Apple's second quarter iPhone sales will hit the 42 million mark, coming in above the market consensus of 38 million. That high number comes from Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty who said everyone has been reading the supply chain information wrong.
42 million iPhones instead of 32? That's what Katy Huberty thinks is happening in Apple's Q2
Based on supply chain data, iPhone sales will be flat quarter over quarter, according to Business Insider. That's a misinterpretation, according to Ms. Huberty, because suppliers most likely ramped up parts production during the holiday quarter to push out extra inventory, and have scaled back some now. That could lead to a false impression that iPhone sales are dropping off.
She also sees new pricing packages from service providers as a potential driving factor in ongoing iPhone sales. Those packages may be a catalyst to drive up purchases.
To help back up her prediction, Ms. Huberty cited the AlphaWise Smartphone Tracker, which has a surprisingly good track record at predicting iPhone sales. AlphaWise has been off by 9 percent in Apple's fiscal 2013, whereas Wall Street has been off by as much as 18 percent.
Assuming she's right, Apple will be in good shape to report record earnings yet again.
Apple is currently trading at $534.53, up 3.13 (0.59%).