Apple's Record Mac Quarter 'Almost Unbelievable' in Face of iPad Cannibalization

One of the high points of Apple's earnings for the fourth fiscal quarter of 2011 was Mac sales, which came in well above expectations at a record 4.89 million units. On the earnings conference call, Apple CEO Tim Cook noted that the strong sales were "almost unbelievable" considering continued growth in the iPad market.

mac lineup
Cook noted that some customers are undoubtedly electing to purchase iPads instead of Macs, eating somewhat into potential Mac sales. But as Apple has noted several times since the introduction of the iPad, Apple still holds only a small part of the PC market and that cannibalization of Windows PCs by the iPad opens up a tremendous opportunity for the company.

Apple's previous record for quarterly Mac sales came in the first fiscal quarter of this year with 4.13 million units shipped, making this quarter's performance 18% higher than that record. Given the Apple's Mac sales typically increase sequentially for the holiday quarter each year, Apple should also be well-positioned for another strong performance on the Mac side to close out the calendar year.

Popular Stories

Beyond iPhone 13 Better Triad

Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone May Finally Go All Screen

Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself. Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
iPhone 17 Pro 3 4ths Perspective Aluminum Camera Module 1

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday April 15, 2025 7:37 am PDT by
The first iOS 19 beta is less than two months away, and there are already a handful of new features that are expected with the update. Apple should release the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key...
CarPlay Hero

Apple Releases Wireless CarPlay Fix

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
If you have been experiencing issues with wireless CarPlay in your vehicle lately, it was likely due to a software bug that has now been fixed. Apple released iOS 18.4.1 today, and the update's release notes say it "addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles." If wireless CarPlay was acting up for you, updating your iPhone to iOS 18.4.1 should...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Apple 2025 Thumb 1

10 Products Still Coming From Apple in 2025

Friday April 11, 2025 4:14 pm PDT by
Apple may have updated several iPads and Macs late last year and early this year, but there are still multiple new devices that we're looking forward to seeing in 2025. Most will come in September or October, but there could be a few surprises before then. We've rounded up a list of everything that we're still waiting to see from Apple in 2025. iPhone 17, 17 Air, and 17 Pro - We get...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.4.1 With Bug Fixes

Wednesday April 16, 2025 10:11 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4.1 and iPadOS 18.4.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that came out last September. iOS 18.4.1 and iPadOS 18.4.1 come two weeks after the launch of iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. There have been complaints about ...
iPhone 6s MacRumors YouTube

Apple Says These Products Are Now Vintage

Tuesday April 15, 2025 9:53 am PDT by
Apple today updated its vintage products list to add the 2018 Mac mini and the iPhone 6s, devices that will get more limited service and repairs now that they are considered vintage. The iPhone 6s initially launched in 2015, but Apple kept it around as a low-cost device until 2018, which is why it is only now being added to the vintage list. The iPhone 6s had Apple's A9 chip, and it was...
tvOS 18 Thumb 1

Apple Releases tvOS 18.4.1

Wednesday April 16, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released tvOS 18.4.1, a minor update to the tvOS 18 operating system that came out last September. tvOS 18.4.1 comes two weeks after Apple released tvOS 18.4, and it is available for the Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD models. tvOS 18.4.1 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the ‌Apple TV‌. Open up Settings and go to System > Software Update to get the new software....

Top Rated Comments

fox10078 Avatar
176 months ago
To think they are gonna drop macs anytime soon is foolish
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gugy Avatar
176 months ago
that's great news.
Now let's update the MacPro and bring that 30" ACD back!;)
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Naimfan Avatar
176 months ago
While you were doing that Microsoft was busy improving Windows, Office etc and now offers the best software that it ever has.

While that may well be true, it's still considerably behind Apple in terms of integration and making things as easy and seamless as a Mac does.

The biggest reason is that Apple controls both hardware and the OS, so a Mac is much more tightly integrated than any Windows machine. Not a newsflash, I know, but still worth remembering.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
anberlinairlift Avatar
176 months ago
All this iOS development and promotion by Apple has made me a little worried about the future of Mac OS X and the Mac over the past couple years... So this is definitely great news :)
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
applefan289 Avatar
176 months ago
I've switched after using iTunes on Windows XP in the days of the 3rd generation iPod, when I finally understood that managing files by myself was pointless when the software should be doing it for me.

It went:
- iTunes on Windows
- 10GB 3rd gen. iPod (still have it, HDD probably needs to be replaced otherwise works fine)
- Mac mini G4/1.42
- 12" PowerBook G4/1.5 - still using that one as my main laptop
- Mac mini Core 2 Duo
- Mac mini Core 2 Duo (unibody) - still using that one as my main desktop

So I'm guessing a lot of people who never used anything but Microsoft OS and software are sort of waking up about alternatives and buy an iPhone/iPad and then drop their PC to get a Mac soon after that.

I definitely think iOS devices lure customers to Macs.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Yvan256 Avatar
176 months ago
I've switched after using iTunes on Windows XP in the days of the 3rd generation iPod, when I finally understood that managing files by myself was pointless when the software should be doing it for me.

It went:
- iTunes on Windows
- 10GB 3rd gen. iPod (still have it, HDD probably needs to be replaced otherwise works fine)
- Mac mini G4/1.42
- 12" PowerBook G4/1.5 - still using that one as my main laptop
- Mac mini Core 2 Duo
- Mac mini Core 2 Duo (unibody) - still using that one as my main desktop

So I'm guessing a lot of people who never used anything but Microsoft OS and software are sort of waking up about alternatives and buy an iPhone/iPad and then drop their PC to get a Mac soon after that.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)