarter in Apple's entire history.
Presuming the iPhone does debut on Sprint's network in October, Um also anticipates that a 3G-capable iPad model compatible with Sprint's network will also debut in calendar 2012. He sees that as yet another catalyst to drive sales and profits even higher.
Um did not offer a prediction on Sprint iPhone sales in 2012, but analyst Gene Munster with Piper Jaffray forecast on Tuesday that the addition of Sprint will add 6 million sales over the next calendar year. For comparison, in the last quarter, AT&T activated 3.6 million iPhones, while Verizon's activations totaled 2.3 million.
Maynard Um with UBS Investment Research sees Sprint selling about 1.2 million iPhones in the fourth quarter of calendar 2011. Sprint is the third-largest carrier in the U.S. with 52 million subscribers, well behind market leaders AT&T, with 99 million customers, and Verizon, with 106 million subscribers.
"We believe that the addition of Sprint as a carrier for iPhone is a logical extension of Apple's strategy," Um wrote in a note to investors on Wednesday. "The company has increasingly moved away from the exclusive carrier model and has been using country and carrier expansion as one way to drive growth of its iPhone & iPad lines."
The analysis came in response to a report issued on Tuesday by The Wall Street Journal, which claimed that Sprint will join AT&T and Verizon for a mid-October launch of the fifth-generation iPhone. That timeframe is slightly later than Um had anticipated a new iPhone to arrive, but he does not expect a mid-October launch to have a material impact on Apple's bottom line for the current quarter.
Increasing iPhone sales quarter after quarter have helped to propel Apple to new heights, with record sales and profits a common occurrence. In its last fiscal quarter, the Cupertino, Calif., company sold 20.34 million iPhones, its most ever in a three-month frame.
Um expects that upward trend to continue this holiday season, aided largely by the anticipated launch of the iPhone 5 on three major carriers in the U.S. Combined with the launch of iCloud and continuing strong performances by the iPad and MacBook Air lineups, he believes the end of 2011 will be the strongest holiday quarter in Apple's entire history.
Presuming the iPhone does debut on Sprint's network in October, Um also anticipates that a 3G-capable iPad model compatible with Sprint's network will also debut in calendar 2012. He sees that as yet another catalyst to drive sales and profits even higher.
Um did not offer a prediction on Sprint iPhone sales in 2012, but analyst Gene Munster with Piper Jaffray forecast on Tuesday that the addition of Sprint will add 6 million sales over the next calendar year. For comparison, in the last quarter, AT&T activated 3.6 million iPhones, while Verizon's activations totaled 2.3 million.
Comments
As much as I loved the iPhone, there was just no way in hell I was going to give up that plan with a company that I was very happy with the service and coverage for over twice the price with far less minutes and data. I have an Android phone now and it really is not that bad. Had the iPhone not come to Sprint I would have gladly got a Samsung Galaxy SII. Even now I am not 100% sure that I will not because I want more detailed specs on the next iPhone before I decide. If it doesn't have at least a 4" screen, I might go with the SII. I would prefer a 4.3" iPhone but I very much doubt that would happen.
Verizon's LTE might be faster than Sprint's WiMax, but what good does it do you if you only get a 2GB limit? And it seems the iPhone 5 will not include LTE in any event so really not a big deal. Sprint is also moving to LTE in any case. Sprint is still suffering for bad service and coverage a few years back, but they really have drastically improved. The customer service is top notch now and I never get any dropped calls. Their plans are also a lot cheaper than AT&T or Verizon, and even cheaper if you know about the EPRP. But best of all they are the only remaining carrier with unlimited data. No tiers or caps, truly unlimited. I doubt that will last forever, but it is nice to have it while it lasts.
I only pay $40 a month for my SERO Premium plan
Pretty safe bet that that will stop existing the second they get the iPhone.
Pretty safe bet that that will stop existing the second they get the iPhone.
That was my thought exactly. No way they're going to let anyone wanting an iPhone to have that plan. You will keep the phone you have and your plan, but the minute you want a new phone, you'll probably have to switch your plan too.
Pretty safe bet that that will stop existing the second they get the iPhone.
I doubt that very much. It is actually a pretty new plan, they used it to get us old standard SERO @ $30 a month to upgrade our plans earlier this year. All of the current 3G only Sprint phones cost $40 but if I get a 4G phone like the EVO 3D or Photon there is a $10 surcharge for a total of $50. But since the iPhone 5 will probably only be a 3G phone I can see Sprint still making us pay that extra $10 a month since technically they do not call it a 4G fee for SERO, just a premium data charge. Sprint allows all the high end Android phones which consume as much if not more data as an iPhone on my plan, so no reason they would do anything differently with an iPhone. And even in the extremely unlikely event that they did, Sprint would still be a far cheaper option than AT&T or Verizon, so I would stick with them since I am very happy with the service.
If it doesn't have at least a 4" screen, I might go with the SII. I would prefer a 4.3" iPhone but I very much doubt that would happen.
Pretty safe bet that this won't happen. Very few people can put that big of a screen in their pockets, because most don't have pockets that big. So it's a safe bet that even if the screen size does go up, it'll go up minimally, like 3.7" but without compromising the size. To be honest, I'd prefer a smaller screen phone. But that's just me... and it's likely it won't happen either. And weren't we surviving on phones that had 2" screens half a decade ago? What's this craze for ever bigger screens? Pretty soon we'll have iPad-like devices in our pockets
Pretty safe bet that this won't happen. Very few people can put that big of a screen in their pockets, because most don't have pockets that big. So it's a safe bet that even if the screen size does go up, it'll go up minimally, like 3.7" but without compromising the size. To be honest, I'd prefer a smaller screen phone. But that's just me... and it's likely it won't happen either. And weren't we surviving on phones that had 2" screens half a decade ago? What's this craze for ever bigger screens? Pretty soon we'll have iPad-like devices in our pockets
I don't agree with that. An EVO easily fits in my pocket and I'm only 6' tall with a 34" waist, so I don't wear pants with tremendously large pockets. Once you get used to a 4.3" screen, anything smaller does seem small. I would settle for 3.9" or 4" though just to have an iPhone. And those 2" screen phones sold half a decade ago were heavier and bulkier than any 4.3" or even 4.5" phone sold today. I think the slimness of the phone is far more important for fitting in your pocket than length or width. My old Touch Pro 2 with a 3.5" screen was hard to fit because it was rather thick, especially with a case. The Evo not at all.
And those 2" screen phones sold half a decade ago were heavier and bulkier than any 4.3" or even 4.5" phone sold today.
And these were heavier and bulkier than those phones. But people wouldn't be caught dead with one today, just as people wouldn't have bought into a 2" touchscreen half a decade ago.
Pretty safe bet that this won't happen. Very few people can put that big of a screen in their pockets, because most don't have pockets that big. So it's a safe bet that even if the screen size does go up, it'll go up minimally, like 3.7" but without compromising the size. To be honest, I'd prefer a smaller screen phone. But that's just me... and it's likely it won't happen either. And weren't we surviving on phones that had 2" screens half a decade ago? What's this craze for ever bigger screens? Pretty soon we'll have iPad-like devices in our pockets
If an edge-to-edge screen can be produced, then Apple can increase the screen size to 4" without increasing the phone size (http://bit.ly/rrKpCH). But this would mean a decrease in DPI. Would Apple regress in Retina display specs?
And these were heavier and bulkier than those phones. But people wouldn't be caught dead with one today, just as people wouldn't have bought into a 2" touchscreen half a decade ago.
Yeah, but in those days, with 'em bricks, no man needed to stuff a sock in his pants.
And these were heavier and bulkier than those phones. But people wouldn't be caught dead with one today, just as people wouldn't have bought into a 2" touchscreen half a decade ago.
If that were true then why is there a market for a case that makes an iPhone look like one of those?
If that were true then why is there a market for a case that makes an iPhone look like one of those?
Because there isn't one? (A market for it. I know there's a case like that; there's no market for it.) It's a joke. It's not meant to be usable.
Yeah, but in those days, with 'em bricks, no man needed to stuff a sock in his pants.
Yep, back in the day those phones were total chick magnets anyway.