Mac sales soar 39% during Jan/Feb

According to Piper Jaffray's managing director and senior research analyst Gene Munster, Apple saw a huge sales boost during the first two months of the year.

Apple retail sales of Macs rose a staggering 39% during January and February when measured year over year. According to Munster, this works out at some 2.8 to 2.9 million Macs sold over the period.

Then there's the iPod sales, which also rose, albeit by only 7% year over year. This is significant given that iPod sales have been in decline for the past 16 months.

While these numbers are good, it's important to place them into context. A year ago we were stuck in the middle of a "doom and gloom" recession period when fewer people had the money or confidence to spend money on high-priced consumer electronics. It's no wonder sales took a battering. Things have changed and people are now more willing to spend money on high-priced consumer electronics. It's a safe bet that this quarter, if not the whole year, will be better for both Apple and the consumer electronics industry as a whole.

Another point worth noting is how the average selling price for a Mac has fallen by some 10%, making them more attractive than they were a year ago.

We'll have to wait for Apple's next earnings call and financials to get a better picture of sales.