Analyst: iPod sales fueling resurgence in Mac platform

The so-called iPod halo effect is in full swing, according to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, who noted today that a large number of iPod users are turning into new Mac computer purchasers. “The formula is working,” Munster said in a research note. “The 68 million iPods sold in the past five years (39 million of those were sold in the last 12 months) are translating to the resurgence in the Mac platform with worldwide Mac market share increasing from 2.1% in March of 2006 to 2.8% today.” The analyst belives Apple’s iTV and the long-rumored iPhone will also help boost the number of Mac users. “We believe in 6 months the halo effect will expand beyond a simple iPod-to-Mac correlation into a four-way relationship with iPod, Mac, iPhone, and iTV benefiting from each other’s success,” Munster said. “If this plays out, Apple’s growth rate should accelerate in 2007.”