Apple's Macbook line of notebook computers faired well through the 2008 holiday season, however new research indicates that sales are ebbing in the wake of stronger economic turmoil.

According to a survey of consumers by firm ChangeWave,demand for personal computers is sagging and Apple will be especially hard hit this quarter by the continued economic downturn.

Demand for Apple's laptops appeared to fade following the holiday shopping season, according to a survey of 3,476 consumers by research firm ChangeWave.

ChangeWave said its post-holiday PC survey found that just 6 percent of respondents intend to buy a laptop in the next 90 days, down 2 points from a comparable November survey. Just 5 percent plan to buy a desktop PC, down 1 percentage point from the previous survey. The firm said that both of those levels are record lows for PC buying plans tracked in ChangeWave surveys.

The survey also found that 1-in-5 people who bought a laptop over the last 90 days chose a netbook; and that 14 percent of future laptop purchases plan on buying one. This may not fare well for Apple, who's current lineup does not include the low-priced netbook.

Apple will clearly be one of the strongest trees still standing in the forest,Paul Carton, ChangeWave's VP of Research said on a company blog .

But he adds that we're not out of recession yet, and the extraordinarily price-sensitive and worsening PC market presents serious obstacles for Apple - compounded by the relatively strong demand for Netbooks.

The survey found that 27 percent of those who plan to buy a laptop in the next 90 days say they will choose a Mac. That's down six points from the last survey, and the weakest visibility reading for Apple laptops in nearly two years. Apple did see a 1 point increase in the percentage of desktop purchasers who plan to buy a Mac.

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