Market researcher iSuppli also published an aggressive sales prediction for the iPhone : 4.5 million units for the year. The firm also predicted that the iPhone, or some successor, would sell 30 million units in 2011, based on “consumer demand, Apple’s brand image, industry anticipation and iSuppli’s estimates of volume shipments by manufacturers and the market segment,” the firm said.

According to iSuppli, 1.8 percent of all phones during July were iPhones, a significant figure in what is an extremely fractured market. The iPhone launched on June 29, with several hundred thousand units sold within the first few days.

To date, no comprehensive figures have been released for the iPhone. Apple reported its second-quarter results on July 14, but those numbers included sales up through June 26, before the iPhone launched. Apple’s second-quarter results should be announced in October.

Author: Mark Hachman