Apple Insider reports that domestic sales figures from the first month of Apple's holiday quarter have signaled the company is on track to sell 4.8 million Macs in the three-month period, representing a decrease from last year.

U.S. Mac sales in October were down 16 percent year over year, according to the latest data from NPD Group. But Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray noted that Mac sales have exceeded NPD figures by an average of 12 percentage points in the last three quarters, which suggests, overall Mac sales were down just 4 percent year over year.

Munster's estimates call for Mac sales to be down 7 percent year over year in the December quarter, which would be 4.8 million total units.

  Apple on pace to sell 4.8M Macs in holiday quarter, down 7% year over year