CNBC poll predicts sales of 17M iPods this holiday

By AppleInsider Staff

According to the second edition of CNBC's Holiday Central survey, some 8 percent of those polled expect said they expect to buy one of Apple Computer's iPod digital music players this holiday shopping season.Based on the network's extrapolations, that means the Cupertino, Calif.-based company will likely see sales of around 17 million units.

Assuming an average selling price of $159 per iPod, Apple stands to reap $2.7 billion in revenue from the sales of the players alone, CNBC reported on the its Monday edition of "Power Lunch."

The same survey found that only 3 percent of those polled plan to buy a Nitendo Wii or Sony PlayStation 3, while just 2 percent have their sights set on Microsoft's Xbox 360.

The findings suggest that for a second straight year, the iPod will be the top selling "must have" holiday gadget.

CNBC's prediction of 17 million iPods falls smack in the middle of various Wall Street analyst estimates, which range from 14 million to 20 million units.