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U.S. Mac Sales Continue to Sag Ahead of October Updates

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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Apple's Mac sales are down seven percent year over year for the full September quarter, according to a new report from Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster who looked at September data from market research firm NPD.

Based on the data, Munster suggests that U.S. Mac sales in the month of September were down 14 percent year over year, as during the July to August period, sales were down just three percent but dropped to seven percent down for the overall quarter.

mac_lineup_early2013.jpg
We have analyzed domestic NPD retail data for the full September quarter which suggests Mac sales are tracking down 7% y/y. We note that the September data suggested the last month of the quarter was down 14%, which brought the average down from down 3% through the first to months to down 7% for the full quarter.
Click to expand...
As with his previous reports, Munster notes that it remains difficult to extrapolate NPD data to Apple's global sales performance, but he views the September quarter data point as "likely a neutral" due to the introduction of new MacBook Airs in June.
Overall, we believe the September quarter data point is likely a neutral given that Macs should have a slight tailwind from updated Macbooks in June. We remain comfortable with our down 5% y/y estimate for Macs in the September quarter.
Click to expand...
Despite the fact that Apple is expected to debut Mavericks, updated Retina MacBook Pros, and the Mac Pro in October, Munster believes that Mac sales will continue to decline as Apple customers shift to iPads, with Macs representing a smaller part of Apple's overall business. Currently, Macs represent less than 15 percent of Apple's total revenue.

iPod sales continue to decline too, with NPD data suggesting that domestic units are down 36 percent year over year (up slightly from 41% in the August data) in the full third quarter, with a 20 percent year over year drop in September. Because iPods now represent just 2% of all Apple's revenue, the overall impact of this sales decline is minor.

Article Link: U.S. Mac Sales Continue to Sag Ahead of October Updates
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2013/10/21/u-s-mac-sales-continue-to-sag-ahead-of-october-updates/
Aluminum213

Aluminum213

macrumors 68040
Mar 16, 2012
3,597
4,707
It's only going to drop further every year, the average laptop user just browses the web and maybe uses a word document

All that and much more can be done on iPads and tablets are only getting more and more capable every year
 
S

stukdog

macrumors 6502
Oct 20, 2004
318
521
It really feels like Apple should move to more often updates on their Mac line. It used to be that only Mac diehards followed the cycle, but it sure seems that the general population is watching it now.
 
djtech42

djtech42

macrumors 65816
Jun 23, 2012
1,447
56
Mason, OH
Apple hasn't been updating the Mac line enough. It's as simple as that. If they want more sales, they need to do something.
 
ghost187

ghost187

macrumors 6502a
Mar 18, 2010
965
2,042
Don't worry Apple I will be buying the ultimate version of the 15 inch rMBP tomorrow.
 
Nevaborn

Nevaborn

macrumors 65816
Aug 30, 2013
1,086
327
Wow this is breaking news indeed, people stop buying current models of something because a new one is about to be released.

I'm honestly shocked !
 
okjedi

okjedi

macrumors newbie
Jul 1, 2007
12
14
Ada, OK
Been Waiting

Well, I've been waiting well over a year for a new MBP and can't wait to place an order! Or, may even do a Mac Pro and the best air for remote and just essential design software.
 
S

singhjeet29

macrumors regular
Oct 9, 2008
248
12
Considering only 2 products in the Mac line have been updated all year, and one of them in just the past month, I'm not surprised.

The holiday quarter will be amazing for Apple, but I still think they should stagger their release schedule, so not everything gets updated in Fall.
 
Alphabetize

Alphabetize

macrumors 6502
Oct 6, 2013
452
48
I hope Apple continues to make the Mac, and I hope the entire PC industry continues creating computers for professionals.

I cannot do what I need to do on a tablet or a smartphone.
 
N

NowConverted

macrumors member
Oct 16, 2013
55
3
London
First thing first: I truly hope this guy is wrong because "normal" people could be fine with the iPad to check Facebook but people like me need a real laptop to work!!!

Guess what happens when everyone thinks "the new MacBook will come out in June, no August, no wait September, this time is SURE, also Kuo said that, oh frack! No macs yet? OK OK I'll wait few weeks to buy"? Guess what happen....
 
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P

PDFierro

macrumors 68040
Sep 8, 2009
3,932
111
They are at the mercy of Intel. What would be the point of updating just for the sake of updating?

But yeah, sales are declining. Not just recently, but more and more people are switching to tablets and other devices.

I for one need to use a Mac.
 
Rogifan

Rogifan

macrumors Penryn
Nov 14, 2011
24,135
31,183
Ah, so that's why Apple stock was up over $12 today. :D. Of course new MBPs will most likely be announced tomorrow and along with the iMac refresh this current quarter should see improved sales.

Edit: I've also heard speculation that MBPs weren't updated earlier because they'll have Thunderbolt 2. Who knows, maybe we'll see a 4K Cinema Display tomorrow. :)
 
Nunyabinez

Nunyabinez

macrumors 68000
Apr 27, 2010
1,758
2,230
Provo, UT
Alphabetize said:
I hope Apple continues to make the Mac, and I hope the entire PC industry continues creating computers for professionals.

I cannot do what I need to do on a tablet or a smartphone.
Click to expand...

I agree. I love my iPad and iPhone, but I like to have some horsepower when I do serious computing tasks. Maybe the average person can get by with just an iPad, but without serious computers, there won't be anything to consume.

And I know many people are saying an iPad is not just a content consumption device, but if you are doing substantial music production, or video or photography, it's not gonna cut it, not even close.
 
W

winston1236

macrumors 68000
Dec 13, 2010
1,902
319
stukdog said:
It really feels like Apple should move to more often updates on their Mac line. It used to be that only Mac diehards followed the cycle, but it sure seems that the general population is watching it now.
Click to expand...

Not really, the problem is the price is too high so people would rather spend less money on a low cost tablet since they only web browse or type papers on their computers anyway.
 
Lunfai

Lunfai

macrumors 68000
Nov 21, 2010
1,566
519
Sheffield
Although I bought a 2013 MBA 11", I've been waiting for the 13" RMBP since I sold my old MBA in May. However ill order as soon as possible.
 
Lesser Evets

Lesser Evets

macrumors 68040
Jan 7, 2006
3,527
1,294
Hand-in-hand: it is the iPad migration and the lack of worthy hardware updates doing this.

Why buy a $2000 set up when you can do it on a $499 pad? Seriously, most people just don't use their computers for anything more than what an iPad provides. And why spend $2000+ for some computer rig which will be out of date in 5 years or less? Apple has shown some serious lack of support for high-cost models which fall outside the 5-year mark, and even outside a 4-year mark.

While Apple is developing some excellent hardware, they are still tied to Intel and being dragged behind the times by that company. If they want to develop a dedicated following, they MUST release regular updates which keep current. Popping out Pros on some random, insane, timeline isn't going to endear professionals to the product; they want to know that every September 14th they will have a new product which give the best-available processor and connectivity. Putting a random number of days between releases is suicide.

Get a clue, Apple. You castrate yourself, dying a death of a thousand incompetent cuts.
 
C

Cruddley

macrumors newbie
Sep 4, 2013
27
0
Nevaborn said:
Wow this is breaking news indeed, people stop buying current models of something because a new one is about to be released.

I'm honestly shocked !
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's what I was going to say! Also I don't think it will hurt Apple one bit, if people are switching to mobile devices like iPad. They just need to be on their game with their tablet, and all will be well. Crucial will be the release of Word on the iPad, which can't come soon enough. Worth every penny that Apple needs to throw at it to make this happen.
 
M

M!M!C

macrumors member
Dec 23, 2008
40
0
SoCal
Lesser Evets said:
Hand-in-hand: it is the iPad migration and the lack of worthy hardware updates doing this.

Why buy a $2000 set up when you can do it on a $499 pad? Seriously, most people just don't use their computers for anything more than what an iPad provides. And why spend $2000+ for some computer rig which will be out of date in 5 years or less? Apple has shown some serious lack of support for high-cost models which fall outside the 5-year mark, and even outside a 4-year mark.

While Apple is developing some excellent hardware, they are still tied to Intel and being dragged behind the times by that company. If they want to develop a dedicated following, they MUST release regular updates which keep current. Popping out Pros on some random, insane, timeline isn't going to endear professionals to the product; they want to know that every September 14th they will have a new product which give the best-available processor and connectivity. Putting a random number of days between releases is suicide.

Get a clue, Apple. You castrate yourself, dying a death of a thousand incompetent cuts.
Click to expand...

Very much agree with the first part, but "hey are still tied to Intel and being dragged behind the times by that company." So who is ahead of Intel?
 
M

mddharma

macrumors regular
Jul 21, 2005
121
0
Hagerstown, Md
Need to update ...

more often. We are waiting for the mac mini to update to Haswell. Seems to me they could have done this when they updated the iMacs. My circle has been changing to mini's as the low end imac is tough to justify with the lack of user upgradability in terms of HD and memory. I think they are losing sales because of this as well. :(
 
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