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Ticonderoga: Aluminum iPhone 5 is happening, launch to ‘shatter’ sales records

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 7:30PM EST
BGR

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Despite rumors, leaks and punditry that now suggest a worst case scenario — no iPhone 5, just an iPhone 4S and an entry-level iPhone 4 — Apple will indeed unveil the mythical aluminum unibody iPhone 5 on Tuesday that will “shatter” Apple’s previous smartphone sales records. In a note to investors on Monday, Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White wrote that Apple has a blockbuster in store for consumers this fall, with unprecedented demand that will result in Apple’s biggest launch ever. Read on for more.

“We expect the iPhone 5 to get a makeover with a sleek, aluminum unibody enclosure that more closely resembles the MacBook Air than the iPhone 4, which will not only prove more aesthetically pleasing but also stronger, lighter and avoid the back-side “glass breaks” of last year,” White said. “With this new enclosure, we believe this will provide Apple with the opportunity to expand the display size by at least one half of an inch to 4 inches and hopefully bigger. Apple will clearly need to upgrade the processor speed to at least a Dual Core 1.2GHz to match the Samsung Galaxy S II, while upgrading to a 8 mega pixel 1080p camera that is now also on the Galaxy S II.”

The sleek new Apple smartphone will have consumers drooling like no iPhone before it, White believes, and the result will be astronomical opening weekend sales. “We believe Apple will benefit from pent up demand and will shatter the 1.7 million iPhone 4’s sold in the first three days last year,” the analyst stated. “Additionally, the iPhone is now sold to a record number of carriers (228 carriers at end of 3QFY11 vs. 154 at end of 3QFY10 during the iPhone 4 launch) and can operate on CDMA networks, and we believe China will play a more important role as well. We also expect Apple to be more aggressive in rolling out the iPhone 5 to international markets during this launch versus prior years, similar to what was experienced with the iPad 2.”

White reiterated his Buy rating on Apple stock with a price target of $666.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.