RIM sees no slowdown as analyst questions 10M iPhone target

Apple has a goal of selling 10 million iPhones by the end of 2008. RIM (Research in Motion), maker of the competing device, the Blackberry, just announced that its smart phone business has remained untouched, even with the addition of the iPhone in the market. Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi thinks that Apple target of selling a large quantity of iPhones is “optimistic.” With an average of 180 000 units a week in the fourth calendar quarter or 2007, the future looks bright.

Mr. Sacconaghi says that he company will sell 7.9 million units if they don’t make any major changes to their business strategy. If Apple does hit its target of 10 million phones, it will earn somewhere between $1.1 billion and $1.3 billion in deferred subscriber revenues over two years. One thing I’d like to add is the fact that Apple does get paid each time someone subscribes with one of their carriers. We’ve written about various ways to jailbreak your iPhone, and with this only getting easier, Apple will earn less. Overall RIM still feels confident that the iPhone won’t effect their business.

Via [AppleInsider]