Piper: 10.5 to 11 million iPods in June quarter

Apple will have shipped between 10.5 to 11 million iPods by the end of the June quarter, say analysts with Piper Jaffray. The firm writes that based on newly-updated NPD data covering the month of May, it can back earlier predictions extrapolating from sales in the previous two June quarters. Typically, 28 percent of iPods are sold in April, 31 percent in May, and 41 percent in June.

The data is significant in that while a 6 percent sequential decline for the quarter would normally be predicted, amounting to 10 million iPods, Apple may be set for a 1 percent quarter-to-quarter increase, translating to a 9.5 percent growth year-over-year. Piper notes that concerns have surrounded Apple's ability to keep growing iPod sales in the long term.

For investors the one genuine worry is said to be ASP (average selling price), as while the Shuffle price cut helped with unit numbers, it reduced ASP from $181 in December to $171 in March, with a slight rebound to $175 in April. Piper estimates suggest that the next ASP target will be $172.

Filed under: iPod, Investor, Apple
Other story tags: iPod shuffle