Several news outlets, including the Mac Observer, are reporting that Apple’s holiday sales this year are significantly higher than last year’s. A report issued earlier this month by Piper Jaffray showed stronger retail sales for both Macs and iPods in 2005.

iPods sold like hot-cakes this holiday season, as expected. Many retail stores were having difficulty keeping iPods in stock, which speaks to the popularity of the now-ubiquitous media player. Strong iPod sales, however, weren’t the only money-maker for Apple this December. Mac sales also improved significantly this year. Better Mac sales may be attributed to the “halo effect” created by the iPod: a popular product creates brand awareness and increases the popularity of the company’s other products.

Many analysts (myself included) speculated that Apple’s June announcement of a switch to Intel processors would cause consumers to “hold out” on their purchase of a new Mac. Why plop down a large hunk of change for an obsolete computer now, when new ones will soon be coming? I know many Mac users who claimed they’d be waiting until 2006 or 2007–when Apple will be selling Intel-based machines–to buy a new Mac. But these Intel hold-outs don’t seem to have had much of an impact on Apple’s sales figures. The Mac Observer speculates that only a small number of customers are waiting for Intel-based machines. Maybe some of the hold-out-crowd were swayed by the recent iBook and iMac revisions.

Overall, the Piper Jaffray report shows that Apple’s December 2005 sales are up 30% from December 2004. Analysts also see 2006 as a significant year for Apple, with sales figures expected to rise with the introduction of new products.

Apple is currently trading at $72.142.