Apple Says Record 2020 Mac Sales Attributed Primarily to MacBook Pro

[MacRumors]

Apple on Thursday reported its earnings for the fourth quarter of the 2020 fiscal year, including Mac revenue of $9 billion, a new quarterly record. Apple ended the year with annual Mac revenue of $28.6 billion, an all-time high.

In its annual Form 10-K report [PDF], filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission today, Apple said increased Mac sales in fiscal 2020 compared to fiscal 2019 were primarily due to higher sales of the MacBook Pro. Apple introduced a new 16-inch MacBook Pro in the first quarter of the fiscal year, followed by a refreshed 13-inch MacBook Pro in the third quarter, both with faster Intel processors and a more reliable Magic Keyboard.

Apple's financial chief Luca Maestri said the company also saw "amazing customer response" to the new MacBook Air during the back to school season.

Apple has thrived during the pandemic in spite of economic uncertainty, with both Macs and iPads recording strong sales as many people continue to work, learn, and connect with family and friends from home. During its earnings call Thursday, Apple said that its products outside of the iPhone grew a combined 30 percent last quarter, despite supply constraints impacting the iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch throughout the quarter.

Apple's Form 10-K also revealed the following details:

• As of September 26, 2020, Apple had approximately 147,000 full-time equivalent employees, an increase of 10,000 employees from one year prior.
• Apple spent $18.75 billion on research and development in the 2020 fiscal year, up approximately 16 percent from $16.21 billion in the 2019 fiscal year. Apple said this increase was primarily due to "headcount-related expenses."
• Apple spent $2.95 billion on warranty claims in the 2020 fiscal year, down approximately 23 percent from $3.85 billion in the 2019 fiscal year.
• Amid mounting scrutiny over its App Store practices, Apple acknowledged that if the commission it collects on certain purchases were to decline, the company's financial results could be "materially adversely affected."

For more, see our coverage of Apple's earnings report.

Article Link: Apple Says Record 2020 Mac Sales Attributed Primarily to MacBook Pro

 

[YoitsTmac]

I mean yeah, they finally fixed the keyboard. I needed to upgrade and I held out for it. I also told all my clients to not buy anything in the lineup. I can’t imagine the frustration that would be felt if the damn keyboard just wouldn’t work as expected within 3, 5 or even 10 years

 

[farewelwilliams]

the keyboard was fine. butterfly issues were overblown i think and unnecessarily scared potential customers away. interestingly the post above me proved my point. as Steve Jobs once said about the enterprise market: "the people that make those decisions sometimes are confused".

i have more of an issue with the touchbar IMO. if I tapped on the mission control button too hard where my finger slightly slid on the touch bar, touchbar cancels mission control. annoying.

 

[thadoggfather]

Genuinely surprises me it isn't the 2020 Air.

I think the fixed keyboard and $999 / 256gb SSD base ( I know, more would be nice but this is apple and 256gb imo is serviceable, 128gb is junk) is very compelling for the average consumer in need of a new laptop

I still have my 2016 NTB Pro and I appreciate the thinned tapered design over it.

 

[MedRed]

Covid 19 is really creating some unanticipated windfalls for some companies.

 

[justperry]

• Amid mounting scrutiny over its App Store practices, Apple acknowledged that if the commission it collects on certain purchases were to decline, the company's financial results could be "materially adversely affected."

That's one to think about, if Apple loses Google Default search setting it will affect income by 8-12 Billion.

 

[sfwalter]

the keyboard was fine. butterfly issues were overblown i think and unnecessarily scared potential customers away. interestingly the post above me proved my point. as Steve Jobs once said about the enterprise market: "the people that make those decisions sometimes are confused".

i have more of an issue with the touchbar IMO. if I tapped on the mission control button too hard where my finger slightly slid on the touch bar, touchbar cancels mission control. annoying.

I don't think it was overblown at all. 3 out of 4 my coworkers had issues with their keyboards. Plus the travel distance was too shallow to be comfortable. I know the second statement is subjective.

 

[ipponrg]

Yes, my company has abandoned older macbooks in favor of the newer ones. There were too many faulty keyboard issues with the pre-2019s.

 

[480951]

the keyboard was fine. butterfly issues were overblown i think and unnecessarily scared potential customers away. interestingly the post above me proved my point. as Steve Jobs once said about the enterprise market: "the people that make those decisions sometimes are confused".

How was this issue overblown when Apple had a repair program set up to fix units with issues, repeatedly addressed it in year over year design adjustments, and then finally switched to a different one and stopped using it? You don’t need to defend Apple here, they have a team of lawyers for that. This problem was documented and addressed endlessly, it definitely wasn’t overblown.

 

[SkyRom]

Not from me. I will accept only Apple’s unconditional surrender on the TouchBar before I buy another MacBook.

 

[Tozovac]

See what can happen when a company decides to (return to) prioritize function over form?

 

[locovaca]

I mean, it should be obvious given that their desktops are comprised of machines not intended for the mass market and a machine that is now 2 years old.

 

[dszakal]

3 reasons:

Scissor keyboard
Physical Esc is back
32GB RAM in 13 inch Pro

 

[logain]

now, can you imagine what an insane amount of money they will make if they also get rid of the touchbar?

 

[baryon]

Apple plays the long game:

1. Make great computers
2. Replace them with more expensive, crappy computers
3. Return to making great computers again
4. Call it "magic"
5. ???
6. Profit!

 

[Unregistered 4U]

3 reasons:

Scissor keyboard
Physical Esc is back
32GB RAM in 13 inch Pro

1 reason:
Companies and Individuals buying laptops to work remotely.

 

[WestonHarvey1]

now, can you imagine what an insane amount of money they will make if they also get rid of the touchbar?

The only people who hated it enough to not buy it because of the touchbar were developers. They only real reason was the loss of escape key. The brought back the escape key, most people are happy now.

 

[WestonHarvey1]

the keyboard was fine. butterfly issues were overblown i think and unnecessarily scared potential customers away. interestingly the post above me proved my point. as Steve Jobs once said about the enterprise market: "the people that make those decisions sometimes are confused".

i have more of an issue with the touchbar IMO. if I tapped on the mission control button too hard where my finger slightly slid on the touch bar, touchbar cancels mission control. annoying.

The keyboard was not fine. Go to any IT department in a company that uses Macs. Half of what they do all day is deal with broken MacBook keyboards.

 

[Merode]

I contributed to this in July, got 16" with 1TB drive. I love it.

 

[Raekon]

Maybe it’s just me but I love my macbook and for many people it’s actually the best option for a premium laptop. It’s a product that has a clear audience and isn’t matched by anybody else. Ipad pro is even more like that, since it’s pretty much the only tablet that is serious about it. Only the iphone I see it as not having a clear advantage or target audience compared to the competition. Iphone sales are largery fueled by the US market but have been falling for a while internationally, while in my region I see more and more people with macs and ipads. For many things buying a Mac or an iPad is the only logical choice, for phones it’s not like that. I’m so happy to hear macbook is doing good and I hope they will pay even more attention to developing them in the future.

 

[sub150]

A keyboard that works is good for sales. Shocking.

 

[Seanm87]

The MacBooks sold better because people are stuck at home so they buy new tech. Also more businesses working from home.

That’s it. That simple.

Nothing to do with keyboard change, or esc key or any of that silliness. The general public that buy Apple products would know nothing about the butterfly keyboard.

 

[ikir]

I don't think it was overblown at all. 3 out of 4 my coworkers had issues with their keyboards. Plus the travel distance was too shallow to be comfortable. I know the second statement is subjective.

Yes if was. I have dozen of costumers with no issue. Myself I prefer butterfly

 

[Return Zero]

Unpopular opinion around here... I love the touch bar, especially now that physical escape is back.

However, I'm not a shill, and you cannot deny the complete debacle that was the butterfly keyboard. Our whole department shied away from MacBooks for years because of it. Now, we are back in full force, with Macs starting to take over again. The new 16" is the primary computer for many of our engineering staff, and everyone loves them (no fan/monitor issues here, but that's for another thread).

 

[1rottenapple]

the keyboard was fine. butterfly issues were overblown i think and unnecessarily scared potential customers away. interestingly the post above me proved my point. as Steve Jobs once said about the enterprise market: "the people that make those decisions sometimes are confused".

i have more of an issue with the touchbar IMO. if I tapped on the mission control button too hard where my finger slightly slid on the touch bar, touchbar cancels mission control. annoying.

My 2015 MacBook and 2017 MacBook Pro has replacements, both failed after the first year. Not overblown the design was form over good engineering it BLOWS

Anyway, COVID and working from home. My whole company (government) had switched to work from home in the summer and most had to buy laptops. Best Buy got some good business that's for sure.