2010 will be 'boom time for Apple'
Xmas sales rather higher than expected
The final three months were a bumper period for Apple, a long-time company watcher has claimed.
In a note sent to investor clients yesterday, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said US Mac retail sales were 26 per cent higher in Q4 2009 than they were in Q4 2008. The retail numbers come from market watcher NPD.
That's better growth than even the usually bullish Munster was anticipating. He'd previously forecast shipments of 2.9m Macs worldwide in the period, but now reckons Apple shipped 3.1m.
He hasn't changed his prediction for the quarter's global iPhone shipments: 9.3m of them.
Apple will report its results for the quarter - the first of its 2010 fiscal year - on Monday, 25 January.
That's two days before the big media meet at which it's expected to unveil its iPad tablet, anticipation of which has already begun pushing Apple's share price up around $7 in the last few days. The price currently stands at around $215 - ten times that of chip giant Intel. Time for a four-for-one stock split, Steve?
If Munster is right, the stock will do even better. Wall Street, on average, reckons Mac sales will rise 14 per cent this year when compared to 2009. Munster believes, based on those NPD Q4 figures, that sales will actually rise 20 per cent.
"Keep in mind, before the economic slowdown began Mac units were up 30-40 per cent (year over year) on a quarterly basis," Munster noted. ®
COMMENTS
Re: Love the way...
Yeah, but 'Boom time for Apple predicts bloke on bus' doesn't have the same ring to it.
A contrarian writes...
I hereby declare this to be the peak of Apple's powers and that it shall now be on the wane.
No, no. Not some anti-fanboi rant - it's just standard investment common sense. Look, when you see adverts aimed at the general public for such-and-such an investment (like, commercial property in 2007) you can assume that everyone in the know has already had the opportunity and that the only people left to buy it is Joe Public. There's no-one else after that, so no new money to prop up the price.
Similarly, when analyst types state what should be common sense it usually means common sense has gone walkabout. Two analysts in two days making pro-Apple comments? If I were Jobs I'd be quaking in my iBoots.
Tired of all the rest
I have a Windows 7 at the office, complete with Office 2010. A Vista at home with Office 2007 and - my favorite - a UMPC with XP and Office 2003 for when I travel. Guess what? I am tired of having to look for the "Edit" in the menu that doesn't exsit, I am tired of been forced to learn new "tricks" that are wasting my time anyway, and I don't want to spend money on upgrades that are not as good as the old stuff. Excel 2003 is still the best, the new stuff is more expensive and the UI is a nightmare.
I have no idea if Apple OS is better... I am using an iPod Touch, I love it and I am now doing so much stuff on it and enjoying it so much, I will spend my money on a new MacBook.
And throw away the rest. And that move alone will make me so happy...
@all of you
I do love the healthy cynicism of a computing professional. Apple releases or is going to release rumored [iProduct], Investors cheer, lay people don't care, and us 0 and 1 types claim victory/waterloo for Apple. I wish them luck with the new [iProduct].
Me personally, living with and interacting with content creators and distributors, there is a lot more chatter about Android and specifically the Nexus One and the Hero. No shift from apple en mass but more a competitive mix between phones. Either way 2010, I hope, will be a fun year in consumer electronics.
P.S.
why do I need a tablet to augment my phone and netbook?
