Sales of Apple Inc. smartphones will be high during the Christmas period and will reach a record high in fiscal year 2025, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives predicts.
Ives believes that hundreds of millions of people around the world will upgrade their iPhones to the latest model with built-in AI functions in the coming months. According to his estimates, almost 300 million iPhone owners have not updated their smartphones in the last four years or more.
According to the analyst’s forecast, sales of new iPhones in the current fiscal year, which will end in September, will reach a record 240 million units. The consensus forecast of experts surveyed by FactSet suggests that this figure will be 207.6 million iPhones, Market Watch writes.
“We believe that the success of iPhone 16 sales this holiday season will be the beginning of a revival in Apple’s growth over the next 12-18 months, given the current quarter,” Ives said in a note to clients.
The AI features of the new iPhones are not yet available in China and many other countries, but they may be launched in April, Ives said. At the same time, the company can name its new technology partner in China.
The expert estimates that almost 100 million iPhones in China may be updated this year.
Ives is confident that Apple will become the first company to exceed $4 trillion in capitalization, and he expects this to happen in early 2025. Currently, Apple’s market value is $3.86 trillion, up 32.6% since the beginning of this year. The company’s shares rose 0.1% in pre-market trading on Tuesday to $255.6.
Ives reiterated an “outperform” recommendation for Apple shares and a $300 price target.
