Apple Chief Financial Officer Fred Anderson said Apple was “pleased with their solid financial results in these difficult economic times,” but doesn’t expect a major economic rebound until the last half of 2002.
“Looking at next year, we think the second half of the fiscal year, the April through September time frame, should be a little better than the next six months,” he said. “Our own internal planning is consistent with that outlook.”
Apple’s channel sell-through at the present is good and on track to meet or exceed expectations. This despite the fact that the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks disrupted several crucial patterns. The interruption in air traffic threw a dent in Apple’s supply chain for raw materials and finished goods.
For the December quarter, Anderson expects PowerBook sales to perk up a bit and iBook sales to continue strong, as both portable lines were refreshed this week. iMac and Power Mac sales are expected to pretty much remain consistent with the fourth quarter, due to the weak global economy.
Still, in the Apple retail stores, there has been higher than expected sales of higher-end systems, Anderson said. Customers are interested in all aspects of the “digital hub, and 70 percent of all hardware systems are in the “better” and “best” categories, he said.
“The retail stores are appealing to both consumers and professionals,” Anderson said. “We’ve learned that retail is hard, but we’re still confident they’ll help increase marketshare for Apple.”