New MacBook Air and Mac Mini Models Driving Record Mac Sales for 3Q 2011

Business Insider reports on new sales data from market research firm NPD, as shared by Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster. According to NPD, Apple's U.S. Mac sales are up 22% year-over-year for the the first two months of the third calendar quarter of 2011, setting the company up to set a new record for quarterly Mac sales. The strong performance has unsurprisingly been driven by new MacBook Air and Mac mini models released on July 20th.

macbook air 2011 side
Wall Street analysts have been predicting Mac growth of 16% for the full quarter, and while Mac sales may slow slightly in September as Apple's product lines begin to age a bit and the back to school period winds down, the company is reportedly still on track to ship approximately 4.5 million Macs this quarter. Apple's current quarterly record for Mac sales was set in the holiday quarter last year with 4.13 million Macs sold.

NPD has also reported iPod sales down 16% year-over-year for the first two months of the quarter, which actually puts Apple at a slightly better pace than analysts had been expecting. Despite continued strong sales of the iPod touch, Apple's overall iPod sales have been declining for the past year or two as customers have turned more toward smartphones such as the iPhone as single-device options for their phone, music, and other portable media needs.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
iPhone Car Key Kia

Here's Which Vehicles Offer iPhone Car Keys

Sunday July 6, 2025 3:03 pm PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. Apple has a web page with a list of vehicle models that ...
imac video apple feature

Apple Launching These 15+ Products Later This Year

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The calendar has turned to July, meaning that 2025 is now more than half over. And while the summer months are often quiet for Apple, the company still has more than a dozen products coming later this year, according to rumors. Below, we have outlined at least 15 new Apple products that are expected to launch later this year, along with key rumored features for each. iPhone 17 Series iPho...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
iphone 17 pro render majin bu

New iPhone 17 Pro Renders Highlight Apple Logo and MagSafe Design Changes

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:43 pm PDT by
New renders today provide the best look yet relocated Apple logo and redesigned MagSafe magnet array of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Image via Majin Bu. Several of the design changes coming to the iPhone 17 Pro model have been rumored for some time, such as the elongated camera bump that spans the full width of the device, with the LiDAR Scanner and flash moving to the right side. ...
Prime Day 25 Feature Warm Triad

The Best Early Prime Day Deals on Apple Products

Saturday July 5, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Amazon is soon to be back with its annual summertime Prime Day event, lasting for four days from July 8-11, the longest Prime Day yet. As it does every year, Prime Day offers shoppers a huge selection of deals across Amazon's storefront, and there are already many deals you can get on sale ahead of the event. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a ...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...

Top Rated Comments

applefan289 Avatar
180 months ago
A reasonably priced, headless desktop Mac with decent specs is selling well. Gee, who woulda thunk it*? :rolleyes:

* Just everyone on MacRumors who has been screaming for such a thing for years and being told it was impossible for Apple to produce.

Anyone else want Apple to make something like this again?

Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Photics Avatar
180 months ago
No... you fools... think of the optical discs! :p
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
applefan289 Avatar
180 months ago
I'm glad to see Mac sales on the rise, because I feel it is the best part of Apple's lineup of products.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
yadmonkey Avatar
180 months ago
Love that the Mini is selling well. My dream Mac remains something headless between the Mini and the Pro, but I won't hold my breath for it.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DESNOS Avatar
180 months ago
Yeah, I will be hitting a road block in the future when my Mac dies and I have to buy a new one without a disc drive...burning CDs is very important to me for iTunes music, etc. I hope they still have the SuperDrive available in the future for the minority that wants to be able to use/burn discs.
I don't see any reason for them to discontinue the external drive, since you are very correct in that some people still have a use for optical media. Personally, my old computer + remote disk is enough for me as I rarely use it, and I think that tends to be true for most people nowadays, but it may never be true for everyone. Interesting fact: This old external floppy drive I had since 2001 still works just fine when plugged into my 2011 MBA. If Mac OS still has driver support for floppy drives, it'll probably always have driver support for CDs/DVDs too.

EDIT: Who the heck voted this down? This is why I don't like the new voting system. It adds a layer of anonymity to something already very anonymous (the internet). Plus, people are more likely to vote down than vote up, it's just how our brain works. If you agree with the post, then all is well. If you don't agree, then you must make your point. :p
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mentholiptus Avatar
180 months ago
Anyone else want Apple to make something like this again?

Image (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ee/Power_mac_g4_cube.png)

I still have mine!
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)