>>Allen, yoy numbers make no real sense except to sensationalize. Qtrly sequential say a lot more. It is the latter numbers I was referring to. And since the last qtr was also the Xmas qtr, the lack of cpu increased sales within the Americas is disheartening.<<
Orion -
I don't agree. The halo effect, if it exists, would have a delayed reaction. The user buys an iPod, likes it, and develops a positive view of Apple products. When they become ready to buy a new computer, which may be several months down the line, they end up buying an Apple. Or not.
I think to really get the picture, you'd have to plot the sales curves for CPUs and iPods on a graph and compare them.
BTW, when one analyst asked about the relative strength of European vs. American sales on the CC, Apple said that you have to consider retail sales, too, which are broken out separately, and as someone else pointed out are mostly in the Americas. They actually gave a figure for sales in the Americas that included retail, and the sequential percentage increase was decent. I don't remember the figure, though.
It's also important to remember that CPU sales are going to be affected by new product offerings as well. I'd bet that a lot of people who like the iPods they got for Christmas might be interested in the new iMac and the new Mini. The iMac was new in Q1.
One reason for lower sequential sales growth in CPUs in the Americas is that they were very strong in the Fall quarter due to back-to-school buying of iBooks and PowerBooks.
- Allen |
