Apple Inc. may sell more than 800,000 iPhones this quarter, beating the company’s goal of 730,000, as consumer demand for the device stays strong, UBS AG analyst Benjamin Reitzes said today.
Retail outlets of Apple and AT&T Inc., which offer the phone exclusively in the U.S., have reported “solid demand,” Reitzes said today in a research note. His estimate for sales of the device, which combines an iPod music player with a mobile handset, was “conservative,” he said.
Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs said last month he expects to sell 1 million iPhones by the end of this quarter, adding to the company’s sales of iPods and personal computers. Cupertino, California-based Apple reported 270,000 iPhone sales last quarter after the product debuted June 29.
Apple’s shares rose 26 cents to $122.48 at 9:51 a.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. The shares have increased 44 percent this year before today.
Reitzes, based in New York, is ranked second among computer analysts by Institutional Investor magazine.
