The era of AT&T iPhone exclusivity may be dismissed as a time full of dropped calls and dinosaur-like competitiveness, but the period marked dramatic change for the Cupertino, Calif. company. Once known for its Macs and iPods, Apple received nearly 40 percent of its 2010 revenue from iPhone sales, generating $45.6 billion, according to the company in September.
Analysts on average are predicting Apple will report next week selling 15.78 million handsets for the previous quarter, the last period Verizon iPhone sales won’t be included in the mix. And just which analysts are best at predicting iPhone sales? A new ranking of professional and amateur analysts was released, showing the am’s tend to score better than the pros.
For instance, Horace Dediu of Asymco was judged by Venezualan amateur Daniel Tello to have the best track record over the past three quarters. Dediu believes Apple will report selling 16.16 million iPhones worldwide during the quarter ended Christmas Day. Of professional analysts, Yair Reiner was highest ranking, expecting Apple to announce 15 million iPhones were sold during the previous three months.
If history is any judge, I’d bet on the amateurs to pull off another spot-on prediction. Who’ll be correct? Tune in Tuesday, Jan. 18 to learn the official numbers from Apple.
[Fortune]
