Apple's Record Mac Quarter 'Almost Unbelievable' in Face of iPad Cannibalization

One of the high points of Apple's earnings for the fourth fiscal quarter of 2011 was Mac sales, which came in well above expectations at a record 4.89 million units. On the earnings conference call, Apple CEO Tim Cook noted that the strong sales were "almost unbelievable" considering continued growth in the iPad market.

mac lineup
Cook noted that some customers are undoubtedly electing to purchase iPads instead of Macs, eating somewhat into potential Mac sales. But as Apple has noted several times since the introduction of the iPad, Apple still holds only a small part of the PC market and that cannibalization of Windows PCs by the iPad opens up a tremendous opportunity for the company.

Apple's previous record for quarterly Mac sales came in the first fiscal quarter of this year with 4.13 million units shipped, making this quarter's performance 18% higher than that record. Given the Apple's Mac sales typically increase sequentially for the holiday quarter each year, Apple should also be well-positioned for another strong performance on the Mac side to close out the calendar year.

Popular Stories

Apple Shopping Event 2025

Apple Announces 2025 Black Friday Event, Here's What You Can Get

Thursday November 20, 2025 6:28 am PST by
Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is returning on Friday, November 28 through Monday, December 1 in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, and others. During the shopping event, customers can get an Apple gift card with...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Wednesday November 19, 2025 4:00 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.2 Beta 3

Monday November 17, 2025 3:20 pm PST by
Apple provided developers with the third beta of an upcoming iOS 26.2 update, and there are still new features that are being added with each beta that we get. We've rounded up all of the changes that Apple made in beta 3. AirDrop Apple added new AirDrop functionality, providing a way for two people to share files temporarily without having to add one another as contacts. iOS 26.2...
applecare apple care banner

Apple Brings New AppleCare+ Options to India

Tuesday November 18, 2025 8:42 am PST by
Apple today announced an expansion of AppleCare+ coverage in India, with new options for monthly and annual plans, and the addition of Theft and Loss for iPhone for the first time. Options for monthly and annual AppleCare+ plans in India provide more choice and flexibility, allowing users to keep coverage for as long as they require. Apple's vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product...
ipad mini 7 feature red and blue

iPad Mini 8: Four Major New Features to Expect

Wednesday November 19, 2025 7:50 am PST by
Apple's eighth-generation iPad mini is highly likely to arrive next year, offering a significant refresh of the device with at least four major new features. OLED Display The next-generation version of the iPad mini could feature an OLED display, as part of Apple's plan to expand the display technology across many more of its devices. Apple's first OLED device was the Apple Watch in 2015, ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These New Features to Your iPhone

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:50 am PST by
iOS 26.2 is currently in beta testing. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics for Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date. Keep reading...
iPhone 17 Pro and Air N1 Feature

iPhone 17 vs. iPhone 16 Wi-Fi Speeds: New Study Reveals the Winner

Tuesday November 18, 2025 10:53 am PST by
A new study has revealed that the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air achieve significantly faster average Wi-Fi speeds compared to the iPhone 16 series, thanks to Apple's custom-designed N1 chip. The study was conducted by Ookla, the company behind the popular Speedtest website and app. It said the results are based on global, crowdsourced Speedtest user data...
Apple Wallet ID Illinois

iPhone Driver's License Feature Launching in Illinois

Tuesday November 18, 2025 8:47 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Starting this Wednesday, November 19, the feature will be available to residents of Illinois. The announcement confirmed that the...
macbook black friday

The Best Early Black Friday Mac Deals

Tuesday November 18, 2025 7:32 am PST by
We're getting closer to Black Friday, which lands next week on Friday, November 28. In the lead-up to the shopping holiday, we're tracking a few lowest-ever prices on Apple's most popular Macs, including the M4 MacBook Air and brand new M5 MacBook Pro. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment,...
hikawa phone grip stand apple%402x

Apple Launches Second Limited-Edition iPhone Accessory in a Month

Friday November 21, 2025 3:53 am PST by
Apple has begun selling the Hikawa Phone Grip and Stand, a new limited-edition iPhone accessory designed with accessibility in mind. Designed by LA-based Bailey Hikawa to celebrate the 40th anniversary of accessibility at Apple, the grip uses magnets to securely snap onto any iPhone with MagSafe. Apple says it can be removed with ease, and doubles as a stand with two different viewing...

Top Rated Comments

fox10078 Avatar
184 months ago
To think they are gonna drop macs anytime soon is foolish
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gugy Avatar
184 months ago
that's great news.
Now let's update the MacPro and bring that 30" ACD back!;)
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Naimfan Avatar
184 months ago
While you were doing that Microsoft was busy improving Windows, Office etc and now offers the best software that it ever has.

While that may well be true, it's still considerably behind Apple in terms of integration and making things as easy and seamless as a Mac does.

The biggest reason is that Apple controls both hardware and the OS, so a Mac is much more tightly integrated than any Windows machine. Not a newsflash, I know, but still worth remembering.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
anberlinairlift Avatar
184 months ago
All this iOS development and promotion by Apple has made me a little worried about the future of Mac OS X and the Mac over the past couple years... So this is definitely great news :)
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
applefan289 Avatar
184 months ago
I've switched after using iTunes on Windows XP in the days of the 3rd generation iPod, when I finally understood that managing files by myself was pointless when the software should be doing it for me.

It went:
- iTunes on Windows
- 10GB 3rd gen. iPod (still have it, HDD probably needs to be replaced otherwise works fine)
- Mac mini G4/1.42
- 12" PowerBook G4/1.5 - still using that one as my main laptop
- Mac mini Core 2 Duo
- Mac mini Core 2 Duo (unibody) - still using that one as my main desktop

So I'm guessing a lot of people who never used anything but Microsoft OS and software are sort of waking up about alternatives and buy an iPhone/iPad and then drop their PC to get a Mac soon after that.

I definitely think iOS devices lure customers to Macs.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Yvan256 Avatar
184 months ago
I've switched after using iTunes on Windows XP in the days of the 3rd generation iPod, when I finally understood that managing files by myself was pointless when the software should be doing it for me.

It went:
- iTunes on Windows
- 10GB 3rd gen. iPod (still have it, HDD probably needs to be replaced otherwise works fine)
- Mac mini G4/1.42
- 12" PowerBook G4/1.5 - still using that one as my main laptop
- Mac mini Core 2 Duo
- Mac mini Core 2 Duo (unibody) - still using that one as my main desktop

So I'm guessing a lot of people who never used anything but Microsoft OS and software are sort of waking up about alternatives and buy an iPhone/iPad and then drop their PC to get a Mac soon after that.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)