Analyst Predicts MacBook Air Sales of 700,000 Units This Quarter

DigiTimes reports on an article from the Chinese-language newspaper Commercial Times citing Concord Securities analyst Mingchi Kuo as predicting MacBook Air sales of approximately 700,000 for the quarter.

Apple's MacBook Air shipments in fourth quarter of 2010 are expected to reach about 700,000 units, accounting for more than 17% share of the company's 4.1 million Mac shipments, while the 11.6-inch model will account for 60% of the total MacBook Air sales due to its low price, according a Chinese-language Commercial Times report citing vice president of Concord Securities research department, Mingchi Kuo.

Kuo reports that the release of Mac OS X Lion next year should increase the attractiveness of the MacBook Air as a second machine for users, although it is unclear what specific features of Lion Kuo expects to boost that draw. In addition, Lion's projected release date of "summer" 2011 means that any such effects would occur in the relatively distant future.

Kuo was previously an analyst with DigiTimes' own research arm and was the first to reveal Apple's plans for an 11.6-inch MacBook Air back in mid-July.