Blip or Breakthrough? Mac Sales to Government Up 200 Percent.

Apple’s June quarter was a tremendous one for Mac sales to enterprise and government. Needham & Company analyst Charlie Wolf’s review of sales figures for the period shows a 49.8 percent year-over-year increase in Mac sales to business and a massive 200.8 percent year-over-year gain in Mac sales to government.

Impressive, considering the growth rates of each market. The Mac’s growth in enterprise was three times that of the rest of the market’s 15.7 percent, and in government it was 16 times the market’s 12.1 percent (click images to enlarge).

Could these spikes be an anomaly? Possibly. They are significant and oddly abrupt. Perhaps Apple (AAPL) nailed down a major government contract during the period. That said, quarterly growth of home Mac sales also exceeded those of the rest of the market, 31.4 percent vs. 25.2 percent. Overall, Mac sales grew 31.5 percent year-over-year, well ahead of the 20.9 percent posted by the PC market as a whole.

“Whether the June blip was a one-quarter phenomenon or something more enduring should be revealed in future quarters,” says Wolf. “Notwithstanding its premium prices, the Mac should continue to grow faster than the market thanks to the multiple halo effects that are now driving Mac sales–first the iPod, then the iPhone, and now the iPad.”