To: Lizzie Tudor who wrote (68961 ) 9/21/2007 12:03:25 PM From: William F. Wager, Jr. Respond to of 213177 Apple Mac Sales Surging By Scott Moritz Senior Writer 9/21/2007 10:34 AM EDT Click here for more stories by Scott Moritz iPhone fever may have obscured the robust growth in Apple's (AAPL - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr - Rating) Macs. People familiar with the company say Apple is selling computers at a blockbuster pace. The Cupertino, Calif., company is expected to sell 2.35 million iMacs and MacBooks this quarter, TheStreet.com has learned. A sales number that high would beat analysts' estimates by nearly 400,000 units. Pegging the average Mac sales price at a conservative $1,500, a beat of that magnitude stands to boost Apple's top line by about $600 million. Analysts expect the company to post fiscal first-quarter revenue of $5.94 billion. The popularity of Apple's computer lineup has been fueled by a robust back-to-school buying spree and a revamped iMac roster, say industry watchers. Apple has about 3% of the world's computer market share, but it has gained ground as larger rivals like Hewlett-Packard (HPQ - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr - Rating) and Dell (DELL - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr - Rating) try to revive sluggish sales. Apple's strong growth prospects and its marketing and design cache have earned the company a significant premium to many of its tech peers. Apple's market cap is $122 billion -- twice that of Dell, even though Dell's sales are around three times Apple's. Looking ahead, people inside the company and those close to Apple's plans say there will be a big announcement regarding a so-called subnotebook Mac. The ultra-thin device will have a 10 inch-to-12 inch screen, sleek rounded edges and weigh less than 2 pounds. The subnotebook's introduction is planned for next quarter, and the product is expected to be available for the holiday sales season. In preparation for a big year-end sales push, Apple has told some employees to cancel vacation plans "between Thanksgiving and Christmas," says one source familiar with the memo. Apple shares rose 86 cents to $141.17 in early trading Friday.