Apple unveiled 2 new MacBook Air models back in October featuring SSD storage, a brand new and unbelievably thinner form factor, extremely fast boot time, and an impressive 30 days of standby time. And while the revamped MacBook Pros are getting all of the attention as of late, MacBook Airs seem to be flying off the shelves.
Speaking to AppleInsider, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo estimates that Apple shipped approximately 1.1 million MacBook Airs during the last quarter of 2010. Kuo’s initial estimate pegged sales at around 700,000 units, indicating that the new Airs are really resonating with consumers. Whether it’s a more affordable pricepoint or the sleek new design, the Air is certainly having a positive affect on Apple’s bottom line.
For example, Apple, which doesn’t break down its Mac or device sales by product family for competitive reasons, said it shipped just over 2.9 million notebook systems during the fourth quarter of 2010. At 1.1 million units, the new MacBook Airs captured a 40% slice of the company’s notebook business and accounted for just over a quarter of its Mac business as a whole.
Looking ahead, and citing talks with Asian component suppliers, Kuo expects Apple to sell many as 54.5 million Macs during the first three months of 2011. If accurate, the 4.5 million figure would mark a new record for Mac sales for Apple. Back in January of this year, Apple reported sales of 4.13 million Macs during its holiday quarter. If Apple can hit 4.5 million Mac sales in a non-holiday quarter, it will without question demonstrate just how popular Macs continue to be. With revamped MacBook Pros sporting Thunderbolt technology now shipping, Apple may very well hit the 4.5 million mark which would make Apple the only hardware manufacturer to actually experience PC growth during the Jan-March quarter.
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Mon, Mar 7, 2011
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