Munster: MacBook Air Will Grab 16% of All Macs Sold in '08

In a note to clients issued on Tuesday morning, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster predicted that "16 percent of Macs by the end of calendar year 2008 will be MacBook Air."

In a Blog by Philip Elmer-DeWitt at Fortune/CNN, Mr. Munster said that a survey of Apple resellers showed that interest in the new Apple MacBook Air is high, but also noted that sales are modest right now.

"According to the resellers we spoke to, "Mr. Munster wrote, "the MacBook Air has a smaller but separate target market than the MacBook. Most described the market as a group that prioritizes mobility and is less price sensitive than the MacBook market. One reseller referred to MacBook Air as the first Executive Mac."

One reseller told Mr. Munster that January was very strong and that February is starting out strong. Overall, however, resellers reported that Mac sales are flat, which can be considered good news considering the pessimism investors have shown for Appleis sales prospects in the near term based on the economy.