Refreshed iMacs Expected to Quadruple Apple's Q3 Desktop Shipments

[Akshay Masand]

Apple’s recently updated iMac lineup is expected to help dramatically boost the company’s desktop shipments, which are forecast to be down 79% year-to-year for the third calendar quarter according to analyst estimates. KGI securities analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo estimated that Apple’s desktop shipments will be down to 264,000 for the company’s fourth fiscal quarter of 2012, which represents a whipping 79% drop from the same period one year ago.

The forecast of Mac desktop shipments was cut by over 63% due to the new iMac’s later-than-expected arrival. Back in August, Kuo’s supply chain checks pointed to a September launch date for Apple’s newest all-in-one; however several production stalls blamed on low display lamination yields pushed the announcement back to October. Coupled with a ramp-down of the previous iMac models which started to surface back in July and August, overall sales plummeted.

Despite the poor third-quarter forecast, Kuo expects shipments to pick up during the holiday season, with predictions of growing 434% quarter-on-quarter mostly thanks to expected strong demand for the newly-announced iMac, which is currently set to hit stores in November. Even with the large quarter-to-quarter growth, Kuo estimates iMac shipments will hit 1.4 million at the end of the year, still representing a 5% decline from the year ago period. With shipping difficulties still lingering in October, overall Mac desktop performance is expected to hit 3.8 million units in the fourth quarter, down 21% year-to-year. We’ll have to see how well the predictions hold up once the refreshed iMac is released and the official numbers roll in.

Source: AppleInsider

[jfreezy]

Not going to happen. Apple will suffer along with all the other PC manufacturers.

Product innovation (which you can't call this most recent release an innovation) cannot combat economic uncertainty. Not when it's simply a desktop. Too much parity for cheaper alternatives.

[luvmytj]

Not going to happen. Apple will suffer along with all the other PC manufacturers.

Product innovation (which you can't call this most recent release an innovation) cannot combat economic uncertainty. Not when it's simply a desktop. Too much parity for cheaper alternatives.

I disagree. Many people have been waiting for the refresh. It is not so much the outside, but what has been done to the inside. Most people knew the refresh with Ivy Bridge was inevitable. I personally have waited over a year for this and I will be buying the iMac 27" come December. These new releases across the board from Apple will only continue their great successes. I am a Mac user from the beginning of Apple. Just a few years ago we were only 9% of users, now they are the #1 PC maker. The economy hasn't hurt them yet. Have you seen the insane dollar value of their stock? If only I had invested way back in the 80's!

[Silverado1987]

I disagree. Many people have been waiting for the refresh. It is not so much the outside, but what has been done to the inside. Most people knew the refresh with Ivy Bridge was inevitable. I personally have waited over a year for this and I will be buying the iMac 27" come December. These new releases across the board from Apple will only continue their great successes. I am a Mac user from the beginning of Apple. Just a few years ago we were only 9% of users, now they are the #1 PC maker. The economy hasn't hurt them yet. Have you seen the insane dollar value of their stock? If only I had invested way back in the 80's!

Agreed ill be picking up a 21" whenever I can