Domestic Mac sales grow 31% as Apple catches up with iMac demand
The latest data from the NPD Group shows U.S. Mac sales in the month of January were up 31 percent year over year, suggesting Apple began to catch up with demand for its new all-in-one iMac.
Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray believes domestic Mac sales saw such a significant spike in January because Apple likely satisfied some of the overwhelming demand the company had seen for its redesigned iMac in the December quarter.
Last quarter, Mac sales were off 17 percent ? a loss that Apple attributed mostly to a lack of availability of the new iMac. Apple sold a total of 4.1 million Macs in the December quarter of 2012, down from 4.9 million a year prior.
Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook noted that iMac sales were down 700,000 units year over year in the December quarter, a reduction that would account for most of the 800,000 fewer Macs Apple sold in the quarter.
The new iMac was plagued with production issues when the desktop went on sale in December. It's been reported that those issues came from a unique screen lamination process Apple has employed in its new design, allowing the desktop to sport a much thinner profile than its predecessor.
While the NPD data is a sign that Apple began to catch up with iMac demand in January, the sales data represents only domestic PC sales and does not account for the overseas portion of Apple's increasingly international Mac business.
As such, Munster estimates that total Mac sales for the current March quarter will end up down 5 percent year over year, amounting to 3.8 million units. The analyst did caution that it's "still early," and the picture could change as more data comes in.
The latest NPD data also revealed that iPod sales were up 3 percent year over year domestically in the month of January. Munster's current projections call for total iPod sales in the March quarter to be down 17 percent. He cautioned that even if iPod sales did surprise to the upside in the quarter,it would mean less than 1 percent upside to Apple's overall numbers.
Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray believes domestic Mac sales saw such a significant spike in January because Apple likely satisfied some of the overwhelming demand the company had seen for its redesigned iMac in the December quarter.
Last quarter, Mac sales were off 17 percent ? a loss that Apple attributed mostly to a lack of availability of the new iMac. Apple sold a total of 4.1 million Macs in the December quarter of 2012, down from 4.9 million a year prior.
Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook noted that iMac sales were down 700,000 units year over year in the December quarter, a reduction that would account for most of the 800,000 fewer Macs Apple sold in the quarter.
The new iMac was plagued with production issues when the desktop went on sale in December. It's been reported that those issues came from a unique screen lamination process Apple has employed in its new design, allowing the desktop to sport a much thinner profile than its predecessor.
While the NPD data is a sign that Apple began to catch up with iMac demand in January, the sales data represents only domestic PC sales and does not account for the overseas portion of Apple's increasingly international Mac business.
As such, Munster estimates that total Mac sales for the current March quarter will end up down 5 percent year over year, amounting to 3.8 million units. The analyst did caution that it's "still early," and the picture could change as more data comes in.
The latest NPD data also revealed that iPod sales were up 3 percent year over year domestically in the month of January. Munster's current projections call for total iPod sales in the March quarter to be down 17 percent. He cautioned that even if iPod sales did surprise to the upside in the quarter,it would mean less than 1 percent upside to Apple's overall numbers.
Comments
"Overwhelming demand"?
Didn't the towering intellects ensconced in the offices of their boutique financial services organizations point fingers at the high price tags? The unwillingness of today's consumer to shell out for a Mac? The lack of, whats that word . . . Innovation?
And so on.
http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/mac-sales-plummet-as-apple-gives-up-on-innovating/
(PC to me = Wintel Boxes for those that feel a Mac is a PC).
But I thought no one wanted iMacs because they don't have optical drives ans desktop machines aren't supposed to be thinner and lighter?
Yep. Hopefully this wasn't a surprise to anyone paying attention.
Originally Posted by Quadra 610
http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/mac-sales-plummet-as-apple-gives-up-on-innovating/
Oh look, another site to ignore completely.
After 4 months of zero availability sales should be robust. Even if the number is accurate you can't deduce how well the machine has been accepted. The analyst should get back to us 3 months from now when all that pent up demand is gone.
At this rate I wouldn't be surprised if there's still a significant backlog when it's time to update the iMacs to Haswell…
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta
Cool. So now AAPL can fall some more.
You had to mention it!
It's entirely your fault now!
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta
Cool. So now AAPL can fall some more.
It had better not, because I just picked up a few more at 3:59 PM today.
Shut up!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogifan
But I thought no one wanted iMacs because they don't have optical drives ans desktop machines aren't supposed to be thinner and lighter?
Some people waited so long for an update, they would swallow anything and did.
I was waiting for the update with money in hand but shied away when I saw what they had done.
I understand that not everyone needs a DVD drive. Personally I do.
No one needed the iMac to be thinner.
I'm now torn between picking up the previous 27", discounted with all the bells and whistles or waiting to see what the next iMac update will bring to see if it will make it worth getting despite the form over function design.
Having this new 27" iMac is my tech dream right know...
I saw the 21 model in person... It's so fast and beautiful, it's decoration and art by itself, there's nothing like that. I bet the 27" makes people having orgasms.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OldMacGuy
I don't mind the missing optical drive. I do mind that these new iMacs do not have the ability for users to upgrade RAM ( please correct me if I'm wrong on this,) I thought I would get a new 27" IMac this year, but, maybe not, now.
the 27 does.
They are much lighter, have better screens, are much faster, have high end graphics, are beautiful... The only sexy desktop.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OldMacGuy
I don't mind the missing optical drive. I do mind that these new iMacs do not have the ability for users to upgrade RAM ( please correct me if I'm wrong on this,) I thought I would get a new 27" IMac this year, but, maybe not, now.
You can upgrade the memory on the 27" models. The 21" iMac's aren't upgradeable.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MacApfel
The new iMac is simply adorable!
Agreed! It is one beautiful machine!
Originally Posted by OldMacGuy
I do mind that these new iMacs do not have the ability for users to upgrade RAM ( please correct me if I'm wrong on this,)…
Both do. 21.5" is hard (but not soldered, so physically possible), 27" is the same as any previous model.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MacApfel
The new iMac is simply adorable!
I have one. Great machine. What I would have wanted if it was available. is a wider version of the MacMini, with the guts of the top end iMac in something that i could get for less than $2000, and then get an updated thinner Thunderbolt display when they get released. But that's just me.