An analyst with mergers and acquisitions consulting group Finvista Advisors believes Apple will ship a total of 26 million iPad units during this quarter.
Sameer Singh carried out his projections for Apple's tablet lineup based on historical cues. The second and fourth quarters have usually been the well-performing ones for the iPad, while the fourth quarter traditionally seems to be the strongest.
Due to the fact that Apple has typically unveiled each year's new iPad unit during the second quarter, it's not a surprise that consumers contribute to an increase in sales in the fourth quarter. This year's most recent quarter, however, saw Apple releasing both the iPad Mini and iPad 4.
Singh said his projection for total iPad shipments could have been 22.7 million had the iPad Mini not been released. Based on his data, the analyst believes shipments of the tablet to range between 24 and 26 million this quarter. The iPad Mini will be responsible for 6 million to 7 million of that figure, while all other models combined -- the original iPad 2, 3, and 4 -- will account for the remaining 18 million to 19 million.