Deutsche Bank analyst: Holiday Mac and iPad sales higher than expected
We've been speculating about just how popular iPads were during the first Christmas season with the revolutionary device, and we're also wondering how other Apple products did during the holidays.
In a report cited by AppleInsider, Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore says that sales of both iPads and Macs were better than expected, based on spot checks made by the company. The firm's investigation of Apple retail stores and other outlets also indicated that there were crowds waiting for iPhones, which they believe signifies good demand for Apple's smartphone.
Very few shortages of stock were reported by Deutsche Bank. While the 16 GB Wi-Fi version of the iPad had been the top seller in the past, the holiday season saw robust sales of the 32 GB 3G iPad. Mac sales were also up, assisted by the sexy and inexpensive 11" MacBook Air.
Whitmore's estimates for the quarter ending December 31, 2010 were originally showing sales of 15 million iPhones, 6 million iPads and 4 million Macs. Those numbers have now been bumped to 16 million, 6.5 million and 4.2 million respectively.
For 2011, Whitmore is very bullish on the iPad, expecting sales to leap from his original estimate of 22 million units up to a whopping 28 million. His iPhone estimate moved from 55 million for 2011 up to 60 million units. The latter number doesn't include a Verizon iPhone, which he expects would add anywhere from 5 to 7 million units (although it's not clear how many of those would be cannibalizing AT&T's potential sales).
We'll find out for sure how things are shaping up for Apple when the company hosts a quarterly earnings call on January 18. Mike Rose is also speculating that Apple will host a Stevenote by January 20 to announce the Verizon iPhone.
