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NPD Group: US MacBook sales took a 6 percent hit during 2012 holidays
NPD Group is reporting that sales of Apple's MacBook line were 6 percent lower during the period between November 18 and December 22, 2012 than during the same period in 2011. The report, as described by John Virata of AppleInsider, notes that the average selling price of all MacBooks sold was up about US$100 from 2011 to $1,419 as well. Part of the explanation behind the drop in US MacBook sales could be that the only really new Mac notebook released in the run-up to the holiday shopping season was the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display. In late 2011, Apple kickstarted sales of the entire MacBook Pro line by adding faster Intel processors, improved GPUs and hard drives with increased capacities. There's one bright side to the numbers, though -- at least sales of MacBooks didn't take the same hit as Windows PCs. NPD's figures showed an 11 percent drop in sales of notebooks running Windows, despite -- or perhaps because of -- the launch of Windows 8. Those touchscreen notebooks running Windows 8 that were hyped in advertisements had an average selling price of $700, but only accounted for 4.5 percent of Windows notebook sales.
Sony racks up over 6.5 million in PlayStation sales over holiday season
Looks like Sony is reaping the benefits of strong holiday sales for its range of consoles coming under the PlayStation umbrella. After introducing the PS Vita early in December, the company managed to shift about 500,000 units in its own backyard, while ageing predecessor, the PSP, continued to sell 1.6 million units worldwide. Not to be outdone, the PS3 nearly broached the 4 million mark, bringing Sony closer to its fiscal year-end goal of 15 million for the five-year old gaming powerhouse. The system's motion control add-on, Move, also moved a considerable 1.7 million units, with the PS2 still puttering along and enjoying "robust sales in emerging countries." Brand equity? Sony's got it in spades.
Apple, Samsung holiday phone sales bring cheer to the new year
Reuters is reporting that brisk holiday sales of Apple's iPhone 4 and Samsung's Galaxy S smartphone may have pushed the two manufacturers to become the only two major phone makers to increase their market share during the season. All other manufacturers, including industry giants Motorola, LG, Sony Ericsson and Nokia are expected to lose ground in the market share race. None of the manufacturers have reported the results of holiday sales yet; Apple will announce its first-quarter (Oct - Dec) results tomorrow, and Samsung won't be announcing until January 28, with the other manufacturers reporting in between these two dates. CCS Insight analyst Geoff Blaber was quoted by Reuters as saying that 2010 saw a gulf emerge between the winners and losers in the smartphone wars that will only widen in 2011. One of the losers over the holiday season could be BlackBerry manufacturer RIM, not due to lower sales, but because sales of their devices may not have grown as quickly as those from Apple and Samsung. Apple and Samsung won't have it easy in 2011. LG will be pushing out the Optimus 2X and Revolution, Motorola seeks to grab users at AT&T with the Atrix 4G and Droid Bionic, and the Xperia Arc from Sony Ericsson will be released. [via Electronista]
Microsoft announces 2.5 million Kinects sold in first 25 days
Points for style, Microsoft, crossing the 2.5 million Kinect sensors sold mark a convenient 25 days into your global sales of that ever-so-hackable / sometimes-cool-for-gaming item. This number factors in Black Friday sales from this past weekend, and has us really curious as to how well Sony has been doing of late -- Sony's been mum on Move numbers since it announced 1 million units shipped about a month ago. Microsoft says it's on pace to sell 5 million Kinect units through this holiday, which leads us to wonder: what sort of 3D video extravaganza could we pull off with 5 million Kinects in tandem?
Kindle is the biggest selling item on Amazon, bests sliced bread
Recession? Not if you're the Amazon Kindle, it turns out -- it's currently the bestselling product across all categories at Amazon. Yes, that means it's outselling the robotic hamsters, the t-shirts with wolves howling at the moon, and the limited edition Snuggies. November, when people traditionally start trampling each other in the name of gift giving and holiday cheer, has also been the best single month of sales ever for the e-reading device, in spite of the fact that there's more competition than ever for it -- so that's good news for them, right? Amazon hasn't released any actual numbers, of course, so it's hard to say what it all means. The other good news is that as far as we can tell, it doesn't look like they'll sell out anytime soon. Full press release is after the break.
Moore claims 360 will surpass 10 million milestone
It seems that a new numeric obsession is gripping Microsoft executives across the world: 10 million. Considered a lofty target before the system launched and reiterated just yesterday, Microsoft has always stood by their belief that the first manufacturer to dash past the "10 million sold" finish line will be crowned the winner of ye grande console race. Speaking to Bloomberg, Peter Moore goes a step further and confidently claims that the 360 will not only meet, but surpass the 10 million mark before the year keels over. When asked if the 360 would exceed the hallowed milestone, the vice president confidently replies, "Yes. All indications are that we came off a very strong Thanksgiving holiday.''He goes on to point out that "They [sic] key is we're in stock, we're available, we're delivering well to retail." Certainly a valid observation (and one shared by certain analysts), but one that depends less on the 360's individual appeal and more on the fact that the competition didn't pitch in full force. The monthly NPD numbers are expected to arrive tomorrow, upon which we'll have a better idea as to how much further (farther, if you want to stick with the racing metaphor) Microsoft needs to go before the month concludes. [Via GameDaily BIZ]
Another analyst: Microsoft execs feeling good about Xbox
Now, some psychoanalysis on Microsoft executives would be quite entertaining ("Tell me about these lucid dreams, Peter."), especially when compared to the recent observations made by Colin Sebastian of Lazard Capital Markets. In his earth-shattering report, Mr. Sebastian describes the folks behind the Xbox brand as "upbeat" given the commercial success of Gears of War, the company's considerable launch lead against competitors and consistent growth in Europe. Japan, not so much.The Xbox 360's 2007 lineup (featuring Space Ring 3) and catalogue of HD shows and movies are also expected to have a positive effect on this year's holiday sales. Sebastian believes that fleeting Wii and PS3 stock will prove to be Microsoft's greatest advantage, with desperate parents picking up a 360 and convincing their rotten brats that it was the only console they could find. It's a likely scenario, but if recent sales in Japan have proven anything, it's that the PS2 and DS Lite are far more likely (and cheaper) replacements -- if indeed a replacement is sought at all. How about a nice fruitcake instead?
