NPD data shows Mac sales growing 5x market growth rate in February

Apple StoreThis morning, Pacific Crest Securities noted to clients that NPD data shows Mac sales growing at 5x the market growth rate in February, ahead of their estimate.

Also this morning, Morgan Stanley commented on the personal computer market saying unit demand rebounded in February after a meaningful slowdown in January.

Morgan Stanley attributed the January slowdown to consumers waiting for Vista PCs.

Total U.S. PC unit growth rebounded to 23% year-over-year in February, which the firm says is in-line with December 2006 growth.

Apple is the only vendor that appears “unscathed by the Vista transition,” according to the firm.

Morgan Stanley is confident that continued Mac momentum and strong double-digit iPod growth in the quarter will allow Apple will beat expectations this quarter.

This information comes from analyst’s notes not publicly available online.

MacDailyNews Note: Apple will announce Q2 07 results on April 25, 2007.

34 Comments

  1. Wow, that’s really insightful. The company that doesn’t sell windows PCs is unscathed by the transition to a new version of windows.

    I’m going to apply for a job at Morgan Stanley. The bar doesn’t seem to be set real high.

  2. Don’t we berate NPD when people cite them for not including apple sales and other sources when discussing iPod’s but now we laud them for sales that show mac’s adoption rate? Can we have it both ways?

  3. “Wow, that’s really insightful. The company that doesn’t sell windows PCs is unscathed by the transition to a new version of windows.”

    The point is that Mac growth is driven by “Switchers”. It could have been that when Vista came out people would see it and think, “OK – I was going to buy a Mac, but this looks much better than XP, so I’ll stick with Windows”. Clearly this isn’t happening.

  4. I’m waiting for the flood of Vista malware to start before celebrating.

    I firmly beleive that Microsoft purposly left their previous operating system versions rather “loose” in the security sense as to generate a loyal IT workforce that would endorse it’s products.

    ‘Squeeky wheel gets the grease’ sort of thing.

    If Vista malware starts appearing in droves again, it goes to show that Microsoft is truly incompetant in the eyes of the world, and that could only mean good things for Apple.

    Now if Vista malware doesn’t appear in enough quantities, the road up for Apple is a bit harder. The Apple Stores, the switch to Intel processors, Bootcamp, iPod Halo effect, the AppleTV halo effect and so on are going to be critical for Apple to increase market share.

    Apple sure as hell can innovate and produce “cooler” products faster and more secretive fashion than Microsloth.

    Plus they make tons of money doing it.

  5. “If Vista malware starts appearing in droves again . . .”

    I would say it’s even money that it’s when and not if.

    “I firmly beleive that Microsoft purposly left their previous operating system versions rather “loose” in the security sense as to generate a loyal IT workforce that would endorse it’s products.”

    Dirty tricks from a convicted monopolist? Gates would demand that you define, “loose.” Gates and Ballmers are the masters of turning a question into a statement.
    Besides, they have already single-handedly redefined “innovation.”

  6. Currently, a small percentage of distributed computing is done by Macs – somewhere on the order of 2.6%. I know the market share of Macs is higher than that, so let’s show them that we are not as stingy as we currently appear to be.

    Register, download, install and run it at:
    http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/reg/viewRegister.do

    I have setup a team here called “Mac Daily News.”

    Using Boinc, you can join multiple projects at a time. There are other good projects to join such as Folding @ Home. Whatever you choose to participate in, we should all donate our spare CPU cycles and show the world the power of the Mac. Currently, we are looking very meager, which makes us look smug to the rest of the world. Show the world that we aren’t.

  7. I just don’t see OSX able to compete against what MS has to offer. Businesses just won’t adopt it and even semi literate computer users altogether shun it. OSX assumes you’re a total idiot and treats you like one. OSX is mainly for stupid or old folks. Something you want to buy for your grandma.

  8. You can either read the stupid comment by “jovial pc boy” or spend a couple minutes installing a grid computing client on your computer. Read the comment above “jovial pc boy” and spend a few minutes doing something useful.

  9. Jovial pc boy…

    anecdotal evidence would disagree with your post above. Let’s look at your post in the light of reality ok?

    “I just don’t see OSX able to compete against what MS has to offer. Businesses just won’t adopt it and even semi literate computer users altogether shun it.” …….. In the last year I’ve helped 31 people switch, 20 for personal use and 11 for business use. One of the businesses was the VP of my local credit union. He purchased 12 macbooks to give to the board of trustees to replace their sony laptops. (and yes, the 12 macbooks only counted as one switch.)

    “OSX assumes you’re a total idiot and treats you like one.” …… Actually, besides how laughable this statement is, it’s also inaccurate. OSX allows me to work. It get’s out of my way and only requires my attention when it needs it. It’s built to allow me to be productive. These to attributes are not included in either XP or Vista in my personal experience, or the experience of the number of people I’m helping to make an informend choice of the opperating system they use to accomplish the tasks they need to accomplish. The amount of productivity by everyone of the switchers I know has increased after they became comfortable with the platform.

    It’s a tool, a simple elegant tool. Some people like Craftsman tools, some people like Snap-on tools. OSX is more stable, has no viruses attacking it, little if no malware (unless you want to include MS Office in this category), and is gaining market share at 5x the rate of the rest of the pc world.

    ” OSX is mainly for stupid or old folks. Something you want to buy for your grandma.”…. the age range of the 31 people I helped switch this past year are 19 on the low end to 45 on the high end. Hardly grandparents. As for their IQ level you need to do some checking on the meaning of the term “stockholm syndrome.”

    Finally kid, to quote that great philosopher Melvin Udall… “Sell crazy someplace else, we’re all stocked up here.”

  10. @Jovial
    So a product that is intuitive, powerful and easy to use is meant for the old or stupid? A product that is unstable, easily infected by outside sources, and more difficult to use is for the young and intelligent…ie you? Wow! Thanks for setting me straight. I’ll rush right out and buy a Dell with Vista. Just thinking about makes me feel younger and smarter. Geeeesh I kin even do Rithmatik now and am feelin’ a stirrin’ in ma jeans that I ain’t felt in yars. Golly shucks. Biell is Grate. Im movin ta Redman.

  11. jovial pc boy;

    Man, I don’t know where to start, your post is so fulla crap.

    I’ve been in the PC tech support business for twelve years now, and I can tell you that the most productive people that require the least tech support are those folks using Macs.

    It is BECAUSE of the simplicity of OS X that it so much better than Windows for productivity. Businesses really don’t like their employees having to spend so much time babying their PCs. Tech support like mine is expensive, and OS X uses much less of it.

    Ok, do you like your car? How much time so you spend tinkering with it? Or would you like it to just work? Is the owner of A BMW an idiot just because he just wants his car to work without his having to get under the hood every day? Computers are the same way. Most people just want it to work.

    YOU may be a geek that likes tinkering.

    Fine, tinker till your heart’s content. Use Windows, Use Ubuntu, Use any Linux distro you like and tinker till your keyboard dies for all the rest of us care.

    In the meantime, we’ll be getting real work done while my modern, more advanced OS takes care of the basics behind the scene without my having to worry.

    Have fun!

  12. @jovial pc guy – Geez I hope my grandma can use a Mac – she’s been dead 30 years now…
    Mom and Dad – both 83 years old have three macs between them and a wireless network. I’ll go out on a limb and say they both are smarter than you are.

  13. Despite dozens of articles like this one that suggest a fast-growing user base, the figures released by marketshare analysts always seem to show that Apple’s share of the pie (as it were) is growing infinitessimally, if at all. I have concluded the obvious: the bean counters lie. They would like to hold Apple’s head under water til it drowns; but since they can’t do that, they settle for kicking sand in Apple’s face. No matter. Success is its own reward, regardless of what the bean counters think.

  14. Gee, Jovial PC User, what would I rather do – hunt and peck around Winblows trying desperately to do what I want to do or get on my Mac and do it in less than half the time.

    There is a reason why it takes me 30 minutes to do something in PowerPoint that takes me only 5 minutes to do in Keynote – and you can never seem to get it just the way you want in PowerPoint, too.

  15. @ Quevar

    Are you Quevar in the Bionic land?

    I signed up as CandTsmac.

    Go team Mac Daily News.

    PS MDN webmasters. We should have a page about this. Help to get more of us on board.

    Just a thought.

    Quevar. Keep posting this, so will I.

Reader Feedback (You DO NOT need to log in to comment. If not logged in, just provide any name you choose and an email address after typing your comment below)

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.