After much speculation, Apple confirmed that they will unveil their next generation iPhone during an event taking place on September 12th. The invite to the press event featured a giant “12” casting an even bigger “5” shadow, so it’s pretty safe to assume that the new device will be called the iPhone 5.

Whatever Apple calls it, some analysts are confident that it’s going to be a pretty big hit. How big? Well, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster thinks that the iPhone 5 could sell between 6 and 10 million units in its first week on the market.

Apple is expected to ship the iPhone 5 on September 21st, so that means that the last week in September could be a massive week for the company.

Of course, that all depends on actual consumer excitement and any possible supply issues.

Munster says that the flurry of iPhone 5 sales during the final week in September could push total iPhone sales during the quarter to 26 to 28 million units.

Six to ten million units is a lofty goal, but not out of the realm of possibility. The iPhone 4S, seen as a transitional model by many, still sold 4 million units in its first weekend on the market. The iPhone 5 is expected to launch will a larger screen (4-inch), LTE connectivity, a nano-SIM card, and possibly a thinner battery and a smaller dock connector.

Will that be enough to drive sales that high? It remains to be seen. According to a survey from TechBargains, desire for the iPhone 5 seems to be right up there with previous Apple phones. 74% of iPhone 4 owners surveyed said they plan on buying the iPhone 5. Also planning on purchasing the device? 71% of 3GS owners, 64% of 4S owners, 38% of Blackberry owners, and 32% of people currently without a smartphone.

Last month, another analyst predicted that Apple could sell 250 million iPhone 5s over the course of its life cycle.

Will you be buying the iPhone 5?

[via All Things D]