Does Apple Lose Sales Due To Macworld?

In a previous post discussing reasons why Apple would pull out of Macworld,
I used the following as one potential reason:

Macworld is affecting Holiday sales too much…
Who would buy a Mac leading up to Macworld? OK, so this year wasn’t too bad as they released a refreshed range of laptops just before the holiday season so they were safe, but iMacs, Mac Minis, Mac Pros? No, I would imaging that the sales of Mac desktops across the range are severely depressed for the couple of months leading up to Macworld. Apple need to break this behaviour to boost holiday sales.

On reflection, I wonder if this is actually the case and if Apple does actually need to break the lull caused by Macworld.

I'm sure that new Mac users are not even aware of Macworld so it's unlikely they will defer any planned purchases until after January.

Existing Mac users may well hold back until after Macworld, but this won't alter the fact that they will still buy Apple products, they just defer them or buy an alternative Apple product if announced at Macworld.

Perhaps the Macworld effect does not negatively impact holiday sales at all?

It may well be that Apple may like to spread out the sales more uniformly during the quarter, but even then, the argument that the sudden release of pent up demand following Macworld does a lot to make the usually quiet month of January another bumper month for Apple.

Just a thought!

Comments

[Wizardgold]

Macworld is a trade show and the publicity it generates has to be a good thing overall for Apple. Maybe the timing is off being in January and has an effect on some buyers who will defer sales until after the keynote. But there are people that always defer buying the next computer because they are expecting another model to be coming out and making the one they just bought obsolete. Have to bite the bullet at some point in time.

Still I would love to go to MacWorld and seeing as I can't I might look out for one a little closer. Is there still a Mac Show in London? If not I could always do a trip to the Apple shop in London. Not much happening in Barcelona anyway. The Spanish don't really get the Apple thing anyway.

Maybe I will have to talk with Chris Pinchen and together we could get something Mac going in Spanish like a podcast perhaps and do our bit.

[MattLococo]

Perhaps the guys at Apple want to see how they fare in direct competition with the other retailers during the Christmas season rather than picking up the post holiday season crumbs from the Mac faithful who have held purchases. They may have some big stuff next season during Christmas that they want to run.

[bud]

You were right the first time. It prevents sell though of existing stock, at least to existing Mac Users in the know, for 2 or three months leading in, and too many outsiders judge by Holiday sales, not the month or two after Holiday sales.

It has successfully postponed my mac purchases time and time again. Notrozac and Snaggy's Joy of Tech showing a Mac guy asking Santa to postpone Christmas a month or so tells it all.

I still miss the gathering of the tribes aspect of MacWorld Expo, but it was really something Apple needed to get out of for several reasons