Apple Will Sell 50 Million iPads in 2012, Analyst Says

Apple will sell 48 million iPads this year, Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu believes—and this is his most conservative guess. Noting that speculation suggests the fabled iPad 3, which is widely anticipated to launch in March, will be a major upgrade, Shaw forecasts that most consumers wanting to buy tablets in 2012 will select Apple's.

The going rumours for the iPad 3 include a retina display, 4G-compatibility, and a quad-core processor, although Shaw wisely elected not to weigh in on the likelihood of specific features. Calling Amazon's Kindle Fire "the only real competitor in the market," Shaw is confident that Apple will retain its significant momentum through the year.

Over 32 million iPads were sold in 2011 and 15 million were sold in 2009, so 48 is indeed a very plausible—and yes, probably conservative—estimate. Apple's stock, bouyed by a market-wide rally, reached a new all-time high today.