U.S. Mac Sales Continue to Sag Ahead of October Updates

Apple’s Mac sales are down seven percent year over year for the full September quarter, according to a new report from Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster who looked at September data from market research firm NPD.

Based on the data, Munster suggests that U.S. Mac sales in the month of September were down 14 percent year over year, as during the July to August period, sales were down just three percent but dropped to seven percent down for the overall quarter.

mac_lineup_early2013

We have analyzed domestic NPD retail data for the full September quarter which suggests Mac sales are tracking down 7% y/y. We note that the September data suggested the last month of the quarter was down 14%, which brought the average down from down 3% through the first to months to down 7% for the full quarter.

As with his previous reports, Munster notes that it remains difficult to extrapolate NPD data to Apple’s global sales performance, but he views the September quarter data point as "likely a neutral" due to the introduction of new MacBook Airs in June.

Overall, we believe the September quarter data point is likely a neutral given that Macs should have a slight tailwind from updated Macbooks in June. We remain comfortable with our down 5% y/y estimate for Macs in the September quarter.

Despite the fact that Apple is expected to debut Mavericks, updated Retina MacBook Pros, and the Mac Pro in October, Munster believes that Mac sales will continue to decline as Apple customers shift to iPads, with Macs representing a smaller part of Apple's overall business. Currently, Macs represent less than 15 percent of Apple’s total revenue.

iPod sales continue to decline too, with NPD data suggesting that domestic units are down 36 percent year over year (up slightly from 41% in the August data) in the full third quarter, with a 20 percent year over year drop in September. Because iPods now represent just 2% of all Apple’s revenue, the overall impact of this sales decline is minor.

Popular Stories

wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
maxresdefault

Apple Shows Off a Key Reason to Upgrade to the iPhone 17

Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie. "Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...

Top Rated Comments

djtech42 Avatar
161 months ago
Apple hasn't been updating the Mac line enough. It's as simple as that. If they want more sales, they need to do something.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Alphabetize Avatar
161 months ago
I hope Apple continues to make the Mac, and I hope the entire PC industry continues creating computers for professionals.

I cannot do what I need to do on a tablet or a smartphone.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarpalMac Avatar
161 months ago
Wow!

"Outgoing models that remain at full RRP show sales decline, shock horror!"


Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nevaborn Avatar
161 months ago
Wow this is breaking news indeed, people stop buying current models of something because a new one is about to be released.

I'm honestly shocked !
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
likemyorbs Avatar
161 months ago
It's called update your hardware.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ColdShadow Avatar
161 months ago
Mac is and always will be the best product Apple makes.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)