- Posts tagged sales
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Apple vs. PC Shipments: "PC" Decline Worse Than Reported
Based on data from Gartner and IDC, AllThingsD reported that it was a very bad year for PC shipments, except at Apple.
I have a problem with that.
It isn't that it's not true, but rather that PC growth vs. Apple is even worse than reported. To see why, let's look at the chart from Gartner for US "PC" shipments, where the conclusion is that Apple growth increased 20.7% while PC growth declined 5.9%.
If you truly want to know how Apple did in the US on its own against "PCs", you must subtract it from the latter's numbers. Here's what you get:
- Total 4Q11: 15,854,964
- Total 4Q10: 17,342,605
- 4Q11-4Q10 Growth: -8.5
The originally reported dismal "PC" growth of -5.9% becomes an even more dismal -8.5% without Apple's numbers propping it up. That -2.6% delta is not insignificant, it's over 40% worse than what was reported.
IDC's numbers are also available. As usual, they do not agree completely with Gartner, yet the trend is the same.
Any way you look at it, Apple is exceeding the "PC" growth rate, and if you pull their numbers from "PC" shipments to get a true Mac vs. PC comparson, the latter's state is revealed to be even worse than it appears at first glance.
Lenovo Releases Samsung Sales Figures
An executive at Android tablet maker Lenovo claims that Samsung sold only 20,000 of the 1m tablets that it shipped last year
Well, there you go.
Next up, Chevy issues Ford vehicle recalls.
Music loss-leaders in digital don't work like CDs.
If you were one of the biggest sellers of CDs in America and saw the digital revolution coming, would you go into the online music business? Of course you would. And Walmart did. But now it’s closing its MP3 store
For years Walmart used low CD prices to bring foot traffic to their stores, but it doesn't work so well in the digital world.
iPhone average selling price is increasing
What's interesting to note about Apple's stellar Q2 results isn't just record iPhone sales, but that those sales continue to come with higher ASPs.
Reviewing the data sheet reveals an ASP of $622 a year ago, $645 in Q1, and $660 for the quarter just ended. So it isn't just about Apple selling 2.4M more iPhones than the previous quarter, it's that each one was $15 more.
Maybe Verizon plays a role. This could be indicative of the deal Apple cut with them for a CDMA phone, but the consensus was Verizon got better terms than AT&T because there was no exclusivity.
It seems equally possible that iPhone users simply aren't buying cheap. Apple didn't get over 2M more buyers last quarter because AT&T sold the 3GS for $49. Consumers are buying high-end, perhaps opting more for the 32GB model.
Something else worth noting is that while RIM and Android drive sales figures upwards on the backs of "Buy One Get One" deals, rebates, or cheap phones, Apple doesn't need any of that.
It's All Smooth (Or Small) Sailing From Here
However, the main issue with Apple using the wrong quote is that the corrected one is just as bad, and still would've made en excellent slide. This is especially true with Samsung having to correct "small" sales. Does anyone know what "smooth" means relative to "small"? One thing seems clear: sales were unimpressive, else Samsung would not have hedged on sell-out even when given a second chance.
Smooth or small, this was simply a bad thing for a Sr. VP to say. Providing sell-in is not uncommon, just quote the 2M figure and be done with it. The second he drug sell-out into it, he'd blown it. Had it not been misquoted Samsung would've been barraged with questions about what the heck "smooth" sell-out is supposed to mean. The quote was going to be an issue for Samsung no matter what.
Mac US Sales Share the Highest in Apple's History
According to the Quarterly PC Tracker Survey released by IDC today, Apple shipped 1.99 million Macs in the U.S. during the third quarter of 2010. That's good for 10.6 percent of the 18.9 million PCs shipped in the U.S., putting Apple's share at its highest in the U.S. in the company's history
This despite Macs supposedly being too expensive, and of course an economy that's been less than helpful in spurring large consumer purchases.
Further, it's especially impressive when you consider it represents 24% y/y growth while the rest of the industry was essentially flat. Apple has been outpacing the PC industry's growth for years now, and it shows.
Intel admits iPad may dent PC sales
"We think tablets are exciting, and we fully welcome their arrival," the company said during the call. "Apple has done a wonderful job reinventing the category."
Don't worry, guys. I'm sure all it'll take to derail the iPad train is a faster processor.
