Apple's US Mac sales grow 15% in April & May; stronger June sales expected
Through the first two months of Apple's third quarter of fiscal 2011, U.S. Mac sales are up 15 percent year-over-year, but that number is expected to rise in June when Apple faces a more favorable 2010 comparison.
The latest NPD data for domestic Mac sales shows sales up 15 percent year-over-year in April and May, according to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster. That number is less than the 22 percent jump from 2010 Wall Street expects to see in the June quarter.
But Munster noted that the "slow start" to the quarter is "too early to make a call," because Apple's Mac sales face a favorable comparison in the month of June. In 2010, new MacBook Pros in April led to a 38 percent year-over-year increase in sales, while a MacBook refresh in May helped push sales up 35 percent from 2009.
Munster noted that the comparisons "ease dramatically" in June, when in 2010 Apple saw sales increase by 11 percent year over year. He expects that Apple will close the gap and be much closer to Wall Street's expected 22 percent increase when June is finished.
Munster noted that in the April quarter, Apple reported Mac sales up 28 percent, very close to the U.S.-only figure of a 27 percent increase reported by NPD. And highlighting the importance of the third month in the quarter, NPD figures showed Mac sales up just 16 percent after the first two months of the April quarter.
The latest number, representing both April and May, is also a marked improvement from the April-only numbers previously reported by NPD. In that data, the tough comparison from 2010 left Mac sales up just 9 percent year-over-year.
During the current June quarter, Apple released new iMac desktops with Intel's latest Sandy Bridge quad-core chips, the new high-speed Thunderbolt port, and a FaceTime HD camera. But desktop Macs are a much smaller part of Apple's business when compared to its popular notebooks.
On that front, Apple is expected to release new MacBook Air models in the near future, also powered by Intel's Sandy Bridge processors. Last week, AppleInsider reported that Apple is set to build 380,000 units of its thin-and-light notebook this month.
The latest NPD data for domestic Mac sales shows sales up 15 percent year-over-year in April and May, according to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster. That number is less than the 22 percent jump from 2010 Wall Street expects to see in the June quarter.
But Munster noted that the "slow start" to the quarter is "too early to make a call," because Apple's Mac sales face a favorable comparison in the month of June. In 2010, new MacBook Pros in April led to a 38 percent year-over-year increase in sales, while a MacBook refresh in May helped push sales up 35 percent from 2009.
Munster noted that the comparisons "ease dramatically" in June, when in 2010 Apple saw sales increase by 11 percent year over year. He expects that Apple will close the gap and be much closer to Wall Street's expected 22 percent increase when June is finished.
Munster noted that in the April quarter, Apple reported Mac sales up 28 percent, very close to the U.S.-only figure of a 27 percent increase reported by NPD. And highlighting the importance of the third month in the quarter, NPD figures showed Mac sales up just 16 percent after the first two months of the April quarter.
The latest number, representing both April and May, is also a marked improvement from the April-only numbers previously reported by NPD. In that data, the tough comparison from 2010 left Mac sales up just 9 percent year-over-year.
During the current June quarter, Apple released new iMac desktops with Intel's latest Sandy Bridge quad-core chips, the new high-speed Thunderbolt port, and a FaceTime HD camera. But desktop Macs are a much smaller part of Apple's business when compared to its popular notebooks.
On that front, Apple is expected to release new MacBook Air models in the near future, also powered by Intel's Sandy Bridge processors. Last week, AppleInsider reported that Apple is set to build 380,000 units of its thin-and-light notebook this month.
Comments
Through the first two months of Apple's third quarter of fiscal 2011, U.S. Mac sales are up 15 percent year-over-year, but that number is expected to rise in June when Apple faces a more favorable 2010 comparison.
Imagine how great the June numbers will be if they actually get around to releasing an i5 MBA with the Thunderbolt port...
I know many people who have ordered 27 inch imacs with SSD and they have still not got them delivered.
Keep on gaining market share because Macs are from the company that makes the iPhone. People now realize it and they don't think about Windows anymore.
Thunderbolt, Schmunderbolt.
No, not "Thunderbolt, Schmunderbolt".
The primary reason MBAs aren't sufficient for most people is that the flash storage doesn't have enough room to be a primary laptop. Bulking up a MacBook Air with "large enough" SSD/flash storage in the 500GB-640GB range currently costs as much as the initial price of a MacBook Air. Being able to have fast enough external storage when you need it but ultra-light, fast, flash storage onboard when you don't need it via the Thunderbolt port will be a game changer for a lot of people who are currently carting around a MBP.
No, not "Thunderbolt, Schmunderbolt".
The primary reason MBAs aren't sufficient for most people is that the flash storage doesn't have enough room to be a primary laptop. Bulking up a MacBook Air with "large enough" SSD/flash storage in the 500GB-640GB range currently costs as much as the initial price of a MacBook Air. Being able to have fast enough external storage when you need it but ultra-light, fast, flash storage onboard when you don't need it via the Thunderbolt port will be a game changer for a lot of people who are currently carting around a MBP.
If you think the vast majority of potential MBA have ANY idea what thunderbolt is or is affecting their purchase decision, I have a bridge to sell you. Trust me, they don't.
If you think the vast majority of potential MBA have ANY idea what thunderbolt is or is affecting their purchase decision, I have a bridge to sell you. Trust me, they don't.
I haver heard similar reactions about every innovational change Apple bring out and Apple always seem to be right on the money. Funny to see PCs using things years later that way back when were mocked when Apple introduced the concepts especially when Apple have already moved on.
I haver heard similar reactions about every innovational change Apple bring out and Apple always seem to be right on the money. Funny to see PCs using things years later that way back when were mocked when Apple introduced the concepts especially when Apple have already moved on.
Sure but there's a difference between a feature that is a selling point and a feature that in retrospect users love but they didn't realize they needed before they got it. USB replacing legacy ports was very much the latter, the average consumer didn't realize how convenient it was until they got it.
If you think the vast majority of potential MBA have ANY idea what thunderbolt is or is affecting their purchase decision, I have a bridge to sell you. Trust me, they don't.
If you tell them it's twice as fast as USB 3.0, twenty times as fast as USB 2.0, and already built into their Mac, that's all they'll need to know. People are a lot more savvy than you are giving them credit for.