MacBook in Demand, Despite Cost

American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu thinks there’s plenty of pent-up demand for the new MacBook, but warns that the high-end black configuration may be too highly priced.

“Apple appears to be confident that some customers will pay the premium” for the black-color MacBook at 1,028 pounds (US$1,939), he observes.

His observations come as many point out that the mid-range white model costs 939 pounds with a hard drive upgrade to make it match the specifications of the black computer, except for the color.

Despite this misgiving, and some concerns that MacBooks are so well-featured they may cannibalize demand for the bottom-of-the-range MacBook Pro, he says Apple’s new Macs are “worthy successors” to the iBooks they replace.

Wu’s research reveals demand for the new products, which he thinks will help Apple prevail on the high side of its sales targets in its current quarter: “We have a higher degree of confidence that Apple is on track to hit the upper end, if not exceed its guidance of $4.2 to 4.4 billion in revenue and $0.39 to 0.42 in EPS.”

“Our checks indicate pent-up demand and strong orders. On Amazon.com, the top three selling PCs are MacBooks beating out Toshiba, HPQ, Sony, and Acer,” he wrote.

“We find the timing important as it is well ahead of the back-to-school buying season that starts in July. As we have mentioned before, we believe MacBook will likely become the second highest volume Mac behind iMac, and possibly even make a run as the top-selling Mac,” Wu said, adding that the new models seem well-supplied on launch.

“We remain firm believers that the move to digital entertainment is a multiyear trend and that Apple is well-positioned to capitalize with its unique and defendable iPod and iTunes and Mac franchises.”

For related coverage, read Apple Exec. Talks Up MacBook and Apple Launches 13-Inch MacBooks.

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— Macworld staff, Macworld.co.uk