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iPhone sales set to PLUMMET: Bleak times ahead for Apple

Dismal start to 2015 on the cards

Tech analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted Apple will face a grim start to 2015 with iPhone sales plummeting by up to a third.

Kuo, of analyst outfit KGI Securities, has predicted that iPhone sales will surge ahead of Christmas, reaching a height of a total of 71.5 million units for the fourth quarter.

Yet after the Christmas crackers have been pulled and Auld Lang Syne has been sung, Cupertino will face a bleak midwinter as predicted shipments dwindle to a comparatively measly 49.4 million units in the first quarter of 2015.

The analyst also hinted that Apple's supersized iPhone 6 Plus could be a failure when compared to the iPhone 6. The iPhablet will shift just as half as many units as its normal-sized cousin, the analyst indicated.

Kuo said: "We attribute the shortage of iPhone 6 Plus partly to less smooth production than iPhone 6. Moreover, while iPhone 6 Plus attracted greater attention when it was launched, we think more consumers will prefer iPhone 6 as they can operate the handset with one hand. Eventually, iPhone 6 shipments will outperform those of the iPhone 6 Plus model."

Currently, the iPhone 6 is outselling its larger cousin by three to one in the US, according to figures released by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners.

It would be mean of us to not point out that the beginning of the year is a bad time for consumer goods which are not discounted in the January sales. Apple has always been allergic to reducing the price of its stock, although it is known to hand over Black Friday offers ahead of the festive season. ®

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