Analyst: Mac Sales “Key” To Apple’s 4Q Results

8:35 am, October 20th, 2008, Ed Sutherland

On the eve of the release of Apple’s fourth quarter results, one analyst firm suggests the number to watch is how many Macs were sold during the period ended Sept. 30.

Piper Jaffray offered clients predictions that were slightly more optimistic than the Wall Street consensus. Mac sales are “key” to Cupertino’s financial picture, according to the analysts.

In a note to investors, the financial firm predicted 2.8 million Macs were sold during the fourth quarter. The estimate expands on a 2.7 million Wall Street projection.

The financial analysts point to Apple’s “aggressive” back-to-school promotion that offered a rebate on iPod touchs when bought with a Mac.

Apple will report selling 11 million iPods, up from a 10.8 million estimate, Piper Jaffray said.

Analyst Gene Munster stuck with his estimate that Apple has sold 5 million iPhone 3G handsets, a slight uptick from the 4.5 million consensus. Munster said iPhone sales exceeded expectations and the September introduction was met with strong demand.

Analysts are also awaiting how Apple has been affected by the economic crisis sweeping the globe and slowing consumer sales.

“We believe Apple is well-positioned to weather the storm,” the analyst wrote Monday. Part of the insurance against bad weather was the recent announcement of a $999 MacBook.

Posted by Ed Sutherland in Apple, News | Comment on this article