It appears that Apple is expecting massive demand for updated MacBook Air models that are likely to be launched shortly after the release of Mac OS X Lion. According to sources within Apple's supply chain, production will increase in July approximately 17 percent over June, and could increase as much as 100 percent for the third quarter of this year.
A report from Taiwan-based DigiTimes indicates that production of parts for Apple's MacBook Air 'will run in full gear' beginning in July. Total production of Apple notebooks is estimated to be about 2.4 million units for June, and expected to reach as high as 2.8 million units in July, the month Apple is expected to unveil a Sandy Bridge-powered MacBook Air refresh.
Most curiously, DigiTimes' sources suggested that total MacBook Air production for the third quarter of this year might reach as high as 8 million units, or double the amount for the second quarter. As MacRumors rightly noted, 8 million units would be double Apple's previous total Mac unit sales record of just over 4 million units, making the figure highly suspect.
However, we believe it is possible that the figure includes all MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air production combined. Apple's sales have increasingly been made up primarily of notebook sales, and the MacBook Air models released last October have proven extremely popular despite its lackluster CPU performance. Given these facts, it's conceivable that a Sandy Bridge-powered MacBook Air—complete with Thunderbolt port and loaded with Lion—could be responsible for a massive increase in production. If so, it shows that Apple expects a refreshed MacBook Air to sell like gangbusters.
Sandy Bridge MacBook Pro models released earlier this year, combined with the popular MacBook Air, could have fueled a large uptick in overall Mac sales in the last three months. Apple's fiscal third quarter results won't be released until next month, so we'll know for sure then if Apple managed to move close to 4 million notebooks as DigiTimes' sources suggest. Once we have verifiable numbers for notebook sales, it will be easier to evaluate the validity of the 8 million unit claim.
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