Sprint could sell 1.2 million iPhones in Q4, analyst says

Rumors began swirling on Tuesday suggesting Sprint will launch the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 4 later this year, and at least one analyst thinks Sprint could move a fair number of Apple devices. “Sprint is the third largest carrier in the US with 52m subscribers which would be a nice expansion of Apple’s addressable market in the US,” UBS executive director Maynard Um said in a note to investors on Wednesday, adding that he expects the Overland Park, Kansas-based company to sell 1.2 million iPhones. Senior research analyst William Power with Baird Research is not as convinced the phone will be a hit. While the device will fill a “gaping competitive hole,” Power believes the phone could have adverse effects on earnings due to “upfront iPhone subsidy costs.” “We suspect that many Sprint subscribers who wanted the iPhone may have already left for AT&T or Verizon,” Power added.

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