Apple’s upcoming iPhone 5 could be the company’s biggest coup to date. FBR Capital analyst Craig Berger believes Cupertino will manage to sell as many as 250 million units over its lifecycle. 

To put things in perspective, Apple recently announced that it sold 365 iOS devices worldwide and that figure includes five iPhone generations, along with millions of iPads and iPod touch media players. Berger reckons the ASP for the new iPhone 5 will be about $575, generating $144 in revenue and $47 billion in net income for Apple.

However, this time around the key to success will not be hordes of Apple fans lining up in front of US and European stores to pick up the new iPhone. China’s emerging middle class is the next big frontier for Apple, provided China’s new middle class consumers don't go broke like their counteparts in the west.

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