Apple shipped 1.1 million MacBook Neo units in the first quarter of the year, according to IDC, making it one of the strongest Mac debut performances in recent memory (via TechCrunch). The figure is particularly striking given that the laptop was only available for roughly three weeks of the period, having gone on sale in mid-March. Shipments began spiking from early April, suggesting the March tally understates underlying demand.
The base model moves the most. It’s always been that way.
Except that it doesn’t, and hasn’t been that way in more than a decade. In any given Apple tech lineup the more premium options always sell the most. This is a surprising headline because it actually defies the expectation.
What you said would make more sense if you were comparing laptops across brands, but not when comparing Apple devices.
I am both surprised and also entirely not surprised. I forgot it’s Apple we’re talking about. Of course they sell more of the expensive model.
So all it took was for them to finally price one of their products competitively, compared to the performance of the competition, for the base model to become the sales leader.
Can it also be the case that a lot of the buyers are first time Apple users that have never owned a macbook because of the price? So it’s an entirely new segment of users. Most people buying the flagship models are likely repeat customers.
Except that it doesn’t, and hasn’t been that way in more than a decade. In any given Apple tech lineup the more premium options always sell the most. This is a surprising headline because it actually defies the expectation.
What you said would make more sense if you were comparing laptops across brands, but not when comparing Apple devices.
I am both surprised and also entirely not surprised. I forgot it’s Apple we’re talking about. Of course they sell more of the expensive model.
So all it took was for them to finally price one of their products competitively, compared to the performance of the competition, for the base model to become the sales leader.
I am vastly disconnected from the Apple world.
Yeah I think you’re on the money now. I think the Neo is just genuinely a good deal even compared to non-Mac budget competition.
Can it also be the case that a lot of the buyers are first time Apple users that have never owned a macbook because of the price? So it’s an entirely new segment of users. Most people buying the flagship models are likely repeat customers.
That is the scenario that this data suggests.