Gene Munster, the most famous Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) bull writing reports, is at it again. He reckons Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) could sell 5-6 million iPhones this weekend when it launches its two new smartphones, the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s, tomorrow. Stock is on the rise again as the company heads into its weekend sales launch of the new devices.
Munster thinks that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will sell pretty much all of the iPhone 5s models it has produced for the weekend. Munster’s base case says that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will sell 5-6 million iPhones over the weekend, including 3 million units of the iPhone 5c. Analysis from KGI Securities is even more bullish on the company. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is looking for 8 million units this weekend, with 60-65 percent of those being the iPhone 5c.
iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c sales
The iPhone 5c was not the phone that analysts were looking for. The model proposed by those who write about Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) was imagined as a China-busting $300 smartphone. The model cost more than double that in China and has brought no low end to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), just higher margins.
That means that initial sales of the iPhone are unlikely to be quite as high as analysts were expecting a few weeks ago, but Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will make more money on every unit sold. A huge amount of the fictional iPhone 5c units were expected to be sold in China. Munster is still expecting 10-15 percent of this weekends iPhone sales to come from that country.
iPhone 5s supply is likely to be constrained initially, according to Munster. His ~2.5 million units represents almost all of the iPhone 5s models that will be available this weekend. The same constraints were seen when the iPhone 5 launched last year. Almost all of the units were sold by Sunday night on launch weekend 2012.
Apple iPhone launch
The constraint on the iPhone 5s is likely due to the unit’s fingerprint technology. The new security feature will allow users to unlock their iPhone and buy products off of iTunes using only their fingerprint, but production of the technology is likely constrained because of its novelty.
The iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c will become available on Friday from 8 a.m. local time at Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) stores around the United States. Consumers will be able to order the new phone online later that day, with online orders expected to open in the afternoon.
