Thanks in part to the iPod phenomenon sales of Macintosh computers more than doubled in the first half of this year, Apple said yesterday.

"We set a very high target but have beaten it significantly every day, especially in the past six months," said Therdsak Skulyong, managing director of Apple Computer (Thailand).

Therdsak said sales had risen because Thai consumers better understood Mac products.

Previously, they had wrongly perceived Mac products as expensive and difficult to use, despite the fact Mac's largest market here is among kindergarten to secondary school pupils, he said.

The company introduced its latest product, the MacBook notebook, to the local market on Monday and already the first batch had sold out, Therdsak said.

An authorised Mac dealer at Fortune Tower yesterday confirmed the new notebooks had sold out. "A new lot will arrive on Thursday," one of the sales staff said, adding that a notebook could be reserved with a Bt2,000 deposit.

At the official launch of the MacBook in Bangkok yesterday, Tony Li, director for product marketing, Apple Asia Pacific, said the huge popularity of iPods had "definitely" contributed to the shift by PCs users to Macs.

"On a worldwide basis, we shipped more than 14 million iPods and sold just over 1 million Macs during the Christmas period. That means we shipped a lot of iPods to a lot of Windows users. With experiences with our product they are much more open to using Mac products," Li said.

New Mac users have also been lured by the company's shift from the Power PC chip to Intel processors and the availability of the Boot Camp program which allows a Mac to run Windows applications for the first time, Li added.

Nonetheless, he said Boot Camp was still a beta version software and would not become a standard program until the launch of Mac's new operating system.

He described the suggested retail prices of the new MacBook, which begins at Bt45,200, as "aggressive".

The MacBook line-up comprises three models, all of which come with an Intel core duo-based processor, 13-inch screen, a remote control and a webcam.

The Bt45,200 beginner has a 1.83 GHz chip, while the 2.0 GHz model is priced at Bt53,600. For the first time the Mac notebook comes in a black version, priced at Bt61,500.

The MacBook's launch completes Apple's transition to the Intel processor, which began in February with the introduction of its 15-inch MacBook Pro notebook.

The firm also announced yesterday an upgrade of processor speeds on both of its MacBook Pro models at no extra cost.

Therdsak added Apple would shortly announce a re-branding scheme that will see the introduction of a "Premium Resellers" concept to its dealerships.

He said Apple continued to focus on two major groups of users in Thailand - children from kindergarten to secondary school levels and professional users.

The company recently opened two new stores in Siam Paragon and Central Lat Phrao.

Pichaya Changsorn

The Nation