Apple sold more iOS devices in 2011 than total Macs in 28 years

Posted:
in iPhone edited November 2014


A new breakdown of Apple's blockbuster 2011 notes that the company sold more iPhones, iPads and iPod touches in the 12-month span than it has sold Mac computers in the company's history.



The revelation was made this week by Horace Dediu at Asymco, who noted that Apple sold a total of 156 million iOS devices in 2011. That was enough to top the total number of Macs ever sold, which sits at 122 million.



As a whole, there have been 316 million cumulative iOS units sold to date. That means 2011 accounted for nearly half of all iOS devices sold by Apple since the platform launched in 2007.



Of course, the lead iOS device is the iPhone, which is likely to cross the milestone of 200 million units sold during the current quarter. Boosted by the launch of the iPhone 4S, Apple set a new record in the 2011 holiday season, with 37 million iPhones sold in that three-month span alone.



But Apple has also been surprised by the explosive success of the iPad. To date, 55 million iPads have been sold, a number that Cook admitted in a speech at this week's Goldman Sachs Conference exceeded even his most optimistic of expectations.











"To put it in context, it took us 22 years to sell 55 million Macs," Cook said. "It took us about 5 years to sell 22 million iPods, and it took us about 3 years to sell that many iPhones. And so, this thing is... on a trajectory that's off the charts."



iPad sales are likely to grow even more with the launch of a new model expected next month. Apple is rumored to hold a media event on March 7 to unveil the third-generation iPad, which is expected to feature a high-resolution Retina Display and the option of 4G LTE high-speed wireless connectivity.



[ View article on AppleInsider ]

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 49
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,727member
    I was reading this on MacRumors yesterday. It is amazing and the Mac sales are going to trend up now in iOS coat tails I am sure. Just watch that iPad line go higher than them all soon. All good for AAPL in 2012. Come on Tim a 5:1 split ... Psychological inducement ...
  • Reply 2 of 49
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    A new breakdown of Apple's blockbuster 2011 notes that the company sold more iPhones, iPads and iPod touches in the 12-month span than it has sold Mac computers in the company's history.






    Likely Apple has made more profit form one year's iPhone sales than all the Macs put together from the dawn of time.



    Macs seem to be a boat anchor for Apple these days.
  • Reply 3 of 49
    boredumbboredumb Posts: 1,418member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by I am a Zither Zather Zuzz View Post


    Likely Apple has made more profit form one year's iPhone sales than all the Macs put together from the dawn of time.



    Macs seem to be a boat anchor for Apple these days.



    "Boat anchor"??? Really can't see it that way.



    Between my wife & kids, we have 3 iMacs, and 3 MacBooks (one doesn't get used extensively anymore).

    We also have 3 iPads, 6 iPhones, 2 iTouches, 3 iPods and 4 Nanos.



    So thats 6 MacOS machines, and 18 iOS devices.



    While it is true that some of each group are eliminating themselves through redundancies, thats happening more in the iOS category so far. I really couldn't see eliminating either category anytime soon, if given a choice.



    To continue your naval analogy, in any fleet, there are capital ships, and far more numerous support vessels. iOS devices, by their nature and intent, will be the more numerous.



    All very much to Jobs' vision, and Apple's grand design...
  • Reply 4 of 49
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by I am a Zither Zather Zuzz View Post


    Likely Apple has made more profit form one year's iPhone sales than all the Macs put together from the dawn of time.



    Macs seem to be a boat anchor for Apple these days.



    you really are an irrational hater, aren't you? why bring the mac down?



    just in case you forgot, apple makes more money from macs that all OEMs combined with their computers.

    Also thanks to iOS, mac sales are exploding YaY, so your post makes 0 sense.
  • Reply 5 of 49
    Any potential implication gleaned from this post is meaningless because of one simple thing:



    Tim Cook loves the Mac.



    He has a FIRE for it. He ACTIVELY wants its marketshare to grow. And he'll do what he thinks is best to get that to happen.
  • Reply 6 of 49
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by pedromartins View Post


    you really are an irrational hater, aren't you? why bring the mac down?



    just in case you forgot, apple makes more money from macs that all OEMs combined with their computers.

    Also thanks to iOS, mac sales are exploding YaY, so your post makes 0 sense.



    I calls 'em like I sees 'em.
  • Reply 7 of 49
    vandilvandil Posts: 187member
    iOS products cost a lot less and are a much more portable than most Macs that have been out in the last 28 years.
  • Reply 8 of 49
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by I am a Zither Zather Zuzz View Post


    Likely Apple has made more profit form one year's iPhone sales than all the Macs put together from the dawn of time.



    Macs seem to be a boat anchor for Apple these days.



    That seems like an odd comment. Both segments are profitable (Mac and iPhone) and doing the best they ever have. "Boat anchor" usually references a segment that is holding an organization back. That simply isn't true with the Mac.



    Also, should it be any surprise that a $100-$300 device is outpacing a $999-$3,000+ computer?



    Apples and Oranges
  • Reply 9 of 49
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mitchell_pgh View Post


    That seems like an odd comment. Both segments are profitable (Mac and iPhone) and doing the best they ever have. "Boat anchor" usually references a segment that is holding an organization back. That simply isn't true with the Mac.



    Also, should it be any surprise that a $100-$300 device is outpacing a $999-$3,000+ computer?



    Apples and Oranges







    Back when Apple's mainline product was computers, it:



    sold less volume;

    made a lower gross profit;

    made a MUCH lower gross margin;

    made a MUCH lower net profit.



    Now, with Apple being a gadget company, each of these things has reversed.



    Boat anchor.
  • Reply 10 of 49
    ... and yet they remain clinged to that dinosaur of personal computing -- the desktop.



    How about 13/15/17-inch MacPads -- with built-in stands & wireless USB [for obsessive-compulsives who can't/won't let go of

    the "mouse & keyboard" pardigm -- instead, huh?



    I know I'd get a 15 inch one.
  • Reply 11 of 49
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by BoxMacCary View Post


    ... and yet they remain clinged to that dinosaur of personal computing -- the desktop.



    How about 13/15/17-inch MacPads -- with built-in stands & wireless USB [for obsessive-compulsives who can't/won't let go of

    the "mouse & keyboard" pardigm -- instead, huh?



    I know I'd get a 15 inch one.



    A 15" tablet that also works as a full computer? I've been waiting for that since like ... forever.



    It could also have a virtual trackpad for those times you need full featured software, but don't have a mouse handy.
  • Reply 12 of 49
    It looks impressive at first until you compare it to Windows/PC sales. The numbers posted by Apple are minuscule and pathetic in comparison. Thats just the truth. Google it.
  • Reply 13 of 49
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by slapppy View Post


    It looks impressive at first until you compare it to Windows/PC sales. The numbers posted by Apple are minuscule and pathetic in comparison. Thats just the truth. Google it.



    I wouldn't say "pathetic!"
  • Reply 14 of 49
    newbeenewbee Posts: 2,055member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by slapppy


    It looks impressive at first until you compare it to Windows/PC sales. The numbers posted by Apple are minuscule and pathetic in comparison. Thats just the truth. Google it.



    And in other related news: The combined sales of all car manufactures in the world, other than Mazda, was larger than than sales of Mazda sales by themselves. Just bloody amazing, eh Slappy?



    Perhaps, considering the quality of your posts, we should refer to them as Sloppy huh?
  • Reply 15 of 49
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by slapppy View Post


    It looks impressive at first until you compare it to Windows/PC sales. The numbers posted by Apple are minuscule and pathetic in comparison. Thats just the truth. Google it.



    Yes. If you look at the past. Look ahead 3 years out, and then let's see.



    The rate at which iPad is growing it might very well take up a very significant portion of the PC market in 3 years time. Already Apple has over 20% of the US PC market including iPad as a PC. And even today there isn't a single Android tablet that is worth owning. I can just imagine Apple releasing 2-3 versions of the iPad and cornering 35% of global PC sales. With Macs at 10% and iPads at 25%.



    Pretty soon people will realize Windows machines have ONE major disadvantage. That you can't run XCode on Windows machines!
  • Reply 16 of 49
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by slapppy View Post


    It looks impressive at first until you compare it to Windows/PC sales. The numbers posted by Apple are minuscule and pathetic in comparison. Thats just the truth. Google it.



    Yep, you're a real genius there with your insightful and extremely intelligent comments.



    That's like saying that Bill Gates is poor, because if you add up the incomes of everybody in the entire world, that would be greater than his wealth.



    Really? So every single computer sold in the world from every single manufacturer in the world has moved more units than one single company called Apple has? Wow, that is truly shocking, and I find that so hard to believe.
  • Reply 17 of 49
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,384member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by slapppy View Post


    It looks impressive at first until you compare it to Windows/PC sales. The numbers posted by Apple are minuscule and pathetic in comparison. Thats just the truth. Google it.



    Thattaboy, keep moving the goalposts. Now that Apple is outselling everyone and destroying all metrics, their sales are 'pathetic' because they sell less than the combined PC sales of every single other company on the planet? There's no other tech company, either currently or in the history of the world, that has had the insane success that Apple is having now nor the sales. Do you type your posts with a straight face? It's a serious question. [insult removed]
  • Reply 18 of 49
    I'm not insane. If you want to look at future outlook, then take a look at the recent MSNBC report. If you want to play the future game, Kindle is ready to blow out the iPad in 2012. Like I said, Android is going to make a killing this year.







    "Kindle Fire has barely reached the toddler stage of its young life, but it's already shot up in tablet sales, second only to Apple's iPad ? at least for the last quarter of 2011."



    http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news...main=gadgetbox
  • Reply 19 of 49
    just another example of the dumbing down of Apple.
  • Reply 20 of 49
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mitchell_pgh View Post


    Also, should it be any surprise that a $100-$300 device is outpacing a $999-$3,000+ computer



    The nice thing about that is it's really a $400-600 device. Customers end up paying the balance over the term of their contract, but Apple gets paid up front by the carrier. So they get the customer appeal of a $100-300 item and the profit potential of a $400-600 item.
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