Apple on pace to sell record 5.3M Macs in holiday quarter

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
Apple is set to have another blockbuster quarter for the Mac platform, with the latest sales data showing the company headed toward selling as many as 5.3 million over the holidays.



Analyst Gene Munster with Piper Jaffray shared the latest domestic sales data from the NPD Group on Monday, which showed Mac sales up 19 percent year over year in the month of October. As sales continue to pick up leading up to Christmas, he sees Apple selling between 5.1 million and 5.3 million Macs during the December quarter.



Those numbers would represent year over year growth of between 23 percent and 28 percent. Consensus on Wall Street has called for Apple to report sales of about 5.2 million Macs during the quarter.



Munster estimates that Mac revenue will represent about 18 percent of Apple's overall revenue during the company's December quarter. He sees the early NPD data as an indication that Apple is off to a steady start for the holiday season.



The latest NPD figures also show domestic iPod units were down about 18 percent year over year. That number suggests Apple is on pace to sell between 15 million and 16 million iPods during the December quarter.



The October sales are also slightly ahead of Wall Street consensus for the quarter, which calls for Apple's iPod sales to be down 20 percent year over year, reaching about 15.5 million units.



Apple's MacBook Pro lineup was quietly given a speed boost in late October.



Apple is expected to produce its best quarter ever during the 2011 holiday season, bolstered by the launch of the iPhone 4S early in the quarter. Though the iPhone now drives Apple's revenue, the Mac remains an important part of Apple's business, and the platform continues to grow.



Last quarter, the Mac had its best three-month span ever, as Apple reported sales of 4.89 million units, good for 26 percent year over year growth. Sales last quarter were boosted by the launch of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, which went on sale in July.



Piper Jaffray has maintained its "overweight" rating for AAPL stock, as well as a price target of $607.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 41
    cpsrocpsro Posts: 3,192member
    How many Mac Pros?
  • Reply 2 of 41
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    ?a price target of $607.



    And yet it remains $380?the same price as three months ago?
  • Reply 3 of 41
    eriamjheriamjh Posts: 1,631member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Cpsro View Post


    How many Mac Pros?



    Three, I think.



    Just kidding. I'm looking for a new Macbook Pro, myself. Need the portability.
  • Reply 4 of 41
    If Apple had included a nice little brochure of all the cool macs they made with every iPod they sold from 2003 onwards (just like lego does) they would have hit these numbers a long time ago.
  • Reply 5 of 41
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by theguycalledtom View Post


    If Apple had included a nice little brochure of all the cool macs they made with every iPod they sold from 2003 onwards (just like lego does) they would have hit these numbers a long time ago.





    Excess packaging materials is a no-no.
  • Reply 6 of 41
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,382member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by theguycalledtom View Post


    If Apple had included a nice little brochure of all the cool macs they made with every iPod they sold from 2003 onwards (just like lego does) they would have hit these numbers a long time ago.



    Not Apple's style to include crap like brochure in their packaging.
  • Reply 7 of 41
    shompashompa Posts: 343member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Cpsro View Post


    How many Mac Pros?



    0.



    The market that needs dual processors are limited.



    The other great features with macpro you can today get with iMac: More disk, faster graphics, pci cards and so on. All over thunderbolt.



    I personally think Apple is lazy. Intel designs the motherboards to Apple. Apple could at least follow the processor bumps that Intel releases. Its idiotic that Intel showed MacPro with light peak in september 2009. Over 2 years later and Apple have not released on Mac Pro.



    I want a pro model line up including Xserve, Xraid and Xsan. Great products that I managed to get deployed in large companies. They where real cheap entry UNIX servers undercutting the prices of Sun/IBM/HPs UNIX offerings by far.
  • Reply 8 of 41
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by shompa View Post


    0. The market that needs dual processors are limited.



    Nonsense.



    Quote:

    Its idiotic that Intel showed MacPro with light peak in september 2009. Over 2 years later and Apple have not released on Mac Pro.



    Except that "showing" was a tech demo long, LONG before the spec had been finalized.
  • Reply 9 of 41
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by shompa View Post


    0.



    The market that needs dual processors are limited.



    The other great features with macpro you can today get with iMac: More disk, faster graphics, pci cards and so on. All over thunderbolt.



    I personally think Apple is lazy. Intel designs the motherboards to Apple. Apple could at least follow the processor bumps that Intel releases. Its idiotic that Intel showed MacPro with light peak in september 2009. Over 2 years later and Apple have not released on Mac Pro.



    I want a pro model line up including Xserve, Xraid and Xsan. Great products that I managed to get deployed in large companies. They where real cheap entry UNIX servers undercutting the prices of Sun/IBM/HPs UNIX offerings by far.



    The Mac Pro serves little to no purpose currently, and it is clear Apple's future direction with the Mac Pro will be a Mac Mini with a powerful processor, and expansions provided through Thunderbolt. Unfortunately, that places the Pro in a transition phase where we are at the cusp of, but haven't yet reached, a world where this is possible.
  • Reply 10 of 41
    boredumbboredumb Posts: 1,418member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by theguycalledtom View Post


    If Apple had included a nice little brochure of all the cool macs they made with every iPod they sold from 2003 onwards (just like lego does) they would have hit these numbers a long time ago.



    MStone - "excess packaging materials is a no-no"



    Slurpy - "Not Apple's style to include crap like brochure in their packaging."



    Sorry, but I think theguycalledtom has something of a point.

    A very small 'booklet', or just an added page or two to the 'finger tips' type thing they include anyway, would be perfectly in line with Apple's original intention of luring people to the platform by introduction to cool, easily integrated 'gadgets' first.



    (And that is also an aspect of the philosophy behind Apple stores - directed exposure to the integrated product line by effective acolytes.)



    For that matter, it could have been a screen in the set-up/registration in iTunes, if brief, tasteful, and not too obtrusive.
  • Reply 11 of 41
    cpsrocpsro Posts: 3,192member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by addicted44 View Post


    The Mac Pro serves little to no purpose currently, and it is clear Apple's future direction with the Mac Pro will be a Mac Mini with a powerful processor...



    Please advise on how to fit this:

    http://www.areca.com.tw/products/1882.htm



    and this (N.B. with ECC):

    http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/8566D3Q16M96/



    into a Mac mini.
  • Reply 12 of 41
    cpsrocpsro Posts: 3,192member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by shompa View Post


    The market that needs dual processors are limited.



    so is the iphone market.
  • Reply 13 of 41
    andysolandysol Posts: 2,506member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by boredumb View Post


    MStone - "excess packaging materials is a no-no"



    Slurpy - "Not Apple's style to include crap like brochure in their packaging."



    Sorry, but I think theguycalledtom has something of a point.

    A very small 'booklet', or just an added page or two to the 'finger tips' type thing they include anyway, would be perfectly in line with Apple's original intention of luring people to the platform by introduction to cool, easily integrated 'gadgets' first.



    (And that is also an aspect of the philosophy behind Apple stores - directed exposure to the integrated product line by effective acolytes.)



    For that matter, it could have been a screen in the set-up/registration in iTunes, if brief, tasteful, and not too obtrusive.



    No need for a brochure. How many times have you opened the fingertips packet?



    The on screen part would be smart if it wasn't marketed as "look at our other products"- as much as a "get more out of your iPhone" approach. I think the majority of the population is very ignorant to what iCloud gives you with a Mac running lion vs windows pc. They just aren't educated. And I never see iMac or MacBook commercials. Not that apple is doing anything wrong, but as a marketing guy, some education might be nice to get more integration.
  • Reply 14 of 41
    Munster, the Fox News of Wall Street..
  • Reply 15 of 41
    cgjcgj Posts: 276member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cpsro View Post


    how many mac pros?



    26.8.
  • Reply 16 of 41
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by shompa View Post


    0.



    The market that needs dual processors are limited.



    Incorrect Sir.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by shompa View Post


    The other great features with macpro you can today get with iMac: More disk, faster graphics, pci cards and so on. All over thunderbolt.



    ...and again. Although it might be not what you need, some of us need the flexibility, upgradability, options and size of the Mac Pro.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by shompa View Post


    I personally think Apple is lazy. Intel designs the motherboards to Apple. Apple could at least follow the processor bumps that Intel releases. Its idiotic that Intel showed MacPro with light peak in september 2009. Over 2 years later and Apple have not released on Mac Pro. I want a pro model line up including Xserve, Xraid and Xsan. Great products that I managed to get deployed in large companies. They where real cheap entry UNIX servers undercutting the prices of Sun/IBM/HPs UNIX offerings by far.



    Unfortunately they are not lazy. They are doing what they believe is best for their business, which is to focus on consumer computers and gadgets, all throw away. We've yet to see if there will be a trickle down effect to the way consumers feel about their devices if they abandon the pro market... Hollywood has a far and wide reach.
  • Reply 17 of 41
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by shompa View Post


    Its idiotic that Intel showed MacPro with light peak in september 2009. Over 2 years later and Apple have not released on Mac Pro.



    You've got to be fucking kidding me! Way to start the week.
  • Reply 18 of 41
    gustavgustav Posts: 827member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by boredumb View Post


    Slurpy - "Not Apple's style to include crap like brochure in their packaging."



    Sorry, but I think theguycalledtom has something of a point.

    A very small 'booklet', or just an added page or two to the 'finger tips' type thing they include anyway, would be perfectly in line with Apple's original intention of luring people to the platform by introduction to cool, easily integrated 'gadgets' first.



    It's cheesy advertising, and it may be in line with Apple's intentions, Apple expects even the unboxing as part of a good experience in buying an Apple product. Putting a brochure in there will cheapen that experience. Very few people like those "you must also buy this" when they've just spent a lot of money on a product.



    Also, since you don't need a Mac to use an iDevice. It could have the reverse effect of ticking people off by saying "if you don't buy a Mac, we'll treat you like a second class customer."
  • Reply 19 of 41
    blastdoorblastdoor Posts: 3,258member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by shompa View Post


    0.



    The market that needs dual processors are limited.



    The other great features with macpro you can today get with iMac: More disk, faster graphics, pci cards and so on. All over thunderbolt.



    Thunderbolt cannot provide the bandwidth of the PCI 2 x16 slot in the Mac Pro. That's kind of a big deal.



    Also, I don't think any other Mac currently supports ECC RAM, which is important for people who value their data.



    I can see Apple getting rid of the current form factor for the Mac Pro in the sense of giving up multiple CPUs and drive bays, but having no Mac in their lineup that supports x16 PCI and ECC RAM would be really disappointing. It could force some of the most loyal Mac users to switch to Windows.
  • Reply 20 of 41
    gustavgustav Posts: 827member
    [QUOTE=fartheststar;1987559]Incorrect Sir.

    /QUOTE]

    So you are saying the market that needs dual processors is unlimited, then? No, then he is correct.



    I'm not saying I agree the Mac Pro is going away, but I do know the number of those that need one is diminishing over time. Sure, some need the superior bandwidth of internal expansion of a Mac Pro, and the extra RAM capacity, but those numbers are diminishing.
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