Rumor: Supply chain expects Apple to grow Mac production in second half of 2015
Apple's Mac orders with suppliers have remained constant, and are expected to increase overall during the second half of the year, heading into the lucrative holiday shopping season, according to a new rumor out of Apple's supply chain.
Citing its usual unnamed supply chain sources, Digitimes reported on Thursday that suppliers expect Mac sales will be greater in the second half of 2015 than they were in the first six months. While the publication has a poor track record on predicting future product launches, it does offer insight as to where Apple's partners believe the company is headed in the near-term.
The new rumor comes on the heels of Apple's latest on quarterly earnings report, in which it revealed it shipped 4.7 million Macs during the June quarter. That was an increase of 9 percent year-over-year, amidst continued declines in the overall, Windows-dominated PC market.
The iMac, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro are all currently being manufactured by Quanta Computer, while the 12-inch Retina MacBook is in the hands of Pegatron, the sources noted.
The remarks suggest that Apple anticipates recent levels of Mac demand to continue, even though several Mac models have already seen 2015 updates. The company could be in theory planning to update the Mac Pro and/or Mac mini, and make more extensive iMac changes.
In May Apple added a new $1,999 5K iMac configuration, and dropped the price of its top-end 5K model to $2,299, but otherwise left the iMac lineup alone. The Mac mini received a modest update in 2014, and the Mac Pro hasn't been upgraded since 2013.
Citing its usual unnamed supply chain sources, Digitimes reported on Thursday that suppliers expect Mac sales will be greater in the second half of 2015 than they were in the first six months. While the publication has a poor track record on predicting future product launches, it does offer insight as to where Apple's partners believe the company is headed in the near-term.
The new rumor comes on the heels of Apple's latest on quarterly earnings report, in which it revealed it shipped 4.7 million Macs during the June quarter. That was an increase of 9 percent year-over-year, amidst continued declines in the overall, Windows-dominated PC market.
The iMac, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro are all currently being manufactured by Quanta Computer, while the 12-inch Retina MacBook is in the hands of Pegatron, the sources noted.
The remarks suggest that Apple anticipates recent levels of Mac demand to continue, even though several Mac models have already seen 2015 updates. The company could be in theory planning to update the Mac Pro and/or Mac mini, and make more extensive iMac changes.
In May Apple added a new $1,999 5K iMac configuration, and dropped the price of its top-end 5K model to $2,299, but otherwise left the iMac lineup alone. The Mac mini received a modest update in 2014, and the Mac Pro hasn't been upgraded since 2013.
Comments
Intel Skylake with Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.1 Type C (reversible)?
Apple isn't giving enough attention to the Mac computer line. its actually pretty sad to see how infrequent updates come.
This is making me strongly consider a hackintosh and to give Windows 10 a real shot for some use.
This is making me strongly consider a hackintosh and to give Windows 10 a real shot for some use.
Apple doesn’t need you anymore, probably never did. Do your thing, nobody cares.
Nasty!
I've been waiting for more than a decade for NASA to discover a planet like Earth somewhere, anywhere, near enough to detect by Hubble or some other super telescope. Ridiculous.
Finally, FINALLY, they bagged one today, only 1400 light years away. I was ready to go to China or Russia to talk them into giving it a real shot. Thank God, NASA almost lost me as a customer.
The wait for a new model is an eternal one. There will always be a new model. :no:
That makes no sense. Or are you considering Windows 10 because you know what a nightmare a hackintosh will be?
Bring plenty food. I hear the shopping on Kepler-452b is crap. Allegedly. And you get ripped off on the vegetables, like about 3 carrots per lb!
i've been waiting to buy a new MAC PRO for 9 months. this wait for a new model is ridiculous. Could say the same about the iMac line.
Looking at it another way, if you waited already 9 months, then it can't be that urgent.
Do you already have a Mac Pro, the new design? If yes, why do you want to change so soon? If not, then why not go the refurbished route and save a few $$$.
Lol. That would ruin my trip, if it was a bigger ripoff culture than here.
i've been waiting to buy a new MAC PRO for 9 months. this wait for a new model is ridiculous. Could say the same about the iMac line.
Apple isn't giving enough attention to the Mac computer line. its actually pretty sad to see how infrequent updates come.
This is making me strongly consider a hackintosh and to give Windows 10 a real shot for some use.
Intel drives much of this. Everyone is waiting for the same chips.
i've been waiting to buy a new MAC PRO for 9 months. this wait for a new model is ridiculous. Could say the same about the iMac line.
Apple isn't giving enough attention to the Mac computer line. its actually pretty sad to see how infrequent updates come.
This is making me strongly consider a hackintosh and to give Windows 10 a real shot for some use.
the delay is driven by intel in this case. Xeons for broadwell came out Q1 this year or some ungodly late date, making the majority of pc/mac xeon updates out-of-cycle essentially.
So I tell this to everyone who claims to be "waiting" for new specs: chasing specs is a losing game because your shiny new Mac or PC will be obsolete next year.
I've been waiting 5 years.
I am using a 2005 PowerBook 17 at home for side gigs and a new 27" iMac at work.
I was just about to pull the trigger on the new MBP 15 with Force Touch, but I realized Skylake is so close. If I waited this long, a couple of months isn't going to hurt.
Apple obsoleted my laptop when they went Intel, even though there was support for a short while. It did kinda suck after just buying the computer. Lol
But I have to say, even with an outdated architecture, that PowerBook just keeps trucking along. Meanwhile the Dells where I work must get replaced every 2 years. And my folks' obsession with HP has rewarded them with the need to replace every couple of years as well.
I'm reminded of the new Tweminator line where ahnold mentions he's "old. Not obsolete."
But.... I'm in a different boat. My PowerBook cannot run the latest Adobe apps nor can it run anything remotely new. And it's degrading performance is really a huge indicator that it's time to buy. But the wait is somewhat painful.
I was going to respond asking what exactly you do that the current Mac Pro can't handle, and what component you're not satisfied with, then I checked the stupidity of your posting history and realized it's not worth bothering with an irrational troll such as you. You've been shitting on Cook since he took office, and clearly your beef has nothing to do with the Mac Pro.
There's that blabbermouth "Supply Chain" again. Always yapping.
It would be nice to see future iMacs go super slim and the Mini go super compact by ditching their standard hard discs for SSD's only, like their MacBook counterparts.
There are two kinds of "Pro" buyers: people who use their computers professionally--as a tool for a job--and early adopters who want to feel good about having the newest technology (spec chasers). The latter category are sometimes "faux pros" in that their top spec Mac is more of a status symbol rather than workhorse. It's why I roll my eyes at those who claim to be waiting for the magical Skylake CPU (because, seriously, what job can Skylake do for that Haswell cannot?) I simply cannot picture a Trent Reznor or Coen Brothers waiting for Skylake when there are deadlines and projects to be completed. Just order the Mac that supports your needs and budget and get to work. Why wait? You'll be waiting forever if you chase whatever future hotness Intel puts into their roadmap for tech sites like Anandtech to salivate over.