Gartner: Apple's Q1 2007 Marketshare Up from 2006

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com)

MacDailyNews republishes (http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/13342/P50/) numbers from a preliminary report by Gartner on 1st quarter 2007 PC marketshare results. The numbers reveal an 8.9% worldwide increase in PC shipments, and a 2.6% U.S. increase in PC shipments compared to the same period last year.

HP now commands the highest international marketshare with 17.6% of shipments worldwide while Dell remains #1 in the U.S. despite a 15.5% drop in shipments from the year-ago quarter.

Apple, however, has seen a 30% increase in shipments for the 1Q07 period compared to 1Q06 period and held a 5% U.S. marketshare for PC shipments in the 1st quarter of 2007. This marketshare number represents the percentage of Macs out of all PCs shipped in the U.S for Q107. Apple's marketshare numbers over the past few quarters have been fluctuating between 4.7-6.1% depending on the source of the data, but year-to-year marketshare growth provides a useful measure and indicates that Apple's sales growth outpaced the PC industry as a whole.

Last year's Q106, however, may have been artificially low for Apple as that was still in the midst of the Intel transition. Apple has also blamed a slow Intel-transition of professional applications such as Adobe's Creative Suite for slow Mac Pro sales. Now with Creative Suite 3 shipping (http://www.macrumors.com/2007/04/16/adobes-creative-suite-3-design-and-web-shipping/), we would hope to see further growth in Apple's Mac sales, if this indeed has been a limiting factor.

[bigbossbmb]

interesting that it has held... but i would believe that people have held out for CS3 and other universal products before buying. the next few quarters will determine that.

[bigandy]

CS3's going to make them fly off the shelves, as is Leopard when it arrives in October.

I don't think any possible halo effect from the iPhone would be too detrimental either :rolleyes:

[koobcamuk]

Get leopard out and then they'll sell more ;)

[siurpeeman]

increased market share for apple is a great thing. but is this why we've been seeing so many "should i wait or buy" threads? :rolleyes:

[synth3tik]

I have already seen a rise in people buying their Mac Pro (at least on MR). I think now with CS3 out and the 10.5 delay more people will decide now to be a good time to get their new Mac.

[NewSc2]

Apple needs to continually make strong products to grab any of that marketshare. The PC's around before iPods came out are still very capable today for what most people need them for (internet, music, etc.). The big spotlight on Apple, imo, has only come in the past year or two, with Intel chips.

Among my friends I'd say the figure with Macs is more like 20-25%, but most of my friends are pretty tech saavy and are early adopters of technology. Once people's computers from last year get outdated (3-4 years down the line?) and if Apple computers are still viewed as the "in" choice, then I think Apple's market share will hit the double digits, and maybe even the teens.

EDIT: And I really don't think CS3 will cause a mass migration to OSX. Perhaps on these boards and in professional circles, but seriously, how many % of people actually use Adobe CS to make a living?

[noservice2001]

is this supposed to be surprising?

[k2k koos]

This is good news.
Apple however must now do their best to keep this marketshare.
This means hiring new people, and intensify their marketing on non us markets. There are many parts of the world where Apple has no foothold whatsoever, or very limited.
But not only Apple needs to step up, it's the software companies everywhere that will have to follow along. Software they write has to be multiplatform, so that the excuse of "there is no software for it " goes away.(for many people this means games, and small utility programs for the everyday consumer i.E: world maps, garden and interior design (I don't mean the pro packages), educational software (for non us markets), etc, and all the cheap stuff that you can find in bookstores, supermarkets, gas stations, the so called "crapware", it is all needed to change the perception)
MY wife complaints there is nothing for the kids, she finds a fun looking title in a supermarket for our 3 and 5 year old, and on the side it says "PC CD rom".
My argument saying that this is not very good software, doesn't matter. It is the public perception, which in above case is illustrated in hard facts.
By the way, this is the UK situation, which is a country where Apple now has several stores, and an intensified marketing campaign. There are loads of countries where this is not (yet) the case.
Anyone else any thoughts on this?:apple:

[Frisco]

This is good news.
Apple however must now do their best to keep this marketshare.
This means hiring new people, and intensify their marketing on non us markets. There are many parts of the world where Apple has no foothold whatsoever, or very limited.
But not only Apple needs to step up, it's the software companies everywhere that will have to follow along. Software they write has to be multiplatform, so that the excuse of "there is no software for it " goes away.(for many people this means games, and small utility programs for the everyday consumer i.E: world maps, garden and interior design (I don't mean the pro packages), educational software (for non us markets), etc, and all the cheap stuff that you can find in bookstores, supermarkets, gas stations, the so called "crapware", it is all needed to change the perception)
MY wife complaints there is nothing for the kids, she finds a fun looking title in a supermarket for our 3 and 5 year old, and on the side it says "PC CD rom".
My argument saying that this is not very good software, doesn't matter. It is the public perception, which in above case is illustrated in hard facts.
By the way, this is the UK situation, which is a country where Apple now has several stores, and an intensified marketing campaign. There are loads of countries where this is not (yet) the case.
Anyone else any thoughts on this?:apple:

Excellent post!

[wordmunger]

I'm sure someone's mentioned it before, but I just now realized why Apple made its Leopard delay so public: They want people to buy new macs now, now that CS3 is out. If people still thought Leopard was due in June, they might decide to wait until then to get a new Mac plus CS3, but this way, a lot of people will be tempted to get new computers right away.

[rezatayebi]

"should I wait or buy?"
this is the question. in the case of apple most of the people say I should buy and that`s why apple is sucssesful

[BornAgainMac]

I was expecting a bigger marketshare after seeing the title of this thread. Disappointing. But at the same time, Dell and HP aren't that great either. At least Apple has 99% of the Apple marketshare minus the hackers.

[psychofreak]

NeoOffice is great, but I think a lot of people will buy new machines when Mac:Office 08 comes out :)

[akadmon]

Slow Mac Pro sales? :eek: :confused: C'mon people, the Quad 2.66 is the best computer deal Apple has going. So whaddya waitin' fer -- head on to the Apple Store and bring one of those babies home!

[gkarris]

Apple switches to Intel = increased share

Dell = decreased share

HP = Overtakes Dell
(HP has "handsome new PC's" in glossy black - inspired by the black iPod - cool) Wrote Dell to "loose" the fake aluminum grey and go back to black...

Not at all surprising...

[BenRoethig]

Slow Mac Pro sales? :eek: :confused: C'mon people, the Quad 2.66 is the best computer deal Apple has going. So whaddya waitin' fer -- head on to the Apple Store and bring one of those babies home!

I would say the 3.0 8-core is the best "deal". It's not that much more expensive than quad 3.0 from Dell. That being said "deals" are relative to the user.

[twoodcc]

very good news......but the leopard delay isn't going to help though

[Konradx]

"Apple has also blamed a slow Intel-transition of professional applications such as Adobe's Creative Suite for slow Mac Pro sales"

You cant blame Adobe when they released their product before Apple has. If anything they themselves have slowed their sales by delaying Leopard. Either way they have been consistently increasing there sales+market share which is a good thing, and shows they marketing themselves in the right way.

[Pressure]

This is good news.
Apple however must now do their best to keep this marketshare.
This means hiring new people, and intensify their marketing on non us markets. There are many parts of the world where Apple has no foothold whatsoever, or very limited.
But not only Apple needs to step up, it's the software companies everywhere that will have to follow along. Software they write has to be multiplatform, so that the excuse of "there is no software for it " goes away.(for many people this means games, and small utility programs for the everyday consumer i.E: world maps, garden and interior design (I don't mean the pro packages), educational software (for non us markets), etc, and all the cheap stuff that you can find in bookstores, supermarkets, gas stations, the so called "crapware", it is all needed to change the perception)
MY wife complaints there is nothing for the kids, she finds a fun looking title in a supermarket for our 3 and 5 year old, and on the side it says "PC CD rom".
My argument saying that this is not very good software, doesn't matter. It is the public perception, which in above case is illustrated in hard facts.
By the way, this is the UK situation, which is a country where Apple now has several stores, and an intensified marketing campaign. There are loads of countries where this is not (yet) the case.
Anyone else any thoughts on this?:apple:

Excellent post!

Which enforces the fact that Apple is not for children. Which is lucky because that tells us that their marketing efforts work.

Their target group is late teenagers, students, and professionals (and amateurs) alike.

[BenRoethig]

Apple switches to Intel = increased share

Dell = decreased share

HP = Overtakes Dell
(HP has "handsome new PC's" in glossy black - inspired by the black iPod - cool) Wrote Dell to "loose" the fake aluminum grey and go back to black...

Not at all surprising...

HP has the advantange of better notebooks and being in the retail channel as well.

[Evangelion]

Slow Mac Pro sales? :eek: :confused: C'mon people, the Quad 2.66 is the best computer deal Apple has going. So whaddya waitin' fer -- head on to the Apple Store and bring one of those babies home!

Market for close to $3000 computers is quite limited, no matter how you slice it. Even though MacPro might be a "good deal" when looking at what you get for your money, it's still way more than what people are willing to pay for a computer.

What if you could get a 512-CPU supercomputer with 1 terabyte of RAM and 1 petabyte of storage for $10.000, would there be loads of people buying that computer? No. The computer might be a good deal, but people wouldn't pay 10.000 for a computer

[rahrens]

Which enforces the fact that Apple is not for children. Which is lucky because that tells us that their marketing efforts work.

Their target group is late teenagers, students, and professionals (and amateurs) alike.

My 2 year old daughter some years ago learned how to use computers on a Mac. She knew what her program looked like on the floppy and how to insert the floppy into the drive and turn the machine on. She could then play with the game, and also learned how to end the program and turn the unit off.

And Macs aren't for kids? I like to think (like all parents) that my kids are smart, but even I know she's not THAT much smarter than the average...

[akadmon]

I would say the 3.0 8-core is the best "deal". It's not that much more expensive than quad 3.0 from Dell. That being said "deals" are relative to the user.

Indeed. I doubt the 3.0 8-core will be a big money maker for Apple, whereas the 2.66 Quad has that potential, given that it's affordable to a lot more people. Few people can justify buying an 3.0 8-core without using it to make money. On the other hand the 2.66 Quad hits the sweet spot for the discerning non-professionals who are looking for a computer which they can impress their neighbors with. Yes, I include myself in this group :D

[casalynmac]

iPhone has a full OS, keyboard (albeit virtual), display, networking capabilities. Is it not a tiny PC? Why not count it as a PC in Q3? What is the difference, aside from size?

[Evangelion]

iPhone has a full OS, keyboard (albeit virtual), display, networking capabilities. Is it not a tiny PC? Why not count it as a PC in Q3? What is the difference, aside from size?

Because it's not a PC, it's a phone.

[glennyboiwpg]

HP has the advantange of better notebooks and being in the retail channel as well.

One of the things I always hated about non-mac laptops/computers is that they "tried" to make them look attractive but really wouldn't. They would just have that same cheap plastic.

But I must admit I was surprised when I went into best buy and saw a new limited edition HP laptop. THey had this cool non-cheap plastic lid that really looked sharp. The laptop looked very impressesive for a pc laptop. That and vista, made it look tempting.

But then you look at it and go... but but but... where is my DVI, and optical out ports???

WHY would hp go through so much trouble in creating a really nice product just to fall short on something as simple as outputs?????

Oh well, gotta love my G4 powerbook. :)

[dmelgar]

Now with Creative Suite 3 shipping, we would hope to see further growth in Apple's Mac sales, if this indeed has been a limiting factor.
I can't believe that CS3 shipping is going to materially affect Mac sales at all. Very few customers run out to buy $1000+ software. Parts of this article sound like wishful thinking. Mac sales may be flatter this year because:
- Leopard delayed until October
- Mac systems haven't been updated for a while
- Systems have become overpriced. They were very competitive a year ago, but Apple has not dropped prices as component prices have dropped.

Apple doesn't seem to be worried about gaining market share. If they were, they would be more aggresive about dropping prices to stay competitive, update the existing models regularly, and not blundered with Leopard blaming a phone for an additional 4 month lagtime.

[macwatcher]

This growth represents REAL customer gains. Apple has better customer loyalty than any other hardware company. A gain in market share by Gateway or Dell or whomever means nothing because most of those users tend to jump ship for the next best deal with their next purchase.

I'd also say customers buy into an OS more than hardware. You get the best of both with Apple... which is why I wonder why stories still pop up here and there about installing OSX on a PC. Whywhywhywhywhywhywhy?

[spaz8]

I think Adobe releasing UB's is a big factor in sales.. there are still several "pro" non apple apps and plugins I use that are not UB and therefore making me wait. OS9 was held onto for a long time by the audio world.. and the print world.

If their is software you use everyday that is not a UB its certainly a factor in the switch.

[jellomizer]

This past Decade Apple had worked hard to reinvent itself and detract their oponents. Heck I use to be Anti-Mac myself.
Here were the standard complaints.

First
Antiquated OS. Classic OS was quite antiquated and hasn't improved much over time. While somethings were better then the competiors at the time largly Mac OS seemed and worked very old fassion, looking at the OS some people though the computer can only do Black and White. Many Mac People were getting off macs and going with Windows or Linux.
Until OS X 10.1 was released (10.0 was kinda a look to see what is coming kinda thing) OS X really showed people what a Modern OS can do and work well. OS X is what made me decide to switch.

OS X kept Mac users onto Mac and bought them time to reinvent them selfs.

Second
One Button Mouse. This is an old and tired argument And the answer was if you want a 2 button mouse go get one and put it in your computer it will work fine. And it did. But after the Mighty Mouse was released it showed people that yes the OS Can handle 2 button mice.

Third Price.
Before the Mac Mini the prices on Macs while competitive there was no system with a low enough price to make it seems that it is afordable. Still prices are being argued. I check the prices of as equally equipted systems as possible and the Mac seems to be cheaper by about $100. But... to be fair to the other side Apples do have a lot of extra niceities that most poeople don't need or are not willing to pay for on its own. Like the glowing Keyboard on the MBP or the Mag Safe Power Adapter.


Forth CPU Speeds.
Comparing Intel Speeds with Power PC speeds were like comparing Apples and Oranges But PPC speeds have been lagging the G5 helped little. Switching to Intel realy stop the comparison wether it is a better chip or not is acedemic. What it did stop is PC People going well my Intel Computer is faster then your PPC.


Fifth Software Compatibility.
The fact that OS X cannot run windows software unless you used a very slow Emulation program was a big factor with programs like Parallels and BootCamp and Intel Processors running Windows as well It actually makes Macs able to run more software then a normal PC. Apple hasn't yet realy put to much effort into pressing this fact for reasons I understand.

[zero2dash]

Release a "Headless iMac"/minitower/Prosumer desktop and they'll get even more share %, quicker.

I think a lot of potential Mac buyers are in the sweet middle spot between the Mini and 20/24" iMac and therefore...buy Dell. :(

Release a mid-range Mac Pro and earn their money, Apple. :o

Nevertheless, I'm glad to see the numbers climbing. :)

[sushi]

Here were the standard complaints.
<snip>
I like your summation.

I think that Bootcamp/Parallels has really opened up some possibilities -- especially for the fence sitters. Now they can try a Mac while still being able to run their important Windows software which gives them a security blanket.

[clevin]

4.7~6.1, now 5%, with such a small number, doing too much calculation would be less meaningful.

[sushi]

4.7~6.1, now 5%, with such a small number, doing too much calculation would be less meaningful.
I think that the real key is for Apple to focus a bit more on their overseas markets.

For example, start making Ultralight MBPs for the Japanese market.

[clevin]

I think that the real key is for Apple to focus a bit more on their overseas markets.

For example, start making Ultralight MBPs for the Japanese market.

I do agree apple need to make some effort in overseas, but i think apple's base is in US, most major software companies are in US, and they develop their apps mostly according to the computer market shares inside US. If apple lose ground in US, the compatibility issue will getting bigger and bigger, eventually will affect oversea market (just imagine if M$ office weren't compatible with mac osx).

Also, in current situation, Apple is not able to produce product on time(leopard), not able to guarantee the good quality control as before(multiple issues with MB), all show that apple's expansion ability is reaching its limit. And apple is entering new market as of now!(ATV and iPhone) . If apple can not solidify their market by correcting the problems in previous expansion, apple will lose market in next 5 years.

A better way out is to license OSX while focusing on the gadget like ATV/iphone/iPod, but as control freak as apple is, I doubt it will do so, but when apple trying to control from hardwares to softwares, I would predict apple's market share will stalled at 8&#37; in next two years due to its producing ability, by then, if quality control issue still persists, the market share will go down.

[scttwtkns]

EDIT: And I really don't think CS3 will cause a mass migration to OSX. Perhaps on these boards and in professional circles, but seriously, how many % of people actually use Adobe CS to make a living?

I don't think the adoption of OSX is the issue here. Arguably a fair number of people who do use CS to make a living have been waiting for an Intel version of CS to be available before making their new MacPro purchase.

[~Shard~]

Great news for Apple! Glad to see their recent strategies and business decisions are evidently paying off. I hope they keep it up. To accomplish further growth though, Apple needs to update their product lines soon - it's been far too long since we've seen revisions to, well, the entire line! (And no, an extra processor option for the Mac Pro doesn't count as a revision.)

Let's see some new Mac Pros, iMacs, Mac minis, MacBooks and MacBook Pros - I realize the focus has been on the iPhone, but regardless it's been too long Apple!

[panda]

a few musings here.

market share is probably a nice figure to know when running a business, as it gives some indication of relative performance.

it's also important in terms of sales.

as steve said not too long ago - that with apple coming from such a 'low' base, even a 1% gain in market share means a big increase of sales for apple. for ex if you have apple with a hypothetical 1% market share and go to 2%, well relatively speaking, you've not taken much away from those that have the other 98% of the market... but it means that apple's sales have doubled. yum.

that is important for apple (and us), as it means that with the increase of sales should come benefits of scale... lower prices... bigger profits.... more money for r&d....

and the side benefits of hopefully getting more programs, as software companies see greater benefits of supporting apple.

i wonder if there is a critical mass % of market share figure that could really give a kick to mac sales...? where apple is so ubiquitous that people (businesses) would start buying too, with less hesitation.

(what a bunch of rambling here)

but... i have to say from my personal perspective, from what i see around in europe, there are just a lot more macs out there. much more, everywhere. it used to be a rarity to see one, now its getting almost commonplace. cafes, libraries, trains, planes, on tv shows, and even used in shops...

almost commonplace maybe, but still a surprise to me... and being still a surprise means that a mac is still not so commonplace as not to notice it.

so happily, while seeing one is becoming much more common (and gives me a warm feeling), there's lots of room still to grow.

do you think there will ever come the day when I (one) doesn't notice a mac anymore? i wonder...

go apple go. grow apple grow

[slffl]

Great for shareholders, board members, and employees. Bad for everyone else. :(

[clevin]

i wonder if there is a critical mass % of market share figure that could really give a kick to mac sales...? where apple is so ubiquitous that people (businesses) would start buying too, with less hesitation.

I think a year ago, when ppl were analyzing the market future of firefox in browser market, they (netapplications, etc) mentioned the number of 10 or 15% as a critical number. Im not sure if apple will be able to get there with current model tho.

[groovebuster]

... most major software companies are in US, and they develop their apps mostly according to the computer market shares inside US.

What is a major software company for you? Microsoft... Adobe... and actually that's about it.

Especially on the Mac you can find a lot of software developped all over the world.

And it is also not true that the software of US software vendors is completely developped in the US. Many little companies were bought by the big ones. A popular example is Apple Logic. Logic was and still is developed in Germany. The software company Emagic was bought by Apple in 2002.

groovebuster

[panda]

I do agree apple need to make some effort in overseas, but i think apple's base is in US, most major software companies are in US, and they develop their apps mostly according to the computer market shares inside US. If apple lose ground in US, the compatibility issue will getting bigger and bigger, eventually will affect oversea market (just imagine if M$ office weren't compatible with mac osx).

...or vice versa...:mad:
of course losing market share in the US or anywhere would not be a good thing.

however, i am sorry to say this, but you have one helluva US-centric view of the world. without the figures in hand, there are plenty more computers sold outside the US than in the US. my guess would be in excess of 5x the number of computers. the US is important to mac and software comapnies etc, but internationally, sales volume for the computer industry as a whole is far greater. more importantly perhaps, sales are growing faster internationally, than in the US.

i think what particularly irks me, is your 'appe's base is in the US'. what about dell's, or hp's, or even (china's) ibm/lenovo? where do you place them? yes, apple is a US company, but perhaps you just haven't heard of an interesting concept called -globalization?

perhaps you haven't noticed that when apple releases new sofware, it can be tuned to almost any international language and keyboard? so too does
m$ and all of the major software manufacturers.

yes, apple's market share internationally is smaller than in the US, but i wouldn't be surprised to find a few countries that have nearly equal or greater apple market share than in the US. and nor would i be surprised to find that apple sells more computers outside the US than in the US.

[Maccus Aurelius]

I do agree apple need to make some effort in overseas, but i think apple's base is in US, most major software companies are in US, and they develop their apps mostly according to the computer market shares inside US. If apple lose ground in US, the compatibility issue will getting bigger and bigger, eventually will affect oversea market (just imagine if M$ office weren't compatible with mac osx).

Also, in current situation, Apple is not able to produce product on time(leopard), not able to guarantee the good quality control as before(multiple issues with MB), all show that apple's expansion ability is reaching its limit. And apple is entering new market as of now!(ATV and iPhone) . If apple can not solidify their market by correcting the problems in previous expansion, apple will lose market in next 5 years.

A better way out is to license OSX while focusing on the gadget like ATV/iphone/iPod, but as control freak as apple is, I doubt it will do so, but when apple trying to control from hardwares to softwares, I would predict apple's market share will stalled at 8&#37; in next two years due to its producing ability, by then, if quality control issue still persists, the market share will go down.

Apple made a conscious decision not to license out OS X for very important reasons. If OS X was available through some of the largest hardware vendors, undoubtedly people will associate their woes on their lower-rent budget systems on Mac OS X itself, much like how people use the term PSee to associate with Windows rather than the hardware the OS is being used on. The major problem I find with PC's in general is the amount of crap they stuff into their systems. Undoubtedly, computers made by other manufacturers preloaded with OS X in OEM will have the mac equivalent of crapware, which Apple, I'm sure, would not be able to control. But at the same time, there would be no more walk-in service center for your OS X laptop, since Apple would no longer have anything to do with the hardware. Part of the reason I own Macs and plan to own little else is because I have the convenience of being able to walk into the Apple store to get my problem rectified, not have to call the likes of Dell and want to blow my brains out.

[BenRoethig]

Indeed. I doubt the 3.0 8-core will be a big money maker for Apple, whereas the 2.66 Quad has that potential, given that it's affordable to a lot more people. Few people can justify buying an 3.0 8-core without using it to make money. On the other hand the 2.66 Quad hits the sweet spot for the discerning non-professionals who are looking for a computer which they can impress their neighbors with. Yes, I include myself in this group :D

if you're buying a workstation, you ought to be making money. The 2.66ghz quad is overkill on both price and features for non-Pros. Then again it is the closest thing to a desktop that Apple makes.

[BenRoethig]

Release a "Headless iMac"/minitower/Prosumer desktop and they'll get even more share %, quicker.

I think a lot of potential Mac buyers are in the sweet middle spot between the Mini and 20/24" iMac and therefore...buy Dell. :(

Release a mid-range Mac Pro and earn their money, Apple. :o

Nevertheless, I'm glad to see the numbers climbing. :)

I was in that sweet spot before Steve & co yanked the rug out from underneath my feet. Release a Mid-range Mac Pro and Apple will definitely get more than a Macbook out of me.

[Maccus Aurelius]

A slimline prosumer would be sweet, and since I'm also looking for a new desktop, Im definitely in the market spot for a midrange semi-pro device. All it would require is the power of the imac or slightly greater, housing for 2 HDD's and the ability to hold up to 4GB of RAM or better, and let's not forget a good GPU.

Anyone else envisioning a larger version of the G-Tech drive with lots and lots of ports on the back? :D

[Pressure]

My 2 year old daughter some years ago learned how to use computers on a Mac. She knew what her program looked like on the floppy and how to insert the floppy into the drive and turn the machine on. She could then play with the game, and also learned how to end the program and turn the unit off.

And Macs aren't for kids? I like to think (like all parents) that my kids are smart, but even I know she's not THAT much smarter than the average...

I am not indicating kids cannot use a Mac. They are just not part of their target group per say, for more than one reason.

Kids learn fast, no doubt about it.

[phillipjfry]

...The computer might be a good deal, but people wouldn't pay 10.000 for a computer

People did back in 1984 :)

Apple's biggest downfall is the price for the computer
People see PC's and see it comes with windows, and the bloat ware. And it's all they are used to. When they look at Apple's line of products, it is very appealing, but one of the biggest complaints is price. Instead of making PC's look bad in their commercials, they need to be showing all the things that come with the iMac (eg. frontrow, dashboard, expose, etc). This would make the ~2000$ price tag not look so harsh.
:D

[Stella]

We are beginning to see the benefits of an increased Apple marketshare and increased profile.

3rd partys are beginning to support the Mac, where as before they wouldn't touch the platform with a barge pole. One recent example is Nokia - albeit, small.

[rosalindavenue]

Apple doesn't seem to be worried about gaining market share. If they were, they would be more aggressive about dropping prices to stay competitive, update the existing models regularly, and not blundered with Leopard blaming a phone for an additional 4 month lag time.

DING DING DING! We have a winner. The way to gain marketshare today is price, price and price. Apple's not in that game. Not even a little bit. And the handling of the Leopard delay (crediting/blaming the iphone) is really galling to those of us who want an Apple computer.

[Mac Fly (film)]

This is good news.
Apple however must now do their best to keep this marketshare.
This means hiring new people, and intensify their marketing on non us markets. There are many parts of the world where Apple has no foothold whatsoever, or very limited.
But not only Apple needs to step up, it's the software companies everywhere that will have to follow along. Software they write has to be multiplatform, so that the excuse of "there is no software for it " goes away.(for many people this means games, and small utility programs for the everyday consumer i.E: world maps, garden and interior design (I don't mean the pro packages), educational software (for non us markets), etc, and all the cheap stuff that you can find in bookstores, supermarkets, gas stations, the so called "crapware", it is all needed to change the perception)
MY wife complaints there is nothing for the kids, she finds a fun looking title in a supermarket for our 3 and 5 year old, and on the side it says "PC CD rom".
My argument saying that this is not very good software, doesn't matter. It is the public perception, which in above case is illustrated in hard facts.
By the way, this is the UK situation, which is a country where Apple now has several stores, and an intensified marketing campaign. There are loads of countries where this is not (yet) the case.
Anyone else any thoughts on this?:apple:
How about 25 of the 27 states in Europe have no Apple stores at all, not a single one brick and morter store between the 25 of them. How'd ya like them Apples?

[williedigital]

Honestly, long term mac growth has little to do with any of these factors. The things that matter:
1. Macs look cool. Both the device itself and the OS.
2. Computers have become more integrated into people's lives, especially their non-work lives. They are a more "visible" component of one's identity.
3. Because computers are more integrated and visible, consumers want aesthetically pleasing devices, and perhaps most importantly, distinct devices. People will pay SOOOO much to look cool, and that's something that we forget. They will gladly spend tens of thousands of dollars on cars/clothes/homes/refrigerators that are more distinct and therefore more "elite". Of course, there is the mod/truly specialized computer makers that could make something even more distinct, but most people don't want to stand out that much. As an analogy:
PC=live in the suburbs and wear clothes from Sears.

Mac=live in an urban area and wear clothes from Express/H&M.

Mod=those people in Manhattan that dress really weird and you can't figure out what job would allow them to dress that way, but who obviously have mad ends and go to parties where people do coke off of modern art sculptures.

To witness the difference first hand, go to a hipster coffee shop and then to a starbucks where mid-30's business people hang out. Tally the mac ratio at each location.

[Maccus Aurelius]

People did back in 1984 :)

Apple's biggest downfall is the price for the computer
People see PC's and see it comes with windows, and the bloat ware. And it's all they are used to. When they look at Apple's line of products, it is very appealing, but one of the biggest complaints is price. Instead of making PC's look bad in their commercials, they need to be showing all the things that come with the iMac (eg. frontrow, dashboard, expose, etc). This would make the ~2000$ price tag not look so harsh.
:D

I find that lots of non-mac users who are also non-tech savvy are completely unaware of some or most of the niceties that come with the computer, such as front row standard and the iLife suite (regardless of anyone's opinions of these applications, the iLife suite is actually pretty fun and useful for some people, including myself).

I brought my macbook to work and one of the attorneys needed to look at some footage for a case. None of the Optiplexes here are equipped with DVD-ROM, and the one computer that was would not read it. So I handed my macbook to him so he could use it in the conference room and I thought it was funny how people were 'oohing' at simple little Front Row. This may not be impressive to us, but to people who are used to simply using an OS without using any kind of integrated media functions it would be.

[PNW]

I'd also say customers buy into an OS more than hardware. You get the best of both with Apple... which is why I wonder why stories still pop up here and there about installing OSX on a PC. Whywhywhywhywhywhywhy?

Reason #1: No mid-range tower.
Reason #2: Some of us just like to tinker and build things from scrap, and you can’t really do that with Mac hardware.
Reason #3 Sort of 1+2. I can build exactly the PC I want and upgrade it as soon as hardware companies upgrade their parts, but with a Mac I have to wait for Apple to update their line and hope that the update is close to what I want.

I think that OSX is the best thing going in an OS, but Apple's hardware line leaves a lot to be desired for the savvy, non-pro, consumer


As for games for young kids we’ve found that the Flash based (therefore platform independent) games on many educational web sites (e.g. Sesame Street) are the best for our 3 year old.

[GanleyBurger]

I'm sure someone's mentioned it before, but I just now realized why Apple made its Leopard delay so public: They want people to buy new macs now, now that CS3 is out. If people still thought Leopard was due in June, they might decide to wait until then to get a new Mac plus CS3, but this way, a lot of people will be tempted to get new computers right away.

Hmmmm... this makes too much sense, stop scarring me, honestly. :eek:

If true, we are at the start of Q2 (Apr, May, Jun). So... if they don't offer new hardware until Q4 (Oct, Nov, Dec), people would buy in Q2 and Q3.

Man I hope this isn't true. I sure hope we will get the Santa Rosa update by June. If no hardware comes out by the Tuesday after WWDC, I'm forced to hit the Buy button. I'm waiting because I'm a recording engineer, and want the hardware to have no problems when Leopard comes...

[digitalbiker]

I'm waiting because I'm a recording engineer, and want the hardware to have no problems when Leopard comes...

I guarantee you that your hardware will work just fine with Leopard. I have been using macs for longer than I care to say and I have never known Apple to release a new OS that abandonded previous hardware unless it is at least 3 years old or more.

[Rocketman]

Microsoft titles have been widely pirated in China (and other countries) for many years. Very few people actually pay for licenses for software in China, simply because there is no incentive to do so, since China does not enforce copyright violators except for rare selective TV camera purposes, even if that pirating is on a massive scale and very widespread and openly public.

To highlight this Microsoft's Vista OS has sold ONLY about 350 licenses throughout China since release. By comparison, in the USA a country with about 1/6 the population has sold hundreds of thousands of copies.

Microsoft co-founder was in China this week to propose a solution. Offer a $3.00 license to the OS, office and some associated apps for "schools or students" where the GOVERNMENT buys computers for them.

Why would MS sell a full license for an over USD $1000 retail value recent software package for $3 (yes you read that right)? They want to get people in this region accustomed to using legal, licensed software at ANY price on the hopes China and other countries will transition over time to respecting and enforcing copyrights. Further MS wants to stem the tide toward properly free OS's such as Ubuntu Linux.

The hope is once the market matures in China MS will already have an effective monopoly on market share, mind share, trained users, and upgrade cycles.

It might just work. China is a centrally managed communist state. A large part of their GDP is fueled by product pirating on a wide range of goods on a large scale. It cuts costs. MS is conforming to someone even bigger than them. Communist China.

Rocketman