Apple laptop sales to push past the million mark

Posted on 12 Sep 2006 at 11:24

Apple laptop sales may top one million for the first time in the current quarter, according to Credit Suisse analyst Robert Semple.

Semple's survey of retail sales suggests that Apple will sell around 780,000 MacBooks, 200,000 more than his earlier prediction, plus some 250,000 MacBook Pros, taking the total number of portables sold well beyond last quarter's record 798,000.

'With the MacBook, Apple added a new colour to its product line along with the Intel processor and timed the product launch perfectly to correspond with the critical education buying season and ahead of the back to school period,' he wrote in a note to investors. 'We believe this combination of timing, improved performance, and the initial stages of the iPod halo effect are playing the most significant roles to date in generating demand for the MacBook.'

Looking ahead to Apple's next financial year, which begins with the September-December quarter, Semple predicts further laptop sales growth of more than 40 per cent, taking their share of Apple's total computer shipments to 60 per cent.

He notes that MacBook pricing appeals to around 50 per cent of the US market; in comparison, and despite the recentl upgrades and price cuts, the iMac desktops are limited to about 12 per cent. Although he acknowledges that 'the iMac comparison is unfair as it includes a panel, whereas other desktop vendors sell panels separately'.

Turning his attention to the iPod, Semple said that he expects sales of around nine million for the current quarter, a 40 per cent rise on last year but just 10 per cent on the last quarter. However he expects the situation to change should Apple, as expected, introduce new models at its 'showtime' event later today.

Author: Simon Aughton