Apple projected to reach 116M iPhone, 55M iPad sales in 2012

Analyst Michael Walkley with Canaccord Genuity expects that combined iPhone and iPad sales in calendar 2012 to reach more than 170 million in another record breaking 12-month span. He sees 2012 being another banner year for Apple, with sales of 116.4 million iPhones and 54.6 million iPads. Walkley believes that iOS mobile operating system share will reach 18 percent, and will take the second place behind only Google's Android with 51.9 percent on sales of 335.5 million handsets.

"We believe Apple sold through at least (12 million) iPhone units in the U.S. market during the December quarter," Walkley wrote. "With some channel inventory built for the new 4S, we believe the U.S. market could exceed (14 million) iPhones sold into the channel during the December quarter."

Walkley said that in December the iPhone 4S was the best selling smartphone at all three carriers where it is available: AT&T, Sprint and Verizon. Samsung had the No. 2 selling smartphone at all carriers. Outside the U.S., Walkley said that Apple's iPhone is also seeing strong market share gains in countries such as Brazil and Russia.

As for the iPad, Apple's market share to dip to 52.4 percent in 2012 on sales of 54.6 million. Walkley projects that the greatest gain in tablet market share in 2012 will have Amazon with the projected 10.3 percent growth in 2012. Now the iPad 2 is the top selling global tablet with the newly released Amazon Kindle Fire its closest competitor.