Financial services company Piper Jaffray has raised estimates on Apple Computer (AAPL) after making a round of channel checks at Apple specialist resellers and Apple retail stores, according to Forbes.com.
“Piper Jaffray said, ‘Our checks have left us more confident that demand for Apple’s key products (most notably iMac, Powerbook, Mac mini and various versions of the iPod) continue to be ahead of expectations (exception is Power Mac).’ The research firm said ‘true demand for the iPod shuffle and Mac mini will not be visible” in the fiscal second quarter ending in March. The firm said supply constraints on new products will ease in the fiscal third quarter ending in June and “Street numbers will prove to be too low,'” Forbes.com. “Piper Jaffray expects Apple to sell 3.75 million iPods in the fiscal second quarter, including 2.75 million iPod and iPod mini models, and 1.0 million iPod shuffle models. The firm expects Apple to sell 4.55 million iPods in the fiscal third quarter, including 2.75 million iPod and iPod mini models, and 1.8 million iPod shuffle models.”
Full article here.
Apple needs to focus on making the PowerMac more expandable and less expensive in order to bring demand up. Video is the main weakness with the PowerMac. The slow pace of speed bumps is also hurting the platform. Apple should bring the prices down more if they cannot increase the processor speed, or add PCI Express.
I love how Apple seems to be the first to embrace new technologies, but they are also the last to embrace market standards sometimes when they change. Apple has a bad history with the PCI bus. Video adapters is another example.
Great news on most product lines. Disappointing for the Power Mac. Maybe Apple needs two PowerMac lines. A Full tower (current) with room for two G5s, nine fans, etc. and a smaller mini or micro tower with only a single processor, less expensive case, etc.
Price the micro G5 tower in the $1000 range.
Hazard’s Dad: I agree Apple needs to get more timely updates for the PowerMac line. A year in between updates is too long. I’m holding off buying until new models with PCI Express video cards show up. I typically can get 5-6 years out of a good PowerMac (with upgrades over time). I want my next machine to be no exception. In the meantime, my G4/400 upgraded to a 1.4 with Radeon 8500 is still working very well so I’m in no rush.
TMAN: I agree. If they released a midrange tower with G5 and 128MB+ expandable video (especially PCI Express), I’d be the first to put my order in and I have a couple of PC gamers who might join me.
Folks, calm down. All they said was that the PowerMac was not exceeding expectations, nothing about it failing to meet expectations. No need to redesign the whole product line.
Hazard’s Dad,
Legitimate criticisms in part, but the video criticism is bogus. Look at the card that drives the 30″ CInema display. The only card on PCs that can drive this display costs between $800 and $1,200, as opposd to our price which is much lower.
PCI Express is coming.
Once people know the facts, the PowerMac is a very viable performer. It’s just a matter of time now. PowerMacs will rule soon.
I believe that when Apple releases the 3ghz models, they will sell a good amount. I think most upgrades happened with the 2ghz, and not many people were all that into the 2.5’s. The 3ghz will see people upgrading from 2’s and people who were holding out…
Also, the high end market is going to shrink, as for most people a 1.5 G4 does everythiing you need it to do! Speed has become much less a concern lately, no?
“…(exception is Power Mac)…”
Where´s the 3Gig models Apple is supposed to have out about a year (2 years) ago?
Where´s all that super cool IBM chip technology that we were so hyped about?
Everything Apple is bringing out is for the main stream masses.
I am not buying an Apple computer until after Tiger and a much faster top-end Power Mac comes out.
G Spank: “Speed has become much less a concern lately, no?”
Guess you don´t do any high end work – video, graphics, games.
I routinely push around 300Mb files in Photoshop and I need speed, speed, speed!
If neglects the high-end, the windows guys will take it all away.
actual headline “Analysts always underwhelmed by technology and markets they can scarcely comprehend”
Since when did “MS is automatically a winner wherever it competes” become a sound investment strategy?
Oh yeah.. from about 1983 to 1999.. those were good times.. you know.. when MS got away with a monopoly and innovation out of Redmond sagged
Oh well.. they’re dominating commodities now..
I, for one, am very happy with the dual 2.5 gig G5. I just finished setting it up (gotta love FireWire Target Disk Mode – try that with USB 2.0) and am typing my first post to MDN on it and my 23″ Cinema Screen. Truly amazing. If you could see the smile on my face right now!
I may be alone here, but I hope they don’t get much faster in the too near future, because I know I’m gonna have this box for quite awhile!