U.S. Mac Sales Surge in January as iMac Orders Pick up Steam

[MacRumors]

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster today issued a new research report sharing data from research firm NPD covering Apple's U.S. Mac sales for the month of January. According to NPD's data, Mac sales were up a strong 31% year-over-year for the month.

Munster attributes the strong performance to Apple finally being able to roll out orders of the new iMac, even as the company remains significantly constrained with multi-week waits for new orders through its online stores. Apple announced the new iMac in late October of last year, but did not begin taking orders until the end of the November with the larger 27-inch models not arriving until several weeks later.

We have analyzed domestic NPD retail data for the month of January which suggests Mac sales were up 31% y/y through the first month of the March quarter. We believe the reason for the significant improvement in the sales data is primarily due to Apple catching up with iMac supply, which the company noted to be constrained in the December quarter. CEO Tim Cook noted that iMac sales were down 700k units y/y in December (we note iMac sales are likely far less impacted by iPad, thus the vast majority of the y/ y unit decline is likely supply).

It remains to be seen if the strong sales will hold up for the remainder of the quarter, and thus Piper Jaffray is maintaining its estimate of a 5% year-over-year decline for the full quarter when global sales are considered.

NPD's data also reveals a bit of a surprise for the iPod, showing U.S. unit sales up 3% year-over-year and revenue up 2%. Piper Jaffray has been modeling for a 17% decline in total iPod sales for the quarter as the device continues to lose favor with consumers shifting music consumption to smartphones. But even a strong showing for the iPod is unlikely to have a significant impact on Apple's bottom line, as the line represented just 4% of Apple's sales in the holiday quarter, typically the strongest one for iPod sales.

Article Link: U.S. Mac Sales Surge in January as iMac Orders Pick up Steam

[iCore24]

I think mac's are the only computers increasing market share every quarter compared to everyone else.

[iheartiphone4]

Originally Posted by iCore24

I think mac's are the only computers increasing market share every quarter compared to everyone else.

Probably. Post pc world.

[Radio]

Well it's obvious to many of us

consumers want skinnier computers with a hump (bootie) in the back

[puckhead193]

Originally Posted by Radio

Well it's obvious to many of us

consumers want skinnier computers with a hump (bootie) in the back

this came in my head all of a sudden

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEe_eraFWWs

hopefully the shipping times improve on the 27" soon

[CosmoCopus]

Originally Posted by puckhead193

this came in my head all of a sudden

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEe_eraFWWs

hopefully the shipping times improve on the 27" soon

What happened to the days when you could watch a YouTube vid. and not have to sit through a frickin advertisement?

[Larry-K]

Originally Posted by Radio

Well it's obvious to many of us

consumers want skinnier computers with a hump (bootie) in the back

Do they have a choice?

----------

Originally Posted by BornAgainMac

I didn't realize Firewire was removed from the new iMacs until I read your comment. I had to confirm it and realize that is true. That is a disappointment.

DVD drive is no problem for me though.

Thanks for pointing that out, I have a friend who'll need a refurb.

[the8thark]

Originally Posted by iheartiphone4

Probably. Post pc world.

Post PC is ********. The truth is more "new type of PC" world. As in tablets and notebooks etc are slowly becoming the PC of choice. And the desktop (traditional PC of old) is slowly dying.

It's more Post desktop as the main PC world. But post PC on it's own is a flat lie. I wish Apple and Co never used the term.

[SAdProZ]

I'm not surprised. Demand is high for the new iMacs. A lot of people on MacRumors want to complain that Apple isn't meeting their current 'buying criteria' of more power but the truth of the matter is Apple Inc. is filled with smart minds that know society changes, and so does 'buying criteria.'

Not only are iMac's more powerful, but they are thinner, lighter, simpler and more essential—which is what society wants in a desktop machine going forward. Our buying criteria is more influenced by laptops and tablets than anything else.

I talk about buying criteria in my latest podcast. if you want to learn about it and how businesses use it as an innovation strategy.

[Icaras]

Originally Posted by SAdProZ

Not only are iMac's more powerful, but they are thinner, lighter, simpler and more essential—which is what society wants in a desktop machine going forward. Our buying criteria is more influenced by laptops and tablets than anything else.

Couldn't agree more.

Upping power and reliability while still shaving off space, energy consumption, weight and shipping costs. I love my iMac

[autrefois]

"U.S. Mac Sales Surge in January as iMac Orders Pick up Steam"

But I thought iMacs already could have Steam for a while now?

[Galatian]

Originally Posted by SAdProZ

I'm not surprised. Demand is high for the new iMacs. A lot of people on MacRumors want to complain that Apple isn't meeting their current 'buying criteria' of more power but the truth of the matter is Apple Inc. is filled with smart minds that know society changes, and so does 'buying criteria.'

Not only are iMac's more powerful, but they are thinner, lighter, simpler and more essential—which is what society wants in a desktop machine going forward. Our buying criteria is more influenced by laptops and tablets than anything else.

I talk about buying criteria in my latest podcast. if you want to learn about it and how businesses use it as an innovation strategy.

Maybe I'm missing something but doesn't the surge of new iMac purchase come from the fact that...ugh...a new iMac was released? I don't see any prove that people necessarily buy the new iMac because it is thinner/lighter. I'd say it is because people simply waited for the new refreshed iMac to show up...

By your logic, AiO should be selling en masse. They don't. So no: society as a whole doesn't really want lighter/thinner as a desktop.

You know: critical thinking and all that...

[SAdProZ]

Originally Posted by Galatian

Maybe I'm missing something but doesn't the surge of new iMac purchase come from the fact that...ugh...a new iMac was released? I don't see any prove that people necessarily buy the new iMac because it is thinner/lighter. I'd say it is because people simply waited for the new refreshed iMac to show up...

By your logic, AiO should be selling en masse. They don't. So no: society as a whole doesn't really want lighter/thinner as a desktop.

You know: critical thinking and all that...

I never said people were ONLY buying for thinner/lighter. People buy for a mix of benefits. Just like a car, you may buy a car because of 1. Gets you from A to B, 2. Luxury design 3. Powerful engine, 4. Great driving experience, 5. iPhone compatible, etc. Buying criteria mixes together. And it's something to be carefully considered when innovating/designing/building a product or service. You have to observe societies needs and how value is perceived today vs. yesterday.

So if anything I'm saying mixing thinner/lighter with other criteria (power, HD speed, etc) is filling the needs as they exist in flux. Needs never stay exactly the same (you don't need a computer with floppy, and processor speed may be less of a priority in your purchasing needs now as they would have been 10 years ago).

And with buying criteria, it tends to piss people off when they're buying criteria isn't met ("No DVD drive?" "No high-level gaming video card?").

I was simply saying I'm not surprised that millions of Americans don't mind or are in need of the new iMacs given the direction of innovation (ie. tablets and Airs don't have DVD drives).

[Casiotone]

The slot-loading DVD drives found in previous iMacs and Mac minis were unreliable and slow.

And I don't think it's even Apple's fault for choosing cheap drives, faster and higher quality slot-loading drives probably don't even exist since it's a dying media and I doubt any company is working to improve slot-loading DVD drives.

[SAdProZ]

Originally Posted by Galatian

Maybe I'm missing something but doesn't the surge of new iMac purchase come from the fact that...ugh...a new iMac was released? I don't see any prove that people necessarily buy the new iMac because it is thinner/lighter. I'd say it is because people simply waited for the new refreshed iMac to show up...

By your logic, AiO should be selling en masse. They don't. So no: society as a whole doesn't really want lighter/thinner as a desktop.

You know: critical thinking and all that...

Also: imagine the future (20-50 years from now). I'm imagining all computers to essentially be screens (phone, tablet, laptop, desktop). If that is our future then society most likely does want that, eliminating the bulk of things (just display, inner components being flat). I think the iMac is an example of movement in that direction.

[paradox00]

Originally Posted by Galatian

Maybe I'm missing something but doesn't the surge of new iMac purchase come from the fact that...ugh...a new iMac was released? I don't see any prove that people necessarily buy the new iMac because it is thinner/lighter. I'd say it is because people simply waited for the new refreshed iMac to show up...

By your logic, AiO should be selling en masse. They don't. So no: society as a whole doesn't really want lighter/thinner as a desktop.

You know: critical thinking and all that...

Just throwing these out there: http://www.isuppli.com/Home-and-Cons...it-Growth.aspx

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/computers/...-and-well/8099

Couldn't find anything that recent, but all-in-ones have been outpacing traditional desktop growth for a while now.

[Galatian]

Originally Posted by paradox00

Just throwing these out there: http://www.isuppli.com/Home-and-Cons...it-Growth.aspx

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/computers/...-and-well/8099

Couldn't find anything that recent, but all-in-ones have been outpacing traditional desktop growth for a while now.

I'm sorry: both statistics include the iMac in their figure. Apple has virtually no discrete desktop computer (let not start arguing about the mini/pro), hence including iMac sales in such a figure will give you false results.

[AppleScruff1]

Originally Posted by SAdProZ

I'm not surprised. Demand is high for the new iMacs. A lot of people on MacRumors want to complain that Apple isn't meeting their current 'buying criteria' of more power but the truth of the matter is Apple Inc. is filled with smart minds that know society changes, and so does 'buying criteria.'

Not only are iMac's more powerful, but they are thinner, lighter, simpler and more essential—which is what society wants in a desktop machine going forward. Our buying criteria is more influenced by laptops and tablets than anything else.

I talk about buying criteria in my latest podcast. if you want to learn about it and how businesses use it as an innovation strategy.

Really?

[Silvereel]

Originally Posted by AppleScruff1

Really?

Really.

[Icaras]

Originally Posted by AppleScruff1

Really?

Yep.

[AppleScruff1]

Originally Posted by Silvereel

Really.

Originally Posted by Icaras

Yep.

So this is what society wants going forward? Since when did he speak for society?

[SAdProZ]

Originally Posted by AppleScruff1

Really?

Yes really. Like I said twice now, at the moment there is a mix of needs but it doesn't take a genius visionary to know that in the future (10-50 years from now) thin/light/display-like computers will be the norm. It will be a standard. And if a company released a computer with any thickness/bulge 50 years from now we'd all be complaining.

Moving forward, all consumer computers will start slimming (gamer/workstations being the last to slim of course but even they will). Nobody here uses a computer the size of a room, but of course, the first computers took up an entire room.

[Ryth]

Originally Posted by SAdProZ

I'm not surprised. Demand is high for the new iMacs. A lot of people on MacRumors want to complain that Apple isn't meeting their current 'buying criteria' of more power but the truth of the matter is Apple Inc. is filled with smart minds that know society changes, and so does 'buying criteria.'

Not only are iMac's more powerful, but they are thinner, lighter, simpler and more essential—which is what society wants in a desktop machine going forward. Our buying criteria is more influenced by laptops and tablets than anything else.

I talk about buying criteria in my latest podcast. if you want to learn about it and how businesses use it as an innovation strategy.

They are very nice, but still date themselves by not having some sort of upgradable graphics card slot or something. I can't drop $2500+ on a desktop that will be dated in 2 years in terms of the graphics card for doing my graphic/motion graphics on.

At least the laptops are portable. But for a desktop, there needs to be upgradability in the GPU chip somehow (and they need to design it that way)

[SAdProZ]

Originally Posted by Ryth

They are very nice, but still date themselves by not having some sort of upgradable graphics card slot or something. I can't drop $2500+ on a desktop that will be dated in 2 years in terms of the graphics card for doing my graphic/motion graphics on.

At least the laptops are portable. But for a desktop, there needs to be upgradability in the GPU chip somehow (and they need to design it that way)

No iMac customer has upgraded the GPU on their iMac (in general, at least) . And it's a very successful product in terms of sales. So there is now monitary/market need to make iMacs GPU upgradable. According to your buying criteria (upgradable GPU a must) the MacPro is your match. Apple made a computer for you.

For those who want a minimal style, 27" display on their desk with nearly insvisible inside components (or getting there, at least) that you just buy and accept then Apple has made an iMac for them.

[uknowimright]

equating the move away from DVDs to the move away from floppies is quite laughable