Dueling Analysts: Are Mac Sales In A Slump Or In Turbo-Boost Mode?

AppleInsider Staff report that one Wall Street analyst, Trip Chowdhry of Global Equities Research, claims Apple’s Mac sales have slowed significantly since the fourth week in July, suggesting its back-to-school promotion is not boosting sales as much as expected, with the past weekend “probably one of the slowest weekends for Mac sales” in the current calendar year, citing proprietary research based on “various tracking data.” Last weekend, he said Mac sales were “probably down” between 35 percent and 40 percent from the weekend of July 23.

On the other hand, Appleinsider’s Neil Hughes says back-to-school sales have been particularly strong for Apple this year, with both the Mac and iPad proving popular, while non-Apple tablets have failed to gain traction with education buyers.

Hughes cites analyst Maynard Um with UBS Investment Research who recently conducted checks in the retail channel, and found that overall demand for back-to-school PC sales has been “encouraging.” Specifically highlighted as one of the big winners in education purchases was Apple.

In addition to strong Mac sales, Apple’s iPad has also been a popular choice for students and faculty. Apple’s market domination means that sales of rival devices are struggling, Um said.

Meanwhile, Slashgear’s Chris Davies reports that strong demand for Mac computers in China has seen Apple’s sales growth soar in Asia,with Mac shipments reportedly growing over 67-percent in June, far outpacing their PC counterparts, and a new investor note from Needham analyst Charlie Wolf, quoted by AllThingsD, claims that the incredible uptick in Chinese sales represents a perfect storm between an iconic brand and a rapidly growing middle class thats more brand conscious than consumers in virtually every other region of the globe.

Davies further notes that in June, PC shipments grew 2.7-percent, while Mac shipments grew 14.6-percent globally.