Contends Apple will move 5.4M iPads in Q4 alone

When it comes to iPads, analyst Doug Reid of Stifel Financial is very bullish: in addition to raising his fourth-quarter sales estimates for most iOS devices, Reid points out that among all the talked-about iPad competitors, only one is actually available for sale at present, and all are "disadvantaged by unsuccessful attempts to integrate first generation tablet hardware with mobile OSes (Android 2.2/3.0, Chrome) that remain either nascent or entirely unproven relative to Apple's nearly 4-year old iOS."

Philip Elmer-DeWitt of Fortune's Apple 2.0 blog reports that Reid sharply increased his estimate of Q4 iPad sales from 3.2 million units to 5.4 million due to "robust demand," and also predicted that the new iPod lineup would do well this holiday season, raising his target from 8.9 million units to 9.5 million sold. He kept his iPhone estimate for Q4 the same at 11.6 million units, but expects sales to rise dramatically after the new year, in part fueled by high demand in China.

Apple will report is Q3 earnings on October 18th, for which Reid predicts just over $19.1 billion in revenue. He consequently raised his target price for the stock slightly, from $350 to $360 per share.

by MacNN Staff