Apple: ChangeWave Sees Macbook Demand Ebbing

Demand for Apple ’s (AAPL) laptops appeared to fade following the holiday shopping season, according to a survey of 3,476 consumers by research firm ChangeWave . In a blog post, ChangeWave writes that a survey taken January 5-12 found sagging overall PC demand - and asserts that Apple “will be especially hard hit this quarter by the continued economic downturn.” ChangeWave said its post-holiday PC survey found that just 6% of respondents intend to buy a laptop in the next 90 days, down 2 points from a comparable November survey. Just 5% plan to buy a desktop PC, down 1 percentage point from the previous survey. The firm said that both of those levels are “record lows for PC buying plans” tracked in ChangeWave surveys. The survey also found that 1-in-5 people who bought a laptop over the last 90 days chose a netbook; and that 14% of future laptop purchases plan on buying one. ChangeWave contends that the beneficiaries of the netbook trend include Acer and  ... (link)