Just imagine a recently released product that has already grabbed 6.5% of the global smartphone market, behind established players Nokia (NOK) (52.9%) and RIM (RIMM) (11.4%).
Now imagine that the product is upgrading itself to a faster, 3G network that will be available internationally to almost 650 million subscribers should they choose to buy the product.
Such is the plight of Apple's iPhone. The trend towards mass adoption of smartphones has been breathtaking. The New York Times estimates that of the 2 billion cellphones sold last year, some 125 million of them were smartphones. Last year, sales of smartphones were up a staggering 60%. And in North America, the iPhone has already captured 28% of the market.
Now comes news that the new 3G iPhone - expected to drop on June 9th - is loaded. Apple has licensed Microsoft's corporate email technology, which will allow the iPhone to securely link to corporate networks using the technology. The chipset is rumored to be the the SGOLD3H from Infineon - a powerful chipset able to handle the type of 3G networking favored in Japan and Korea, WCDMA. The power and speed opens the door to a myriad of possibilities (GPS, stronger camera, more advanced video and music capabilities and applications). And of course, iPhone syncs with iTunes in a manner that competitors simply can't match.
Given the 650 million size of the potential customer base and the unique nature of the product, the iPhone's profit potential is enormous. With Apple (AAPL) stock surprising down 4.32% over the last 100 days, this might be the time to pick up some shares.