Analyst: Q3 iPad Sales to Hit 9M

Needham analyst Charlie Wolf thinks Apple’s third calendar quarter iPad sales will hit 9 million units, up from his earlier estimate of 7.5 million. He cites “unprecedented world demand” for Apple’s multimedia tablet for the higher sales estimate, along with a complete failure in the company’s competitors to eat into the iPad’s dominance.

iPad 2 sales on the riseApple may sell 9 million iPads in Q3

Apple’s competitors have “fallen woefully short in matching its features, ease-of-use and the number of applications written for the device,” Mr. Wolf said according to Forbes. “Indeed, the only risk in our forecast is on the supply, not the demand side.”

Mr. Wolf also raised his estimate for Mac shipments from 3.75 million units up to 4.25 million for the quarter.

His projections for Apple’s fiscal year are up, too. Mr. Wolf raised his profit estimate from US$23.90 up to $25, and $30 for fiscal 2012, up from $28.05.

Mr. Wolf is maintaining his “Buy” rating and $450 target price for Apple’s stock. Apple is currently trading at $335.51, up 3.47 (1.05%).