An analyst at the independent investment bank Brean Capital has told investors that he expects iPhone sales to grow between 5% and 10% during the 2016 calendar year.
In a note provided to AppleInsider, the analyst in question, Ananda Baruah, reports his belief that Apple has sold roughly 233 million iPhones in the 2015 calendar year. He adds that a new 4-inch iPhone, rumored for formal reveal in March, should help Apple to ship a total of about 250 million iPhones next year.
In fact, the 4-inch iPhone, which he dubs a “done deal”, is here considered the primary reason for this continued iPhone sales growth. Baruah has even gone as far as claiming that what has been called the “iPhone 6C” could add up to 30 million extra handsets to Apple’s sales tally for the year.
Unsurprisingly when taking into account all of these favorable predictions, Baruah has maintained his “buy” verdict, and a target price of $170, for Apple shares. It remains unclear how close the global smartphone market is to saturation point, but the prospects for the iPhone line at least look relatively promising for the foreseeable future.