Analyst firms may not agree on exactly how many iPhones Apple will sell this year, but they all seem to agree that the number will be a big one. We're talking more than 3 million by the end of 2007, which eclipses Jobs' hoped-for number of 1 million by a mile. But just who is it that's interested?According to Solutions Research Group, the people most interested in buying an iPhone are 31, male, college educated, earn more than $75,000 a year, and probably live in either California or New York. Of course, that's just the average person. Solutions also found that the iPhone is appealing to users across all age ranges, from teens to the over-50 segment. Apple is so confident, that it is planning to have 3 million iPhones ready for sale on the 29th.

This wide appeal is probably the reason firms like Pipar Jaffray predict that Apple will sell 3.2 million iPhones this year, and 45 million in 2009. Them's some big numbers. "While this may seem like a bold prediction, we believe a number in this area is not as far of a reach as some may think," said Piper analyst Gene Munster. "Specifically, to reach iPhone units of 45 million, we believe the product will have 7.0 % handset market share in North America and 2.8% handset market share in the rest of the world."

While I may not be lining up to get one myself on June 29th, you can be sure that I am going to at least do a drive-by of the local AT&T and Apple stores to see just how many people are. I'll probably bring my video camera and do on-the-spot interviews just for the heck of it. I wonder what sort of circus it will be...