Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) to sell 5.1 million Macs in the September quarter – Analyst Call

Apple Inc.(NASDAQ:AAPL) is set to sell a record-breaking 5.1 million Macs in the three months to September, according to a forecast made by Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster.

This means that sales of Apple computers will far outstrip the sales of the total industry in the United States, which showed a decline of 7 percent on year, in the first two months of the September quarter, according to data by NPD Display.

Munster has based his forecasts on the March and June quarters when Apple surpassed industry sales by 12 percentage points.

Last year Apple had set a record in the September quarter by selling 4.9 million Macs. The all-time record was set in the holiday quarter of 2011 when the Cupertino company sold a total of 5.2 million desktops and laptops, Apple Insider said.

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Apple's focus has been on the sales of its iPhones and iPads and in recent months the company has seen a lower growth of its personal computers compared to last year.

Though the 5.1 million units of expected sales is still a record it is much lower than what the company is used to.

Munster said that sales of the Mac have been weak since the start of 2012, but also said that investors would not be unduly worried about it as the obsession now centres on the company's mobile devices.

"More importantly, Apple is holding an event likely for the iPhone 5 on Wednesday, which will be the next significant event for the stock," Munster said, tacitly acknowledging the diminishing role the Mac now plays in Apple's business.

Analysts are expecting a refurbished line of Macs this fall after its new iPhone, iPad and iPods are launched this month and next.