Mac, iPod retail sales dip in April
The newest addition to the iPod lineup may have slightly boosted overall sales numbers for April.
(Credit: Apple)Just like February, April was a gloomy month for Apple retail sales of Macs and iPods, according to data gathered by the NPD Group.
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster analyzed the monthly data from NPD's April roundup of Apple sales. He said in a research note Monday that April Mac sales were down 1.8 percent from a year ago. Assuming similar patterns for May and June, that should lead to total quarterly sales of 2.1 million to 2.3 million Macs, which would be an 8 percent to 16 percent decline in unit growth, he writes. If that does happen, it would represent the second quarter in a row of falling Mac shipments. Munster puts a positive spin on it, saying that the drop in sales was not as bad as expected given the current shape of the economy. Plus, Apple's situation appears rosy compared to its PC brethren, whose growth collectively was negative 7 percent in the most recent quarter.
It also appears iPod growth is headed downhill. Munster points to 9 percent declines in iPod sales in April, which puts the business on track for 9.5 million to 10.5 million units for the quarter, or anywhere from a 5 percent to 14 percent dip. That's despite the introduction of the updated iPod Shuffle, introduced in March.
Declining Mac and iPod sales amid Apple's continual overall solid performance only serve to underscore the importance of the iPhone to the company's bottom line.
Erica Ogg is a CNET News reporter who covers Apple, HP, Dell, and other PC makers, as well as the consumer electronics industry. She's also one of the hosts of CNET News' Daily Podcast. In her non-work life, she's a history geek, a loyal Dodgers fan, and a mac-and-cheese connoisseur. E-mail Erica. 
I can understand why, I have one. What I can't understand is why you troll these Apple stories."
Sadly, it's about all he knows, it seems!
I was skeptical of the new Shuffle... until I tried one.
First off on the negatives side:
A. The supplied earbuds don't fit my ear very well and fall out very easily. I have seen others using the same style earbud, with or without the inline controls, and have no problem. A matter of how the ear is shaped.
B. Currently only Apple carries earbuds for new Shuffle. There are two models the ones that ship with the Shuffle and ones that fit in the ear canal. However, I have seen an from Scoshe offering replacement earbuds with inline controls as well as an inline control dongle that lets you use any earbud. Others will come out with similar products.
C. It is small and easily lost
d. Needs a USB port to charge
On the plus side:
1. It is small and easily carried. I have used it as a tie clip.
2. I really like the inline control and VoiceOver. I suspect we will see this on other iPods and the iPhone. You do not need to look at the iPod to adjust volume, jump to the next or previous track, or select playlists
3. Other than fit, the earbuds are fine. I do like them better than in-canal earbuds when laying in bed as they do not drive into the ear. Audiophiles need not comment, this device is not meant to replace a quadraphonic home listening theatre.
4. I am getting better than the 10 hours of advertised battery life. That, of course, will go down over time.
Is my comment any worse then some Apple troll?
No, but two wrongs don't make a right.
@Perry "The supplied earbuds don't fit my ear "
Change your ears mate, something's certainly wrong with them, since apple cannot be wrong :)"
It would probably be easier to change my ears than get Apple to include better universal fitting buds :)
These type of earbuds do allow more ambient noise in than in canal type, a safety feature when out walking the streets. If someone got flattened by a vehicle Apple's lawyers could argue that a person can hear traffic above the sound coming from the iPods. Buying in-ear buds is conscious decision and is done at one's own risk. I have a pair of Future Sonic's Atrios that block out so much ambient noise that when their is no music playing I can hear the blood coursing through my veins.
YMMV.
1)tougher economic times
2)the positive publicity that Win 7 is generating,
3)netbooks
And the sales of Computers goes up & down, up & down, up & down ...
GM/Ford/Intel/MS/SONY/KODAK/LG/Samsung sales also down...
Whoda thunk it???
Just like Vista did?
Yep, a big, black hole in my AAPL holdings LOL - thanks for that!
I think you got it wrong. I don't know if you've notice, but a lot of Cnet articles are about Apple, iPhone, etc., and these articles usually are positive.
I actually think that Cnet is much more harsh with other companies, and actually support Apple more than others.
But even if you don't like it, all the companies are having problems due to the economic situation. And even though you probably think that Apple is the greatest around, they'll also can't escape these troubles.
- by seven7dust May 19, 2009 7:05 AM PDT
- Well just like last quaters results showed
- Like this Reply to this comment
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(25 Comments)The u.s isn't the only country in the world
Thx to Apple recent global push u.a sales aren't that important anymore