AfterTek

The Apple analysts are at it again, this time figuring the sales figures for the iPhone and what they could mean for Apple as a company. A survey was started in the US, UK, India, and China sometime before the iPhone was officially unveiled, so the numbers should be taken with a grain of salt. Based on this survey and prior predictions, analyst David Bailey came up with some interesting numbers regarding iPhone sales.

His prediction is that the iPhone will sell around 4 million units in 2007, and 10.5 million units in 2008, leading to roughly 14.5 million iPhones sold through 2008. According to him, sales numbers like this could mean the iPhone alone would lead to 4-5 percent revenue growth for Apple. In fact, according to Bailey, it’s going to be the “next big growth phase” for Apple.

The survey had a few other notable statistics in it, although I suspect the current numbers are different based on the details of the iPhone that came out in January. Either way, the survey suggests that the number of potential buyers is about three-quarters the size of the number of iPod owners, but about half of prospective iPhone buyers are not iPod owners. The survey also suggested 15 percent of US respondents would be willing to switch carrier in order to get the iPhone, which was ranked as the 4th most desirable brand.

If you buy into the survey results as well as the analysts’ sales and revenue growth numbers, and you cwant to get in on the action, Bailey recommends that AAPL shares be “bought on dips” before June, when the sales and thus the stock will presumably take off once more. Plus there will be plenty of Apple iPhone accessories to choose from.