Apple Courting Core Meltdown

"Any time anyone announces a new platform or a significant change, people are predisposed to wait and see," Baker says.

And consumers might not be the only ones delaying purchases. While business customers generally use Windows-based PCs, the Macintosh is strong in several industry niches, including the entertainment and education sectors. Corporations tend to be cautious about adopting new technology, notes IDC's Kay. Companies often will wait to adopt a product until long after it is introduced, to observe others' experience with it and to make sure the bugs are worked out.

Stahancyk, Gearing, Rackner & Kent, a Portland, Ore., law firm, uses Macintosh notebooks and desktops for its standard office equipment. Don Kruse, the firm's IT manager, says Apple's move to Intel chips won't affect his purchase decisions in situations in which the firm needs new equipment, such as for a new lawyer or to replace a faulty computer. However, Kruse says he likely will delay more discretionary purchases until after the Intel-based computers have been out for a while.

"I've heard a lot of experts say that people don't care about the processor inside," he says. "To be honest, I do care about the hardware. I am a little concerned about the change to Intel. I know all the things that could go wrong there."

Hamed Khorsand, president of BWS Financial, believes Kruse won't be the only enterprise customer delaying Macintosh purchases. As part of an informal survey, BWS has found that a number of corporate customers have put large computer purchases on hold following Apple's announcement.

"I think this will prevent any halo effect from taking place now," says Khorsand, who has no stake in Apple stock and whose firm does not do investment banking.

Still, not everyone's convinced the transition is going to dampen Mac sales. While enterprise customers such as Kruse may care about a computer's innards, many consumers do not, particularly those who may be attracted to the Mac because of the iPod.