“Apple Computer Inc. cut prices on PowerBook computers by as much as 13 percent and introduced updated PowerMac machines to capitalize on consumer interest from its iPod digital music player,” Connie Guglielmo reports for Bloomberg News. “PowerBook notebooks have a higher-quality display, longer battery life and now include a SuperDrive for creating DVDs, Senior Vice President Philip Schiller said today at Apple’s Cupertino, California, headquarters.”
Guglielmo reports, “Mac shipments are at a five-year high, with sales of Apple’s most-profitable products spurred by interest in the iPod, the top-selling digital player. Apple’s new PowerBook and PowerMacs, unveiled a week after the company updated its popular iMac computer, may help maintain computers sales momentum as Apple prepares to switch to processors made by Intel Corp. by June. ‘There’s going to be an inevitable lag in Mac sales as people wait for the Intel machines, but if you’re a professional and you need a new machine, you will get a new machine,’ said Kathleen Maher, an analyst with Jon Peddie Research in San Francisco. ‘These new machines should help Apple.'”
Full article here.
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Rumors of a lag in Mac sales as people wait for Intel-based Macs have been greatly exaggerated. On June 6, 2005, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the transition to Intel. In Apple’s Q3 2005 quarter (March 27 – June 25, 2005), Apple shipped 1,182,000 Macs. In Apple’s Q4 2005 quarter (June 26 – September 24, 2005), Apple shipped 1,236,000 Macs. Perhaps Apple could’ve increased Mac sales even faster without the Intel transition looming, but the unit figures clearly show that people are not holding off on new Mac purchases in any great numbers so far.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Enderle: ‘Surveys indicate demand for Apple’s products is dropping like a rock’ due to Intel switch – August 01, 2005
Analysts don’t see Apple’s Intel switch dimming ‘iPod Halo Effect’ – July 30, 2005
Apple’s pending Intel switch not hurting PowerPC-based Mac sales – July 25, 2005
Apple continues to grow worldwide Macintosh market share – July 25, 2005
Report: Apple to benefit from Intel chip switch; Mac sales on the rise – July 13, 2005