Here’s a bit of sweet timing. Just as the PC Era collapses and everyone moves to the cloud, what is Apple selling? Why, the MacBook Air, a light mobile device that seems perfect for the iCloud generation. Oh, yeah, it’s also a “quasi-tablet.” No wonder analysts predict Apple will make billions off the device.
J.P. Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz Thursday sharply increased his revenue estimate for the MacBook Air, telling investors he expects $3 billion annually from the laptop, up from the $2.2 billion projected in April. Indeed, MacBook Air shipments were up 412 percent in the first quarter of 2011 compared to a 10.5 percent sequential drop for other Mac devices and a 10.1 percent decrease for PCs. The analyst described such a spike as a “break-out” for the MacBook Air.
The slim SSD-based MacBook Air is also getting a boost from Apple’s iCloud initiative, according to Moskowitz. Just 3-4 percent of notebook PCs use SSD storage instead of conventional hard drives, according to the analyst firm. In a nod to the increasing popularity of tablets over traditional PCs, the J.P. Morgan Apple expert labeled the MacBook Air as a “quasi-tablet for productivity.” Along with its slim profile, the device has an integrated keyboard and a complete suite of applications.
Apple reportedly will introduce an update of the current MacBook Airs unveiled in October 2010. The updates may include a faster Sany Bridge processor as well as a $100 price drop, according to Moskowitz.
Ed Sutherland is a veteran technology journalist who first heard of Apple when they grew on trees, Yahoo was run out of a Stanford dorm and Google was an unknown upstart. Since then, Sutherland has covered the whole technology landscape, concentrating on tracking the trends and figuring out the finances of large (and small) technology companies.
