Obviously when it comes to the iPhone, the iOS smartphone is a huge revenue grabber for Apple, and Apple has been raking in the buck for the iPhone ever since the first iPhone came out to play, which shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, and the fifth anniversary of the iPhone is fast approaching.

Thus according to the guys over at Tech Crunch, as that first anniversary of the iPhone is close, Strategy Analytics has worked out just how big the iPhone has been for Apple over the past five years, and their calculations take in all of the iPhone family since 2007 right up to and including the iPhone 4S.

According to the estimates, Apple has manages to shift some 250 million iOS smartphones globally, raking in a staggering $150 bullion to the Apple coffers.

Strategy Analytics also say that the iOS handset that tops the list in both terms of volume and price is the iPhone 4. But the firm also believes that although those first five years have been awesome for the iPhone and Apple, the next five years could prove to be somewhat more challenging.

Neil Mawston stated in an email, “There are emerging signs that the iPhone’s next five years could get tougher. Some mobile operators are becoming concerned about the high level of subsidies they spend on the iPhone, while Samsung is expanding its popular Galaxy portfolio and providing Apple with more credible competition.”

Furthermore Strategy Analytics also estimates that handset shipments have only grown by 4% in the second quarter of 2012, partly because of economic slowdowns in North America, Europe and Asia.

Having said that of course, Apple is expected to deliver the iPhone 5 later in the year, and no doubt the new iPhone will become just as big a hit as previous iPhone handsets, so I don’t think Apple has too much to worry about in the mobile space for a while yet.