With sales of Macs maintaining growth rates of more than two times the industry average and a pair of hefty portable updates in the pipeline, Apple is reported to have increased sharply its procurement of notebook-use circuit boards for the third calendar quarter.
Citing its usual sources, Chinese-language Commercial Times said Friday the Mac maker has sought some 20 percent more high-interconnect density (HDI) notebook motherboards for manufacturing ramps that will take place sometime during the three month period ending September.
Apple is believed to finalizing development of overhauled MacBooks and MacBook Pros that should make their way to manufacturing during this period. The hardest evidence to this end surfaced earlier this month when the new exterior design of the latter notebook family was revealed in a photograph of a leaked prototype casing believed to have been taken outside the company's partner facilities in Taiwan.
With iPods finally believed to be reaching their saturation point, Macs have have assumed the role of Apple's second primary growth drive next to the iPhone. In a research report issued to clients Friday, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said NPD market research data from the first two months of the company's June quarter suggests Mac sales may be up 50 percent year-over-year.
Apple's fiscal third quarter earnings report due Monday should offer some additional color on the matter. For his part, Munster is modeling the company to announce sales of 2.35 million systems for the three month period ended June 30th, which would represent 33 percent yearly growth.
"Typically NPD over estimates actual Mac unit growth," he said. "If Apple sells 2.35 million units, it would be a significant positive."
Munster reiterated his Buy rating and $250 price target on the company, citing his own expectations of refreshed MacBook and MacBook Pros in the September quarter coupled with increased demand from the ongoing educational buying season.
Citing its usual sources, Chinese-language Commercial Times said Friday the Mac maker has sought some 20 percent more high-interconnect density (HDI) notebook motherboards for manufacturing ramps that will take place sometime during the three month period ending September.
Apple is believed to finalizing development of overhauled MacBooks and MacBook Pros that should make their way to manufacturing during this period. The hardest evidence to this end surfaced earlier this month when the new exterior design of the latter notebook family was revealed in a photograph of a leaked prototype casing believed to have been taken outside the company's partner facilities in Taiwan.
With iPods finally believed to be reaching their saturation point, Macs have have assumed the role of Apple's second primary growth drive next to the iPhone. In a research report issued to clients Friday, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said NPD market research data from the first two months of the company's June quarter suggests Mac sales may be up 50 percent year-over-year.
Apple's fiscal third quarter earnings report due Monday should offer some additional color on the matter. For his part, Munster is modeling the company to announce sales of 2.35 million systems for the three month period ended June 30th, which would represent 33 percent yearly growth.
"Typically NPD over estimates actual Mac unit growth," he said. "If Apple sells 2.35 million units, it would be a significant positive."
Munster reiterated his Buy rating and $250 price target on the company, citing his own expectations of refreshed MacBook and MacBook Pros in the September quarter coupled with increased demand from the ongoing educational buying season.
While the iPod touch is a great way to get people interested in buying an iPhone, it's also nice for people like me. I have a prepaid Go phone because there's no way I can even imagine paying $70/month. I simply don't talk on the phone that much and since I'm a bit of a homebody, we have a flat $20-$30/month unlimited VOIP phone service from the cable company. While I'd love an all-in-one device, I'll get an iPod touch in the meantime - yeah, I'm waiting for a 64GB model too so I can replace my 80GB video iPod. 
I think a lot of people, mainly music lovers, are holding on to their 30GB-80GB iPods for the same reason. To avoid cannibalization of iPod touch sales by the now very affordable iPhone 3G, it's likely we'll see Apple kill the 8GB iPod touch and soon after, the introduction of a 64GB iPod touch. If they kill the 16GB touch as well, and managed to drop the 32GB model to the 16GB's was, $400, that'd be pretty awesome. What'll be crazy is when the 128GB touch makes it way onto the scene. That'll probably around this time next year, or sooner. That'll pretty much sound the death knell for the iPod classic. Maybe Apple will then finally update their dancing silhouette ads. 
