The forecasting of mobile phone sales must be a fairly daunting task for any tech analyst, and since Apple launched their Apple iPhone 3G on July 11th and sold a million in the first 3 days, analysts have tried to formulate a reliable forecast for Apple’s expected sale over the coming year.

Quite a few analyst expect Apple to shift somewhere around 11 million iPhone 3G’s in 2008, and a further 25 million come 09. However, one forecaster, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, has forecast Apple will shift 13 million in 08 and a huge 45 million in 09.

Obviously exact final sales can’t possibly be known until all sales have been done, but apparently clues are emerging about Apple’s production plans. Word has it Apple plans to produce 40-45 million iPhone 3G handsets in the next 12 months.

Whether these figures are true Apple wouldn’t comment on, all they would confirm is they expect to reach the target goal of 10 million iPhone 3G handset in 2008.

Source — businessweek