We’re proud to report the best June quarter for both revenue and earnings in Apple’s history,” said Apple chief executive Steve Jobs. “We set a new record for Mac sales, we think we have a real winner with our new iPhone 3G, and we’re busy finishing several more wonderful new products to launch in the coming months.

As Apple gears up for its final quarter of 2008, it is estimated that they are going to smash all their previous Mac sales records.  According to a post in the Ars Technica, 17 percent of the users who have experienced the powers (and brilliance) of an iPhone 3G are likely to purchase a Mac for their next buy.

Coupled with this “i” ”halo effect” (iPhone/iPod Touch) is Apple’s back to school promotion that offers a $299 rebate for a free iPod touch to educational customers who purchase a qualifying Mac system through September 15th. The transition of Mac to the Intel CPUs has further boosted the pace of the Mac sales.

According to a study conducted by the Royal Bank of Canada analyst Mike Abramsky, among 4,400 respondents, Apple is witnessing “unprecedented intentions” on the part of consumers during what has historically been Apple’s second strongest Mac quarter. The study found that 34 percent of the customers are intending to buy a Mac notebook in the next 3 months. Another 30 percent plan to buy a Mac Desktop. Abramsky goes on to predict:

We forecast Apple’s global PC share to rise to 4.2 percent [in 2009], from 2.9 percent [in 2007],”

He further added that every 25 basis points of market share gain will equate to $1 billion in incremental revenue and $0.15 in per share earnings.

Even while the rest of the competetitors are facing stiff challenges in the somewhat troubled waters of the US economy Apple continues to muscle ahead. And that too, when the Mac is priced as a much higher level than its Windws counterparts.