An analyst believes the iPhone 5 will sell 8 million units during its opening weekend.
Piper Jaffray Gene Munster analyzed lines at Apple stores in the three major US cities. “Based on the large crowds, he thinks Apple is capable of selling 8 million of the iPhone 5 this weekend, which is the mid-point of his expectation of between 6 million and 10 million sales,” reports AppleInsider.
Apple traditionally announces sales figures for the first three days of an iPhone launch the following Monday. If that pattern stays true, Apple is likely to tout record breaking opening weekend sales of the iPhone 5 with a press release on Sept. 24.
Fanfare surrounding the iPhone 5 launch along with positive reviews of the device from technology press has given Munster confidence that Apple can sell 49 million iPhones in the December quarter. The only caveat, he said, is whether Apple can make the phones fast enough to meet demand.
Piper Jaffray’s team had counted that 775 customers were present in line for the iPhone 5 on Friday at Apple’s Fifth Avenue store, representing a 70 percent increase from last year for the iPhone 4S.