Apple sales up 27% last winter due to high demand for 2011 MacBook Pros

The market research company NPD Group is at it again, and have released some interesting sales data regarding Apple’s latest quarterly numbers.

In a summary provided by analyst Gene Munster, the NPD Group has shown a 47% year over year growth for Apple notebooks during the month of March, driven largely by the new Sandy Bridge-equipped MacBook Pros introduced earlier this year. Overall, Apple saw a 27% growth in the U.S. through the winter quarter months. As a result, Munster is expecting a little over 3.6 million MacBook sales when Apple releases its official quarterly numbers.

In contrast, worldwide notebook sales actually decreased by 3.2% due to surging iPad sales according to the IDC, so the large growth in Apple sales has surely taken the market data corporation by surprise. The newly updated MacBook Pros with its 2^nd generation Intel Core processors and the much-vaunted Thunderbolt port may have been just enough to make the notebooks a big hit with consumers.

While Apple MacBooks are selling like hotcakes, iPod sales last month have taken a 10% dive. The cause is likely contributed to changing consumer interests toward tablets and other mobile devices, such as iPads and smartphones. Regardless, Munster is still estimating iPod sales between 9.8 and 10.3 million units for the quarter, which should keep Apple in the lead in the mp3 player market.

Meanwhile, check out our full review of the 13-inch 2011 MacBook Pro here.

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