iPhone gift cards could impact up to a million units

Shaw Wu, analyst at Kaufman Bros., is anticipating iPhone sales of 6 million units for the December quarter , down from 6.9 million units sold in the previous quarter but in line with Wall Street’s expectations of between 5 and 7 million. However, this estimate doesn’t take into consideration the iPhone gift card available to purchase this holiday season. If you want to buy one, you can buy one here ; they’re available to purchase in any amount starting at $25. Wu estimates that “several hundred thousand to one million units could be impacted” by the gift card. This is good for Apple’s cash flow by collecting the revenue up front, but Apple’s Q1 earnings won’t recognize the sale of an iPhone until the customer activates it, which is expected to be after Christmas. Revenue and units won’t likely be recognized until the March quarter, so hold on tight to your Apple shares.