iPhone 5c Sales Projections to Reach One Million Units During First Day of Pre-Orders ahead September 20 Release Date, Says Analyst [Video]

By Michael Oleaga / m.oleaga@latinospost.com (staff@latinospost.com) | First Posted: Sep 13, 2013 11:27 PM EDT

Sales expectations are projected to be high for Apple's iPhone 5c smartphone, according to a new report.

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster stated the iPhone 5c could reach one million units in sales during the first 24 hours of pre-orders.

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"If the 5S were available for pre-order, we believe the number would be closer to 2 million, essentially inline with the iPhone 5 pre-order total, which was for a redesigned phone with pent up demand," wrote Munster in a note to investors, via Forbes.

"In other words, given the tough iPhone 5 comp, we see [one] million iPhone 5Cs or [two] million total for the 5S & 5C as respectable. We remain comfortable that Apple could sell 5-6 million 5S and 5C units in the launch weekend compared to 5 million iPhone 5s sold in last year's launch (20 [percent] y/y growth). We believe that Apple could sell 8-9 million between September 20 (launch date) and the end of the month," Munster added.

Forbes noted how Apple announces the number of pre-orders made. The iPhone 4 sold 600,000 units during its first day sales while the iPhone 4S reached one million units. The September 2012 launch of the iPhone 5 manages two million pre-orders in 24 hours.

"We believe people who followed tech closely and were interested in the announcement panned the 5c since it had minimal changes from the 5, but as more normal people became involved in the conversation, it appears that color matters to consumers and the 5C could be more popular among the total consumer base than some may have expected," Munster continued.

The iPhone 5c is available for $99 when buying the 16GB model and signing a two-year contract with AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon Wireless. The 32GB model will cost the consumer an additional $100.

The new Apple device features the same specifications as the original iPhone 5, such as the 4-inch Retina Display with 1,136x640 resolution, 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, 1080p HD video recording camera, to name a few. Two notable changes is the addition of iOS 7 and the color options for the iPhone 5c. The new smartphone will be offered in blue, green, pink, white, and yellow variants.

"iPhone 5c is everything iPhone 5 was and more, in an all-new design packed with great features," said Apple's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Philip Schiller. "iPhone 5c is designed with a beautiful polycarbonate enclosure that looks and feels so solid in your hand."

To pre-order the iPhone 5c from Apple's official website, click here.