Don’t write off the Mac just yet (as if anyone seriously has). Apple sold 4.9 million Macs during its fiscal 2012 fourth quarter that ended Sept. 29. That’s an all-time high for Apple computer sales during the September quarter.
That compares to an 8% contraction of the overall computer market during the quarter. Mac sales have exceeded overall computer industry averages for 25 consecutive quarters. Look for that to continue with ever-increasing MacBook Pro and MacBook Air sales — and the iMac remaining Apple’s (and the industry’s) hottest desktop model.
Mac retail stores — which now number 390 (140 outside the US) — also saw record Mac sales. They sold over 1.1 million Macs.
As far as other hardware, some interesting tidbits:
° Apple TV units totaled 1.3 million during the September quarter — that’s a 100% increase year-over-year. For the past fiscal year, Apple sold five million units of its “hobby” product.
° The iPod touch accounts for 50% of all iPods sold in the September quarter. The iPod is still the top-selling MP3 player in most countries.
° The iTunes Store generated almost US$2.1 billion last quarter.
° The iPhone saw 58% year-over-year compared to 45% growth for the smartphone market overall.
° Average revenue per Apple retail store was $11.2 million per store compared to $10.7 in the year-ago period. The stores had 94 million visitors (an average of 19,000 per store per week) compared to 77.5 million visitors during the year-ago quarter.
— Dennis Sellers