iPod sales follow downward trend

US Mac sales were up 35 percent year-over-year in May, according to new data from the NPD Group. The number compares with 39 percent in April, and Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster suggests that for the whole of Apple's third quarter, Macs may grow 19 to 23 percent versus the same period in 2009. This would represent between 3.1 and 3.2 million computers sold.

The data shows some sales being lost to the iPad, says Munster, but not much. The real victim is claimed to be the iPod, as May sales dropped 13 percent against last year. This is even greater than a forecast 9 percent drop, and continues a downward trend for one of Apple's formerly central products. iPods tend to sell better internationally however, Munster comments, and as a result NPD numbers do not accurately reflect the whole picture.

The iPad's impact on the Mac is ultimately believed to be of little concern. While an iPad is cheaper than a Mac, Munster observes that it's also an average of four times more expensive than an iPod. Going forward, the level of Mac cannibalization is expected to remain small. "Apple has successfully limited the iPad functionality to primarily content consumption vs. content creation on a Mac," the analyst writes. "And relative to the iPod, the physical size of an iPad provides a meaningfully different value proposition (portability vs. screen size)."

by MacNN Staff