PowerBook G4 Strong Seller Despite Suffering Portable Market

by , 7:00 AM EST, March 30th, 2001

C|Net is reporting that Apple's G4 Titanium PowerBook has been one of the lone bright spots in an otherwise suffering portable computer market. Not only that, but the TiBook has boosted Apple's sales for the current quarter beyond expectations. According to C|Net:

"With the retail notebook market darker than expected, the one bright spot was Apple Computer," ARS analyst Matt Sargent said Thursday.

Buoyed by Titanium, Apple's retail notebook sales surged 23 percent in February, compared with January. Titanium's popularity also changed the mix of Apple's overall retail system sales. In February, notebooks jumped to 30 percent of Mac sales, up from a more consistent 20 percent average, according to NPD Intelect. Titanium alone accounted for 16 percent of Apple computer sales.

The PowerBook G4 has been so successful for a number of reasons. First, it is an incredibly powerful portable computer. Apple's G4 processor far outpaces Pentium III machines at comparable clock speeds. Second, the TiBook is a remarkably stylish computer, packing a pleasant mix of performance and portability in one package.

Part of Titanium's appeal is its mix of style, lightness and size, say analysts. The 1-inch thick notebook delivers up a 15.2-inch display but weighs only 5.3 pounds. The majority of portables packing large displays weigh 7 pounds or more.

Typically, notebook buyers must either choose between portability or full features. "Apple has done a good job finding the middle ground," Sargent said.

Apple's new PowerBook G4 is a trend setter in a number of ways, and it has been wildly popular with the all important computer purchasing public. You can read the full article at the C|Net Web site.

The Mac Observer Spin:

Apple has also reportedly been selling its PowerMac G4 line in strong numbers, though we have not been able to confirm that. A strong quarter for the company will be defined as one in which they broke even or profited. It would seem that the Titanium PowerBook has been assisting towards this goal.

C|Net Article