Apple MacBook Air sales estimated at 1.1 million units in Q4 2010

By Andrew Couts March 7, 2011

With Apple already flying high off the launch of the iPad 2, a technology analyst says the company enjoyed better-than-expected sales of its MacBook Air line in the ultra-thin notebook’s first quarter, reports Apple Insider.

According to Concord Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple shipped a total of 1.1 million units of its 11- and 13-inch MacBook airs during its first three months of sales, a period that ended in December. This would make the new MacBook Air line one of the most successful product launches in Apple history.

Put in context with Apple notebook sales in general, this is an even more impressive number. Apple says it sold a total of 2.9 million Mac-branded notebooks during the fourth quarter of 2010 — that includes sales of all MacBooks, MacBook Pros and MacBook Airs. That means that MacBook Air sales made up a 40 percent of all Mac notebook sales for Apple during that timeframe. (Apple does not report sales of individual product lines for “competitive reasons.”)

During that same time period, Apple sold an estimated 7.3 million iPads and 16.24 million iPhones.

Kuo says that sales of MacBook Airs during the current quarter are down about 40 percent from its launch quarter. But he insists that Mac notebook sales are far from hurting, with Apple’s new line of MacBook Pros expected to pick up the slack from the sagging MacBook Air sales. Sales of the new MacBook Pros are expected to more than offset the drop in MacBook Air sales.

To top off Apple’s dominance in the PC market, Kuo estimates that Apple will sell as many as 4.5 million Mac systems during the first quarter of 2011. If so, that would most likely make Apple the only PC vendor in the world to report quarter-to-quarter growth.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…

Computing

Best MacBook deals: Get an Air for $605 and save on M3 MacBook Pro

A MacBook Pro M2 sits on a wooden table with a nice bokeh background.

Apple has long been known to turn out some of the best laptops, with models like the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro regularly being among the most sought-after laptops. It can actually be difficult to land some decent Apple deals, as the brand's popularity keeps many of its products from seeing the bargain bin. Right now, however, Apple has a lot of options among the best laptop deals. The original Apple Silicon MacBook Air is seeing some of its lowest prices ever, and there’s even some newer MacBook Pros discounted right now. Whether you’re in search of a MacBook Air or a MacBook Pro, reading onward you’ll find the best MacBook deals currently available.
Best MacBook Air (M1) deals

The Apple MacBook Air (M1) started a seismic shift for Apple being the first of its Airs to have an Apple-based processor. We took a look at the differences between the M2 and M1 and the M1 is still looking pretty great. It's also a touch nearer to affordable than anything else here. Fast yet fanless so it's silent to use, you gain an 18-hour battery life, a gorgeous looking 13.3-inch Retina display along with all the effortless style you'd expect from an Apple device. These laptops are best for students or those who want something stylish yet reasonably powerful to use on the move. Nowadays, deals are becoming a little harder to come by unless you're willing to consider a refurbished/renewed model.

Computing

The case for buying the M2 MacBook Air over the M3 model

The screen of the MacBook Air M2.

Apple's MacBook Air M2 recently stood at the top of our list of best laptops, and for good reason. It's incredibly well-built, exuding an elegance that few laptops can match. It's also plenty fast for productivity users, and its GPU is optimized for creators. Its keyboard, touchpad, and display are all top-notch.

Enter the MacBook Air M3, which (hint) took over the MacBook Air's place on that list. The upgraded chipset offers even faster performance, particularly in GPU-intensive apps, and the M3 model supports an additional external display (with the display closed). It's $100 more, but is that uptick in price justified? Let's dig in.
Specs and configurations

Computing

Why you should buy a MacBook Pro instead of a MacBook Air

The 14-inch MacBook Pro on a window sill.

There are plenty of reasons to buy a MacBook Air instead of a MacBook Pro. If you want a MacBook on a budget, you don't necessarily need the goodies that come with upgrading to the MacBook Pro.

That being said, I'm going to argue for spending a little more. In my experience, the MacBook Pro offers several distinct advantages that help justify a higher price, especially with the introduction of the more affordable MacBook Pro 14 with the base M3. If you can stretch your budget a bit, here's why I think you should buy a MacBook Pro instead of a MacBook Air.
Setting the stage: pricing