With the iPhone 5 about to come out, the predictors have taken their magic calculator machines out to guess how many phones Apple will sell following the release. And expectations for the next iteration in the iSeries are higher than the already high standards set by last year's new iPhone. The 4S broke records, selling more than 1 million Siri-equipped gadgets within the first 24 hours, and over 4 million after the first weekend, which was double its predecessors three day figures. All the people who sooth-say in this department suggests this update will be even bigger, with some suggesting (perhaps too enthusiastically) these sales could save the U.S. economy. True or not, the wild predictions have driven Apple's stock to its most valuable company of all time status. Here's what the people expect. 

First day

• 1.3 to 1.5 million. "Given that the iPhone 4S received over 1 million pre-orders in the first 24 hours, we expect at least 1.3 million to 1.5 million pre-orders for the iPhone 5," Topeka analyst Brian White told AllThingsD's John Paczkowski.

First weekend

• 5 to 5.5 million. "Assuming supply chain constraints aren’t a major issue and the seven country rollout ensues, we believe at least 5 million to 5.5 million iPhone 5’s can be sold in [the first three days]," White added. 
• 5 to 6 million. "We expect five million to six million to be a reasonable estimate of first-weekend sales for the iPhone 5," Raymond James director Tavis McCourt added to Paczkowski.
• 6 to 10 million. "There is no question iPhone 5 will be the largest consumer electronics launch in history," Piper Analyst Gene Munster told AllThingsD. Though, word is Munster thinks 8 million is the number. 

First week

• 7 to 10 million. Janney's Bill Choi told CNN Money's Philip Elmer-Dewitt. 
• 8 to 9 million. Atlantic Equities' James Cordwell also told CNN Money. 
• 10 million. Munster predicted that figure to AdAge "by the end of September," which is about a week if Apple starts selling the iPhone one week after its expected announcement tomorrow. 
• 10 to 12 million. White, again, this time talking with Elmer-Dewitt. 

Through 2012

• 8 million. The Wall Street Journal had this from JP Morgan yesterday, though Slate's Farhad Manjoo thinks it was a mistake, noting Apple sold 37 million phones last holiday quarter. As of now, WSJ still has the same figure up. 

Ever

• 200 million. BGR had Asymco analyst Horace Dediu with that number at the beginning of August. 
• 250 million. By the end of August that number had climbed by 50 million, with FBR Capital analyst Craig Berger citing that number to AllThingsD's Packzkowski.

We won't know anything for sure until Apple makes the device available. But too-high expectations can hurt the gadget maker. So, it might want to try and break records, again. 

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