Apple: Mac notebook computers soar; Sales up by 61%
By Opal Tribble
Apple has been receiving a lot of press lately, and it’s not just related to the iPhone 3G. Mac sales are increasing. This past April Mac sales increased by 50%. Apple also beat out Dell; it is now the number one seller of notebook computers to those within higher education.
According to market research by DisplaySearch Mac notebook sales are up by 61%. DisplaySearch tracked Mac notebook sales from the first quarter of 2007 to the first quarter of 2008. In that time frame Apple has shipped over 1.4 million notebook computers. The prior year Apple shipped almost 900,000.
Why are we seeing an increase in Mac notebook sales? According to DisplaySearch analysis shows that more consumers are moving to notebook computers. I made the transition to a notebook, 17″ MacBook Pro, and although I’ve purchased a MacPro since my initial purchase my preferred computer is my notebook.
“DisplaySearch analysis indicates that the increasing transition of consumers from desktop PCs to notebook PCs is having a direct impact on brands’ growth and market share. Brands with established enterprise and retail presences have had the most success in growing market share in the past several quarters,” the analysts said.
This past year we’ve seen a new notebook computer, the MacBook Air, enter the lineup. Apple received mixed reviews MacBook Air. It’s beautiful, one of the thinnest computers available, but many criticized the MacBook Air because of the extras it left out. The MacBook Air not supposed to replace your main computer it’s a secondary computer designed for the professional on the go. Regardless of the criticism, it didn’t stop people from purchasing it many Apple retailers reported they had a hard time keeping these in stock.
Faster processors larger harddrives have worked its way into the updated notebooks. Recently, we’ve seen upgrades to the MacBook and the MacBook Pro. Just like the MacBook Air the updated MacBook Pro comes with the multi-touch trackpad. I would have loved to see the research break down even more to see which Mac notebook received the most sales.
When you compare Apple to the overall notebook market share, it still has a lot of catching to do. Apple sits in seventh place with 4.6% of the market share. HP (20.8%), Dell (15.1%), and Acer (14.7%) sit at the top of the computer chain. Trailing behind Apple is Asus (4.3%) and Sony (4.2%). By the way, Asus received a slightly higher growth rate (67%) which is believed to be due to its Eee PC subnotebook computer that is capable of running Windows and Linux.
It will be interesting to see whether Apple releases a subnotebook computer. Rumors continue to surface speculating that Apple may introduce a sub-notebook product filling the gap between the iPhone and the MacBook. If Apple continues its momentum market share numbers should continue throughout 2008.
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July 2nd, 2008
Wow! Mac market share soon to hit double-digits!
July 4th, 2008
I’d be stunned to see a mini notebook from Apple. They know every one they sell will affect margins by stealing a sale from Macbooks. See the gap between the iMacs and the mini. It’s what made the 25% of profit on only 12% of retail sales market possible. Jobs isn’t worried about sales, just margin.