Tough 2010 comparisons cause 'soft' 9% Mac sales growth for Apple in April
Mac sales a year ago were exceptionally strong, making Apple's year-over-year sales increase in April 2011 a "soft" 9 percent.
A tough comparison in the month of April led to the low number seen in the latest NPD domestic sales data, which is well below the 22 percent year-over-year increase investors on Wall Street are expecting. April is the first of three months in Apple's June quarter.
Analyst Gene Munster with Piper Jaffray said on Monday that despite the slow start, it is "too early to make a call" based on just one month of data for the U.S. only. He believes that with international sales included, the Mac is likely tracking in line with expectations.
Wall Street watchers expect Apple to sell between 4.1 million and 4.3 million Macs total in the June quarter, or around 22 percent more than the company moved a year ago.
Last April, Mac sales were up 38 percent year over year in a particularly strong month of 2010. Apple will face another tough comparison in May, when Mac sales were up 35 percent in 2010.
But Munster noted that comparisons ease "dramatically" in June, when sales were up just 11 percent year over year in 2010.
The Mac sales boost in 2010 was caused by the release of new MacBook Pros in April of last year. For comparison, Apple updated the MacBook Pro line again, adding the high-speed Thunderbolt port in late February. That refresh caused sales to spike 47 percent year over year in March.
For the rest of 2011, domestic Mac sales saw a 20 percent year-over-year increase in January, and 12 percent in March.
The latest NPD data for the U.S. also suggests Apple will sell between 8 million and 8.5 million iPods in the June quarter. The sales figures show iPod sales tracking down 6 percent year over year, though sales for the full three-month quarter are expected to be off between 10 percent and 15 percent from 2010.
A tough comparison in the month of April led to the low number seen in the latest NPD domestic sales data, which is well below the 22 percent year-over-year increase investors on Wall Street are expecting. April is the first of three months in Apple's June quarter.
Analyst Gene Munster with Piper Jaffray said on Monday that despite the slow start, it is "too early to make a call" based on just one month of data for the U.S. only. He believes that with international sales included, the Mac is likely tracking in line with expectations.
Wall Street watchers expect Apple to sell between 4.1 million and 4.3 million Macs total in the June quarter, or around 22 percent more than the company moved a year ago.
Last April, Mac sales were up 38 percent year over year in a particularly strong month of 2010. Apple will face another tough comparison in May, when Mac sales were up 35 percent in 2010.
But Munster noted that comparisons ease "dramatically" in June, when sales were up just 11 percent year over year in 2010.
The Mac sales boost in 2010 was caused by the release of new MacBook Pros in April of last year. For comparison, Apple updated the MacBook Pro line again, adding the high-speed Thunderbolt port in late February. That refresh caused sales to spike 47 percent year over year in March.
For the rest of 2011, domestic Mac sales saw a 20 percent year-over-year increase in January, and 12 percent in March.
The latest NPD data for the U.S. also suggests Apple will sell between 8 million and 8.5 million iPods in the June quarter. The sales figures show iPod sales tracking down 6 percent year over year, though sales for the full three-month quarter are expected to be off between 10 percent and 15 percent from 2010.
Comments
Apple WILL post growth in phone sales, iPad sales and other areas, yet folks are freakin out, because the numbers aren't looking good right now.
It's this type of reporting that sometime pisses my off, and I'm sure other stock holders.
Skip
And this report is causing apple stock to go down 2.+-%?
Apple WILL post growth in phone sales, iPad sales and other areas, yet folks are freakin out, because the numbers aren't looking good right now.
It's this type of reporting that sometime pisses my off, and I'm sure other stock holders.
Skip
yeah but you have to take the good with the bad. When they are singing Apple's praises people gripe and not people are griping when they aren't singing Apple's praises. Bottom line: it all evens out!
And this report is causing apple stock to go down 2.+-%?
Apple WILL post growth in phone sales, iPad sales and other areas, yet folks are freakin out, because the numbers aren't looking good right now.
It's this type of reporting that sometime pisses my off, and I'm sure other stock holders.
Skip
everyone is worried about 2012 numbers by now and it will be hard to keep growing like this
And this report is causing apple stock to go down 2.+-%?
Apple WILL post growth in phone sales, iPad sales and other areas, yet folks are freakin out, because the numbers aren't looking good right now.
It's this type of reporting that sometime pisses my off, and I'm sure other stock holders.
Skip
The Wall Street Casino keeps wanting more and more for the house. No company can keep up with the ravenous demand for profits from greedy investors. If Apple can't keep growing at the rate THEY insist on they'll just kill Apple and move on the next cash cow.
MacBooks are a little different but are still expensive compared to urrr... ummm... PCs?!
I do not have a Mac at home anymore, I only use an iPad.
Apple is very profitable.
Demand for Apple products is still increasing -it's just increasing at a slower rate than it increased last year.
This is why you should not look at businessmen as anything other than gamblers and scumbags.
Re. today's stock price move, much of tech is down (e.g., MSFT -1.85%, Google –2.1%, Yahoo -4.5%, Adobe -2.65%, etc). So, there's nothing specific to Apple that's going on.
This is why you should not look at businessmen as anything other than gamblers and scumbags.
Sheesh. Get a grip, and rinse your mouth off. If it weren't for these 'gamblers and thieves,' you wouldn't have your Mac, the internet connection through which you're sending your reply, and the forum that is able to publish it because it is funded by ads from said 'gamblers and thieves.'
Oh, and you probably wouldn't have any food in your fridge, or for that matter, a fridge, or a restaurant to eat in (since you have no food at home), or a way to get to the restaurant other than by foot... do you want me to go on?
That's why Apple didn't make iPad as a stand-alone computing device because average person might just buy an iPad instead of Macbook Air.
It?s something I?d expect to have an effect. For me, the reason I didn?t buy a new 13? MBP is that I?m waiting for the case change which I hope will remove that useless ODD, give me an SSD card + 2.5? HDD option, an IPS panel and the double-resolution displays noted in Mac OS X Lion. Honestly yhe removable of the ODD is the really my biggest qualm, so I?m waiting.
I dont undertand how Apple can have such great advertising for the iPhone & iPad but has always seemed uninterested in promoting the Mac
How about advertising it, and why its worth paying more for than a PC?
How about advertising it, and why its worth paying more for than a PC?
I dont undertand how Apple can have such great advertising for the iPhone & iPad but has always seemed uninterested in promoting the Mac
You miss all of those Mac vs PC ads?
LOL - that was true for netbooks last year, and most here used that to declare them dead.
You?re comparing a reduction in growth rate YoY to a reduction in total sales and revenue YoY. IOW, netbook did not increase in unit sales, revenue or profits YoY. Apple did on all counts. Shame on you for fibbing.
And this report is causing apple stock to go down 2.+-%?
Apple WILL post growth in phone sales, iPad sales and other areas, yet folks are freakin out, because the numbers aren't looking good right now.
It's this type of reporting that sometime pisses my off, and I'm sure other stock holders.
Skip
Wall Street is pushing their luck in stock manipulation. Two articles this week already have pointed to deliberate manipulation of Apple stock they say should actually be well over 400 and it's raising alarms at the SEC and the DOJ.
Every time you need to buy a faster iMac you'll have to buy it with a new monitor.
MacBooks are a little different but are still expensive compared to urrr... ummm... PCs?!
I do not have a Mac at home anymore, I only use an iPad.
We buy Macs using a separate monitor. Currently have two Intel Mini Macs, great compact Macs. Our non Apple monitors serve more than one Mac over their life time.
Now if only we could get an iPad, which seems impossible to buy unless you queue up for hours.
Wall Street is pushing their luck in stock manipulation. Two articles this week already have pointed to deliberate manipulation of Apple stock they say should actually be well over 400 and it's raising alarms at the SEC and the DOJ.
Yes there has got to be games going on with Apple's stock, just as there are now with oil futures. My broker even expressed concern for me holding my Apple stock. What BS, Apple's sales are still rising, just a bit below brokerage house forecasts.
It's all about the investment world wanting Apple stock to move; so they can profit. There is no profit in holding a non dividend stock, that doesn't move up or down.
Wall Street is pushing their luck in stock manipulation. Two articles this week already have pointed to deliberate manipulation of Apple stock they say should actually be well over 400 and it's raising alarms at the SEC and the DOJ.
What two articles are they?