With sales of Macintosh computers up 48% year over year for the last quarter, it is clear that the ‘halo effect’ of the popular iPods is driving Mac sales. Over 1 Million Windows PC users bought Macs so far in 2005 and the holiday season is still ahead. This demand is outstripping the analyst’s predicitions.

Needham & Co. analyst Charles Wolf observes that cumulative iPod sales have reached 28 million since 2001 and that the momentum of the iPod, along with the security problems inherent in the Windows platform, has created a halo effect that benefits the Mac platform. “Windows users are buying Macs in increasing numbers,” he wrote. “We estimate in the first three quarters of calendar 2005, over one million of them have purchased a Mac compared to our estimate of 500,000 for the entire calendar year.”

InformationWeek > Apple Computer > Financial Analyst Sees Windows Users Going Mac > November 8, 2005