iMac sales???
What are iMac sales like at the moment? I have heard that they are quite soft, having dropped off dramatically in the last 2 months. The Conference call noted the drop in sales, but now I'm hearing that the 17 isn't doing as well as Apple had hoped (pre-order etc... is it shipping yet) It's understandable, the machines cost too much for an unexpandable comp that uses a 100Mhz bus, has no L3, so-so video, and a slow chip. Maybe it doesn't even look that slow to mac users so much as it looks stale.
From a spec perspective, we've been living with this type of CPU/bus/AGP for 3 years now. No matter pro or consumer and I think Apple's offerings are reaching a point where they seem stale even to mac users. Now, even if your current machine is a little slow, you wait because it must surely pass that significant upgrades are coming soon at all levels.
Can Apple fight this perception? I don't think that the wait for OSX.2 helps. No reason to buy any machine that doesn't come with it installed.
If chips/mobos aren't ready, then they aren't ready, but what can Apple do in the meantime?
Design has (over the past 3 years) helped Macs look fresher than they really were:
The original iBook, and the updated icebook.
The original TiBook (which really wasn't that much of a step up from the last Pismo)
The first Quick Silvers.
The G3 iMac color revs?
Certainly the FP iMac intro (which was also a significant spec/feature update aswell as a total redesign)
But the iMac fizzled very quickly, and each successive Ti ad PM update has not held the public attention for very long.
Is it a case that design can no longer move macs (seemingly at will)?
And without that ability, where does that leave Apple?
From a spec perspective, we've been living with this type of CPU/bus/AGP for 3 years now. No matter pro or consumer and I think Apple's offerings are reaching a point where they seem stale even to mac users. Now, even if your current machine is a little slow, you wait because it must surely pass that significant upgrades are coming soon at all levels.
Can Apple fight this perception? I don't think that the wait for OSX.2 helps. No reason to buy any machine that doesn't come with it installed.
If chips/mobos aren't ready, then they aren't ready, but what can Apple do in the meantime?
Design has (over the past 3 years) helped Macs look fresher than they really were:
The original iBook, and the updated icebook.
The original TiBook (which really wasn't that much of a step up from the last Pismo)
The first Quick Silvers.
The G3 iMac color revs?
Certainly the FP iMac intro (which was also a significant spec/feature update aswell as a total redesign)
But the iMac fizzled very quickly, and each successive Ti ad PM update has not held the public attention for very long.
Is it a case that design can no longer move macs (seemingly at will)?
And without that ability, where does that leave Apple?
Comments
* faster cpu in high end model
* faster bus
* optional combo drive for 17" imac (the problem with he superdrive is - my opinion- the 8x speed in cd-burning)
* real audio out (without adapter)
I'm a little confounded by it all, I really though the mac community was more superficial, but it seems that they're not. If design cannot promote sales, and OSX cannot promote sales (Apple itself has made rumblings about the rate of adoption) Yes yes, I know, it's been fast for a 'nix, but it's still only at 2.5 mill or so, "OS9 is dead to developers..." etc It seems like they're pushing it hard, but that people just aren't biting.
So if they are unsuccessful with design and OSX (as the primary purchase motivators) that then leaves really only price and specification. Maybe lower-priced machines weren't a great idea in the past, but can Apple really continue to escape the reality of cheaper computers???
[ 08-08-2002: Message edited by: Matsu ]</p>
<strong>Well, Apple's 3Q02 report is due in a few days so we should be able to get a good idea how sales were in the quarter ending on 1 July. But in 2Q02 iMac unit sales rose 24% year over year, even with the severe delay in shipping the iMacs (whether Apple counted pre-orders as sales or not... I don't know). Total Mac unit sales rose 8%, boosted primarily by the iBook. The third quarter numbers will indeed be interesting...</strong><hr></blockquote>
<strong>
Yes, but a specific unit sales breakdown was not reported, just total CPU sales (808k, down ~2%). It was indicated that iMac sales were softer than expected, but what that means in actual numbers has yet to be revealed. It is also unclear whether the eMac had a significant effect on iMac sales, and I don't think that this can be ignored when examining Apple's desktop consumer market. Until the 10-Q is filed I don't think we can draw any conclusions, especially from the rather nebulous conference call.
[ 08-08-2002: Message edited by: Fluffy ]</p>
<strong>What are iMac sales like at the moment? </strong><hr></blockquote>
No one with any kind of data useful in making a logical determination would post such data on the AI boards.
Feel free to speculate pessimistically, or optimistically if you choose, either way it's nothing but speculation.
<strong>
No one with any kind of data useful in making a logical determination would post such data on the AI boards.
Feel free to speculate pessimistically, or optimistically if you choose, either way it's nothing but speculation.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I was at the Apple store in Tampa, FL located in Internationl Plaza today where I picked up my 17"imac and boy those iMacs were moving out the door!
According to my salesman, they had a total of 16 arrive today. I bought the last, #16. Their list of iMac wannabe owners was lengthy and not close to being shortened by todays order. I'd assume tomorrow they will have another 16 arrive to move out the door.
So the answer is YES. iMacs are selling very well.
Buy Mac and don't look Back!
Anyways, here's the sales numbers for Q3'02:
iMac (including eMac sales): 378k units, $424 mill revenue
Q2'02 for comparison:
iMac (don't remember if they had eMac at all Q2): 372k units, $448 mill revenue
Edit: found the page, it's a PDF link off their Third Quarter Press Release...
<a href="http://a528.g.akamai.net/7/528/51/2eb510691ed89e/www.apple.com/pr/pdf/q302data_sum.pdf"; target="_blank">Q3'02 Data Summary</a>
[ 08-09-2002: Message edited by: MCQ ]</p>