Apple Said To sell 36.5 million iPhones in June quarter

Apple has been always at the top of the list and it looks like that Apple is poised to have another record-breaking quarter for iPhone sales, if a new prediction proves to be true. According to Wells Fargo Securities analyst Maynard Um, the addition of new carriers and several promotions will help drive iPhone sales to 36.5 million for the June quarter. Um predicts that Apple will have quarterly revenue of $38.2 billion, beating the Wall Street prediction of $37.9 million…

Comparatively, Apple sold 31.2 million iPhones in the year-ago quarter. As reported by AppleInsider, the company has introduced the iPhone on 16 new carriers since April, in addition to launching the smartphone in Brunei, Kosovo, Kazakhstan and Lebanon. Apple now sells the iPhone on 332 carriers worldwide, and the mid-tier iPhone 5c has certainly played a role in boosting sales in emerging countries.

Beyond the iPhone, Um sees Apple having sold 12 million iPads, 3.9 million Macs, and 1.9 million iPods in the quarter. He’s also predicted gross margins of 38.3 percent, higher than Apple’s guidance of 37 to 38 percent, along with earnings per share of $1.27, higher than the Street’s expectation of $1.22.

Despite his expectations of a record quarter, Um is still bearish on Apple’s longer-term prospects than many of his colleagues. The analyst has maintained a “market perform” rating on AAPL stock, with a valuation range of $86 to $96 per share.

Part of his reason for that is a belief that Apple will ultimately have to choose between growth and margins. He said that the remaining opportunity in the smartphone market is smaller in size and better suited to low-end products, a space where Apple does not currently compete.

What do you think ?