New NPD Group figures indicate that US Mac sales were up 22 percent in July and August, according to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster. Munster attributes the growth to a month of OS X Lion being available, and recent updates of the Mac mini and MacBook Air. Because the sales rush is expected to subside in September, Munster is leaving a quarterly total estimate of 4.4 to 4.6 million Macs intact. Wall Street consensus is roughly 4.5 million.
The Air is predicted to account for anywhere between 10 and 20 percent of all Macs sold during the quarter. The computer has proven surprisingly popular since its 2010 overhaul, likely as a result of the introduction of $999 low-end model. Apple has even gone as far as discontinuing its previous $999 system, the basic white plastic MacBook.
The NPD data also includes iPod figures, which Munster remarks were down 16 percent in the US during the span of July and August. Apple should therefore sell between 7.2 and 7.7 million units by the end of the quarter, he estimates. Even though the iPod has been on a largely downward trajectory since the introduction of the iPhone, Munster’s forecast would still leave the product in better shape than Street consensus, which calls for only 7 million units.
