Apple is expected to breach the 1 billion mark for iPhone sales anytime this week. (Photo : Getty Images/Mireya Acierto)
Apple is imminently close to registering another milestone with word that its iPhone sales units are about to breach the one billionth sales mark. The new record is expected to officially happen anytime this week unless it has already happened.
According to a report from the Financial Times, analysts expect another 40 million units sold in the current quarter or roughly 13 million a month. Regardless of what comes first, the fact is that Apple will register its billionth iPhone as early as this week.
The achievement comes as welcome news, offsetting the Cupertino company’s first quarterly decline since 2003, the Wall Street Journal reported. It ends a steady run for Apple and has recently raised concerns on what Tim Cook and company will do moving forward.
At the rate things are going, Apple is expected to continue to face further drops though the fall could be cushioned by the expected release of the iPhone 7 this September. The problem here is that the upcoming flagship hardly offers promise with the device believed to be sporting similarities to the present iPhone 6s and 6s Plus.
Analysts believe that iPhone sales will continue to fall on a year-over-year basis, citing the slowing smartphone market as another potential factor, CNBC reported. For now there is no telling up to when Apple will weather the current market conditions as the Cupertino company tries to figure out how to check their skid.
The milestone is thus seen nothing more than a temporary reprieve with Apple needing to wake up to reality. Sales will technically fall for the second straight quarter and there is no telling when the spiral will stop. The change in major upgrade cycles from two to three years is unlikely to help as well.
One thing that Apple and its customers may be looking forward to is the major re-design expected for the iPhone 8, USA Today reported. Apple chose to hold off any major changes for next year, a gamble that could be costly.
At the moment, Apple is prepared to face the consequences of unraveling a less stellar iPhone 7 in a couple of months. Regardless, a small glimmer of hope is in the air that the next flagship will slow down Apple’s freefall.
The video below weighs in on the upcoming iPhone 7 and its impact on Apple sales.
