Skip to main content

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

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

Andrew Couts
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…
This is one of my favorite Windows laptops. But can it beat the MacBook Air?
Apple's 15-inch MacBook Air seen from above and the side.

The Asus Zenbook 14X OLED is one of my favorite new Windows laptops that I reviewed this year. It's a great value, offering a fast CPU alongside an excellent OLED display.

But can it compete with the MacBook Air 15-inch? The incredible build quality and incomparable battery life make it a tough battle for the Zenbook to win, even at its more budget-friendly price.
Specs and configurations
 

Read more
The new MacBook Pros make the Dell XPS 15 look totally outclassed
The 14-inch MacBook Pro on a window sill.

The Dell XPS 15 spent several years as the best laptop for creators who want to work on the go. But the Apple MacBook Pro 14 changed all that. Apple's Silicon chips give it a real edge, even though it is expensive.

Does the XPS 15 have a chance against the relative newcomer?
Specs and configurations

Read more
5 things you need to know before buying a new MacBook Pro
The lid of Apple's 15-inch MacBook Air seem from above.

Apple recently introduced new MacBook Pro laptops with the M3 processor. On the surface, little else changed. The new machine sports the same high-quality and minimalist design (albeit with a striking new Space Black color), the same awesome mini-LED display, and the same exceptional keyboard and touchpad.

You might be tempted to think that choosing a new MacBook Pro will be as simple as it was with the previous generation. If so, think again. There are several important gotchas with the new machines that need careful consideration. I list five of them here.
Apple Silicon has gotten much more confusing

Read more