Apple looks to be on track to sell about 2.9 million Macs during the December quarter, according to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster. The recent iMac updates are expected to help with boost sales of desktop Macs, too.

"We expect new iMacs, which launched on October 20th, to help the desktop category rebound in the December quarter," Mr. Munster said. "The headwind that existed into the September quarter due to aging Mac desktops has now turned into a tailwind for Mac units in the December quarter."

Based on NPD data, hitting the 2.9 million mark would push Mac sales up 15 percent compared to the same quarter last year.

Apple sold 3.05 million Macs during its September quarter, along with 7.4 million iPhones and 10.2 million iPods with US$1.67 billion in profit on $9.87 billion in revenue.

Sales for Macs in the December quarter will likely also see a boost from holiday sales along with the new polycarbonite unibody MacBook.

Mr. Munster is maintaining his "Overweight" rating and $277 target price for Apple's stock. Apple is currently trading at $206.05, up 0.09 (0.04%).

[Thanks to AppleInsider for the heads up.]