NPD Group is reporting essentially flat domestic sales of Macs, but Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster reports that "Apple may launch new MacBook Airs as early as March," helping to boost global Mac sales and reach quarterly street expectations of 4.5 million units.



From AppleInsider:

In a note obtained by AppleInsider, Munster wrote that NPD's domestic retail data points to just 1 percent Mac growth for Apple's Q2 (first calendar quarter) compared to the year ago quarter.

The note highlights Apple's growing international sales, nothing that in the previous quarter, "Mac NPD units were up 12% y/y, but actual worldwide Mac unit growth came in at 26% y/y (a difference of 14 percentage points), suggesting international Mac sales are driving the growth in Mac units."

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