Both Gottheil and Brian White of Topeka Capital Markets noted that the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air are both due for a refresh, which may have kept informed buyers from purchasing the current models.

"The [current] Macs are long in the tooth," said Gottheil. "And with expected refreshes, there might be some pent-up demand as people wait for the new."

Apple may have hinted that a refresh of the Mac is in the cards, and sooner rather than later, when Oppenheimer reported that inventories at the end of March were sufficient for 3-to-4 weeks of sales, less than the company's target range of 4-to-5 weeks.

Like most technology companies, Apple draws down stocks as it prepares to launch new models.

Only one thing seems certain: Apple does not plan to merge the two -- iPad and MacBook -- into a single device to eliminate cannibalization of the latter by the former.