Susquehanna analyst Jeff Fidacaro doesn’t see interest in Apple’s iPhone dipping any time soon, and with the new Verizon version of the combination iPod and smartphone only days away, he expects sales to hit 76.7 million units in fiscal 2011.
Mr. Fidacaro’s 76.7 million unit estimate is up from his earlier 70.5 million unit prediction. For Apple’s March quarter, he is predicting 19.8 million iPhones will ship, up from his earlier 17.7 million estimate.
iPad sales for fiscal 2011 will hit 31.1 million, up from 27.3 million,m according to Mr. Fidacaro’s parts checks. For the March quarter, he expects Apple will ship 2 million first generation iPads, and between 4.7 and 5.1 million second generation iPads.
For Apple’s June quarter, he expects Apple will sell about 8.5 million iPads.
Apple’s second generation iPad is expected to be available some time in April, although the company hasn’t confirmed those rumors. Analysts expect the iPad 2 will be thinner with longer battery life, will include front and rear-facing cameras along with a built-in SD camera card reader, and may include GSM and CDMA 3G wireless data access support in a single model.
Mr. Fidacaro is raising his target price for Apple’s stock from US$375 up to $450. Apple is currently trading at $351.57, up 5.07 (1.46%).
[Thanks to Fortune for the heads up.]