ChangeWave Survey Shows Slight Slowing in Mac Sales
ChangeWave Survey Shows Slight Slowing in Mac Sales
by , 3:40 PM EDT, October 3rd, 2008
A ChangeWave Research survey, published on Thursday, asked its members about their Mac purchases in the last 90 days, and there was only a slight dip in September. Going forward, the dip is a bit more pronounced.
The survey of 4,262 consumers was conducted September 16-26 and obtained by TMO. It asked customers who bought a computer in the last 90 days what brand and type they bought, desktop or notebook.
"...while the latest Mac results are down slightly, they're still quite close to the highs reached in both our July and August surveys ? when the Mac halo effect caused by the release of the 3G iPhone was still in effect," Paul Carton, Director of Research said.
![]() Source: ChangeWave Research |
|---|
"When you look at the July, August and September surveys in combination, the results say that Apple should meet its Mac sales numbers for the July 1 ? September 30th quarter," the report concluded.
The outlook for the next 90 days is slightly more dramatic. There was about a 5-6 percent drop in those planning to buy a Mac compared to other brands. [That could suggest that price conscious customers could be planning for a less expensive alternative.]
![]() Source: ChangeWave Research |
|---|
"Bottom line, while Apple's guidance is normally conservative, we expect it to be much more so on October 21st when it provides its Mac sales projections for the holiday season," Mr. Carton wrote.
"Long term, the company still has a tremendous outlook. One example, our latest consumer cell phone survey shows the smart phone market thriving, and among respondents planning to buy a new smart phone in the next 90 days, more than a third (34%) say they'll get an Apple iPhone -- the highest level of smart phone demand in the industry."
The vulnerability of Mac sales to the current economic problems was seen as the number one issue for Apple.
Observer Comments
Apple had a MacBook refresh in the summer of 2007, if I remember well. That propelled the rate of purchases (mostly existing owners buying replacement hardware) in September (first month after Back to School) and the rest of the fall season. This year, this refresh isn't expected until mid-October. Existing customers have been holding out for this announcement, and their purchase plans for the most part won't show up in the next 90-day purchases either.
Comments are currently closed. Please email the author instead.
Recent Headlines - Updated February 9th
- Tue, 2:27 PM
- Deal Brothers - Refurbished 13” MacBook 2.13GHz Intel Core 2 Duo: $749
- 1:31 PM
- Jeff Gamet's Blog - Macworld Expo: It’s Our Show, Not Apple’s
- 10:38 AM
- Quick Look Review - Texas Tea for the iPhone and iPod touch
- 10:25 AM
- News - Apple Rolls Out Aperture 3 Video Tutorials
- 10:00 AM
- Hot Forum Topic - Backing Up Your iPhoto Library
- 9:35 AM
- Product News - Notebook, iThoughts Add TextExpander touch Support
- 9:00 AM
- Hidden Dimensions - The Killer Surprises Waiting for Steve Ballmer
- 8:50 AM
- Product News - Aperture 3 Adds Faces Support, More [Updated]
- 8:30 AM
- TMO Quick Tip - Fixing iPhone and MobileMe Sync Headaches
- 8:12 AM
- News - Apple Store Offline, Rumors Point to New Laptops
- 8:00 AM
- TMO Appearances - TMO’s Bryan Chaffin and the Atomic Love Bombs Perform During Macworld Expo
- Mon, 5:37 PM
- News - Juniper Readies Software to Improve Cell Carrier Networks
The Mac Observer Reader Specials
- TypeStyler For Mac OS X is Now Shipping! Download The Free Fully Functional 60 Day Tryout at www.typestyler.com
RamJet Memory: Mac Pro 8GB Kit $275.99, Mac Pro 4GB Kits $145.99! Sale on MacBook and MacBook Pro 8GB kits $459.99! MacBook, MacBook Pro, iMac Mac mini 4GB Kits for $113.99! 1TB SATA Hard Drives for $109.99! Click here- If you own a car, you need CarMD! Catch problems, estimate repairs and more. Now for Mac. $98.99 at www.CarMD.com Save $10 with code TMO1.
If you're using a Mac, then you've gotta check out Full Tilt Poker for Mac. This Full Tilt Poker bonus code does the unthinkable, it actually rewards!For the latest Apple products use Ciao, a price comparison website, to find laptops like MacBook Air. Then find the best prices on MP3 players and use our comparison tool to evaluate mobile phones like the Apple iPhone.
Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.




