Apple on track to sell record 3.8M Macs in Sept. quarter

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
New domestic sales data shows Apple is on pace to sell as many as 3.8 million Macs in the September quarter, up 23 percent from the same period a year ago.



The NPD Group released new data Monday that showed Apple tracking slightly ahead of Wall Street's expectations of 3.7 million Macs for the September quarter, according to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster. The U.S. sales data implies Mac unit growth of between 21 percent and 24 percent from the same three-month span a year ago.



In addition, NPD data shows the average selling price of Macs has decreased about 2.9 percent from 2009. The figures are based on Mac sales in July and August, the first two months of the September quarter.



The data suggests that Apple is on pace to have yet another record breaking quarter for Mac sales. The previous best came in the June quarter, when the company sold 3.47 million Macs, helping it achieve a 77 percent year-over-year increase in profits.



NPD's U.S. data also suggests iPod sales will be between 10 million and 10.5 million, slightly ahead of Wall Street expectations. These numbers range between a loss of 2 percent to an increase of 3 percent from sales in the year-ago quarter.



We note that the iPod refresh in Sept. makes it difficult to gauge the impact these new models will have on sales late in the quarter (41% of NPD iPod units came in the month of Sept. last year)," Munster wrote. "Additionally, international iPod sales are a larger mix than international Mac sales resulting in a slightly greater margin of error from domestic NPD data."



The analyst said the numbers show that Apple's strong guidance for the September quarter could prove to be conservative yet again. The company guided revenue to 6 percent above consensus, the highest differential relative to Wall Street in the 17 quarters since Piper Jaffray began tracking guidance.



"That said, guidance of $18 (billion) implies sequential growth of just 15% vs. 25% in the year-ago quarter (with very similar product transition dynamics)," Munster wrote. "In other words, Apple's strong guidance may prove to be conservative."
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 35
    Good. Glad to hear this. I love my Mac.
  • Reply 2 of 35
    There is no reason to doubt that the continued expansion of the Apple Store into more countries will have the same salutary effect on Mac sales it had in the U.S. Perhaps even more so since Apple now has its super popular iOS products to get the curious in the door. The halo effect on Mac sales, though modest, is important to the health of the Apple ecosystem.
  • Reply 3 of 35
    eriamjheriamjh Posts: 1,630member
    Cue to morons that say the Mac is dying and Apple is giving iPhones and iPods all their effort.



    The halo effect is real, it's just 5 years later than anyone expected.
  • Reply 4 of 35
    mactelmactel Posts: 1,275member
    It'll be over 4 million. These predictions are usually conservative so it is easy to state a number just beyond the predicted and be right.



    The interesting thing is that news sites state that the iPad is not cannibalizing Mac sales. If I buy an iPad within the year I most certainly won't be upgrading my Macbook (btw: I just bought an iMac). So maybe Apple's sales are accelerating faster than the iPad can take away potential sales of more expensive systems.
  • Reply 5 of 35
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    No surprises here. I love my 27" i7 iMac. Just convinced another long-time Windows user to get their first iMac (i3 21.5") last week and they never looked back. Nothing but high-praise about their machine. Now they are looking to supplement their iMac with an iPad (v2) for the wife.



    Keep innovating Apple!
  • Reply 6 of 35
    I suspect that the iPad / 27" iMac combination will have been a huge seller this quarter.
  • Reply 7 of 35
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MacTel View Post


    The interesting thing is that news sites state that the iPad is not cannibalizing Mac sales. If I buy an iPad within the year I most certainly won't be upgrading my Macbook (btw: I just bought an iMac). So maybe Apple's sales are accelerating faster than the iPad can take away potential sales of more expensive systems.



    Similar story. Rather than upgrading my MacBook, I am going to buy an iPad after the first revision. But I will be upgrading my iMac sooner or later.
  • Reply 8 of 35
    bertpbertp Posts: 274member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Eriamjh View Post


    Cue to morons that say the Mac is dying and Apple is giving iPhones and iPods all their effort.



    The halo effect is real, it's just 5 years later than anyone expected.



    Agreed. I bet the Mac development team is hard at work. Simply because they got a growing

    market, and not a diminishing one. I am looking forward to Mac OS X 10.7 as one of the linchpins of the Apple ecosystem that is coming into being.
  • Reply 9 of 35
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Hopefully this will news help AAPL break out of the stagnant phase its been in for a while and start rising significantly. It is so under valued at present IMHO and biased opinion.
  • Reply 10 of 35
    elrothelroth Posts: 1,201member
    My boss just bought 3 Macs. He never used a Mac in his life before now.
  • Reply 11 of 35
    What's a Mac? Is that like a big iPad?
  • Reply 12 of 35
    Gotta love it! Shareholders rejoice!
  • Reply 13 of 35
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by elroth View Post


    My boss just bought 3 Macs. He never used a Mac in his life before now.



    i like this news (hopefully windows gets better and better due to this as well, though i doubt it)

    i have to agree with person cueing halo effect not happening (mocking the people) and how it has just taken longer



    i think this is good for Apple and the competition, i hope it will make Apple feel free to spend more on R&D



    my only question, 3 Macs??? why??? i could see Imca/Mac pro and a MK(P) but 3??
  • Reply 14 of 35
    ASP down by 3%.

    Run for the exits¡
  • Reply 15 of 35
    I bought a 27" iMac with the SSD option this quarter. The combination of that sweet, sweet display and SSD snappiness makes this my most satisfying computer purchase in a very long time (possibly ever). [yes, I know that the SSD from Apple isn't as good as SSDs from OWC and other sources, but it's still way faster than a magnetic drive, which is the relevant comparison since it's pretty hard to get a non-Apple SSD in the iMac]



    But regarding the iPod --- this has to have been the worst nano refresh ever. All those people worried that Apple plans to kill the Mac should redirect their worry towards the iPod nano. Macs continue to be best of class, but the iPod nano is a huge step backwards. If given a choice between a fifth generation nano and a sixth generation nano at the same price and storage capacity, why would anyone give up (1) a larger screen, (2) the ability to play video, and (3) a camera? It makes no sense.
  • Reply 16 of 35
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Blackintosh View Post


    Good. Glad to hear this. I love my Mac.



    That his AI account has been hacked and the wellspring of pure cool bitterness and cynicism is being poisoned with fanboism. Please stop the love before it's too late.



    What would be interesting is to see what the actual PC market growth rate was, and what the growth or stagnation rate of the other PC makers was during this same period.
  • Reply 17 of 35
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    I don?t think 4 million is unrealistic for this quarter considering the back to school special and Apple?s increase, especially among students.



    Speaking of said increase, a college campus survey has Apple tied with Dell at 38% per unit share. When you consider Apple?s revenue and profit take it would look surely more like a monopoly.
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Blastdoor View Post


    But regarding the iPod --- this has to have been the worst nano refresh ever.



    Not really the thread for this, but since you mention it, I absolutely love the new Nano. However, in your defense, I love it because it?s the iPod Shuffle I?ve been wanting for years.
  • Reply 18 of 35
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post


    Hopefully this will news help AAPL break out of the stagnant phase its been in for a while and start rising significantly. It is so under valued at present IMHO and biased opinion.



    Stagnant phase? Where the hell have you been living? Under a rock?
  • Reply 19 of 35
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by FreeRange View Post


    Gotta love it! Shareholders rejoice!



    Oh we are!
  • Reply 20 of 35
    I too just sold my desktop tower PC to buy the new i5 quad iMac. It's incredible. LOVE it.



    Not sure which quarter my number will be added to since I just got mine a couple weeks ago.



    Trying to convince my dad to get one as well. I will add wife to Mac world when her laptop dies. (its a 4 yr old dell, so it shouldn't be long)



    My house will be all mac soon. Got my daughter an older G4 for free, so just the wife left to convert.

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