Poll: How much of the Personal Computing marketshare do you want Apple to have?

[MacRumors]

Vote: Poll: How much of the Personal Computing marketshare do you want Apple to have? (http://www.macpolls.com/?poll_id=351)

[revenuee]

I voted to keep it where it is ... i want to smugly reply to P(eice) (of) C(rap) users that they should buy a mac when their computer breaks down.

If everyone is on a Mac, what will us Zealots have to do with our time :)

[MacFan26]

I voted for the 20-39% catagory, it would be great to have Apple have more market share, yet I don't want them to take over the "monopoly" title with 95% of the market.

[Sabenth]

10% will do me fine i have no problems with there market share as it is at least we see them unlike some ...

[Trowaman]

I went with 20-30%. Here's how I'd break it down

55% Microsoft
35% Apple
10% Linux
5% other new company.

I think here Apple could maintain quality and Microsoft could not be a monopoly. Also some of the other companies could get some real consumers.

[Brock]

Yeah, I also voted to keep it where it is, If macs became mainstream like Windows machines, i would not own one. That's just it.

[TomSmithMacEd]

Originally posted by Brock
Yeah, I also voted to keep it where it is, If macs became mainstream like Windows machines, i would not own one. That's just it.

It is sort of funny how that is true. Most software/hardware you would want is already on it so... A little bit more marketshare would be great, but not too much. I say 15%. Make it a serious player.

[idkew]

i wouldn't mind apple gaining some in marketshare, but not too much. i would love to see more economies of scale. more money for research. i would hate to see an apple monopoly, people with no style and no clue buying a mac.

just think of apple as phish, would you really want to see a phish video next to brittney on mtv? i think not.

[Nermal]

I would like to see Apple with a bit more marketshare, but not too much. More marketshare should mean more games :), but once you get to a certain point, you'll have virus writers etc. targetting the platform too.

[mac15]

hmm, we'll all be doomed when they get market share :) One thing I wouldn't like to see if them bastard switchers who have been on a mac for a week and think they are cool because oh yeah you should own a mac, I'm a smart cause I can open the terminal type peopel :)

[Squire]

I picked "where it is now" because there was no "5-10%" option. I enjoy the fact that I have a unique machine but I also know that a little more market share would probably attract more software writers.

It's surprising to note the number of people who want Apple's market share to stay low. From reading these forums, it seems as though every Mac user is on a crusade to convert the masses.

Sure it's 3% Apple 97% Microsoft but what is, say, Dell's market share? How about Sony's? Gateway's? I'd say Apple is doing fine on the hardware market share front.

Squire

[bousozoku]

Originally posted by Squire
I picked "where it is now" because there was no "5-10%" option. I enjoy the fact that I have a unique machine but I also know that a little more market share would probably attract more software writers.

It's surprising to note the number of people who want Apple's market share to stay low. From reading these forums, it seems as though every Mac user is on a crusade to convert the masses.

Sure it's 3% Apple 97% Microsoft but what is, say, Dell's market share? How about Sony's? Gateway's? I'd say Apple is doing fine on the hardware market share front.

Squire

They are doing well against a single PC maker. That doesn't bring software to the platform though. Like it or not, it's the combined processor platform and that includes Windows and x86 Linux.

25 to 35 percent of the market would bring more and interesting software and better solutions to existing software. This would not likely be enough for a rampage of viruses or hacks. It would also catch the attention of companies looking for smaller UNIX solutions, such as medical laboratories.

[zamyatin]

I think Apple deserves a good 35% marketshare! And then let's say 55% for Linux and the rest for BeOS or others. MS can just disappear; they've done enough harm already!

[warcraftmaster]

100% is to much
i dont want to go to any radio shack and find apple
and i like to pull my power book(12) out and people say wow or he has a apple
but am hear more of "he has a apple"and "i like apples"

[Squire]

Originally posted by bousozoku
25 to 35 percent of the market would bring more and interesting software and better solutions to existing software. This would not likely be enough for a rampage of viruses or hacks. It would also catch the attention of companies looking for smaller UNIX solutions, such as medical laboratories.

I would not want Apple to have that much market share. I guess limited software availability is the sacrifice I'll have to make. I'm sure different people have different reasons for wanting Apple to have X % market share. However, seeing as the poll is "How much of the Personal Computing marketshare do you want Apple to have?" I guess nobody can be right or wrong.

Squire

[Awimoway]

I'm not into elitism. I would hope the whole world would use Macs. But I admit that we would have to deal with more viruses. That would suck.

[machinehien]

or the supreme court would have to split it up for Apple to ever crack 20% marketshare.

Frankly I don't see it happening nor would I want to either. Plus more and more the PC universe is expanding to poorer third world countries and Apple will have a hard time making a dent in that market. I am sure a G5 would represent a year's salary in many parts of the world, and being Mac savvy is not really a marketable skill in the offshore IT industry. I would love to see apple make a stripped down machine for poorer countries and evangelize on that front, it would still be fitting with the original intent of the mac but am not holding my breath.

With that in mind I would venture to guess that Apple's market share would actually diminish worldwide but still remain profitable.

[Fahd]

At its current position. I think Apple should continue to serve the niche market that it has gained and not move into "mass" sales. I dont mind itunes or the ipod gaining a large market share. :D

[KingArthur]

A larger share of the market would bring more games to the Mac. Games, though are a blessing and a curse. They bring the masses, but with them, you have people trying to hack the systems to get further and better. I think they would benefit from a slightly larger market share (20% would be NICE), but at least from my view, they will have to get at least one exclusive first person shooter to do that. lol. Gamers are what they need, and what they need to keep at bay. lol.

[Stella]

Apple need 100%. The human race is stupid and seem to think that Dell and MS represents good quality.

Such people need a little more guidance in what to buy.

We will all be thankful.

:-)

[wrldwzrd89]

I voted for 20-39%. I want to see Apple get 20% market share so corporations will take them seriously. As others have noted, having too much market share has its downsides (Microsoft's situation with security, the DOJ, and virus writers is a perfect example). I am not going to sit around idly and hope for more games to come to the Mac... I'm going to do something about it by programming several games (and maybe even release them as OSS freeware).

[IndyGopher]

is it still marketshare if you have 100% of the market?

20-40% is probably the ideal figure. Still enough incentive to innovate, but with enough breathing room that changes in the economy are not so worrisome.

To those who want Apple to have the same dominance (or more) that Microsoft has now.. Apple is just a company, run by real live humans. They're not the saviors of mankind, and they are just as prone to being asses if their market positions allow it.

[Mr. Anderson]

25% would be perfect continued innovation and trend setting. Too much and they get complacent - nothing like a little competition to make things interesting for the consumer.

D

[macFanDave]

based on trigger events. My desired marketshare for Apple would be at least enough to ensure that most software vendors create Mac versions and release them concurrently with the Windows versions, but less than the figure where the government would find them to be a monopoly and forces Apple to reinstate cloning.

At our current small marketshare figure, we Mac users are buying into a monopoly of our own free will. If it became numerically dominant, whether Apple's monopoly was a matter of choice or coercion would then become a matter of litigation.

The monolithic marketshare figure is idiotic. I'd like to see Apple's marketshare among people who are free to choose their equipment. And sector-by-sector analysis would be a lot more enlightening. Also, since these numbers are used by software vendors for planning, I'd like to know about software piracy by platform. My hypothesis is that since Mac users show that they value their computing experience more by paying more upfront for hardware that they tend to also legally purchase their software at higher rates. In the few instances where I've seen the earnings analysis of companies that make software for both Mac and Windows, the proportion of revenue generated by the Mac side is far greater than the 2-3% marketshare figure would predict.

This hypothesis is a corollary to my other theorem: Mac people are better people than PC people.

[Bear]

Originally posted by revenuee
I voted to keep it where it is ... i want to smugly reply to P(eice) (of) C(rap) users that they should buy a mac when their computer breaks down.

If everyone is on a Mac, what will us Zealots have to do with our time :) The answer is simple: Get (or have) a life.

[eyelikeart]

10-19%...

I figure anything more than current is good, and keeping it smaller makes it a tighter community of users. I also feel that with a lower number of users, being looked upon as a "Mac User" keeps u in that "exclusive" class of computer users. ;)

[wdlove]

I voted for the 10 - 20% range. Apple is at a point now that it has a great opportunity for growth. The added income will help to increase funding for R&D.

[Bear]

I'd say about 10 to 15 percent is a good number. Large enough for the software base to be maintained and expanded a bit. But hopefully not large enough to get lots of viruses written for it.

Also, after about 15% Apple might run into other manufacturing issues.

[bobindashadows]

I'm surprised how self-righteous people are about their macs!

As another person mentioned, I'm not elitist about using a mac, that's ridiculous. The general vibe I got out of reading the posts was "most people aren't good enough to have a mac. No class, eww, keep the unwashed masses away from our chic, sexy computers!" I voted 40-49%.

[cubist]

We're talking about "platform" marketshare, right? Not hardware marketshare?

According to a recent Inquirer article, Windows is past the "inflection point" and is already losing "platform share". They have seriously lost mindshare already; the development community, other than games producers, is already full-on for Linux.

I would guess that most of the "platform share" that Windows loses will be lost to Linux, because of cost issues. Hardware prices on PC systems will be trending upwards.

There is a huge opportunity opening up for Apple to capture a lot of "platform share" as this transition occurs. To capture it, they will have to offer a wider variety of hardware, but they will also have to emphasize their software. Games are important, but only to home users. More important are office, databases and development tools; they're well-positioned in these areas, but things could be better.

I'd still like to see an updated HyperCard.

[wdlove]

An interesting article in the Boston's Globe Buisness & Innovation section. "Will Apple's innovations ans influence ever translate into market share?"

"But one thing is certain: When Jobs begins to speak tomorrow morning, executives of the world's biggest computer and consumer electronics firms will be paying attention."

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2004/01/05/will_apples_innovations_and_influence_ever_translate_into_market_share/

[Fender2112]

I voted 100%. I just don't like Windows. I use it bcause I have to. But I don't like it.

Having said that. It really does not matter to me. I like Apple products and will continue to purchase them unless they get stupid with their pricing. I would like to see a 10 - 15 percent, just for bragging rights :)

[montecristo]

Originally posted by wdlove
An interesting article in the Boston's Globe Buisness & Innovation section. "Will Apple's innovations ans influence ever translate into market share?"

"But one thing is certain: When Jobs begins to speak tomorrow morning, executives of the world's biggest computer and consumer electronics firms will be paying attention."

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2004/01/05/will_apples_innovations_and_influence_ever_translate_into_market_share/

I picked 10-19% because I think the best thing about Apple is their innovation and with their innovation they have influence -- people do pay attention, as the artilce quoted above shows. However, the problem with the current marketshare is that innovation is more difficult and is riskier. The only reason I would want Apple to have a larger market share is so that Apple continues to have money to innovate and therefore to influence. I couldn't care less what the masses choose to have as their computer, as long as I continue to be able to choose my mac.

No one can be an innovator if they have 80% of the world dragging them down.

[Dj Kioto]

I also find it interesting how many people want Apple to have <50% share... I was interested to find out, once I really thought about it, I'd rather see fewer macs than dells... if apple were to sell to many more computers than dell, gateway, HP, etc individually (esp. Dell) then we would probably see the balance **** to where demand might shift towards Apple, though not nessecarily to it's advantage... Apple is, and as always been a small company, see how much was made over a reduced suppy of the very-in-demand iPod? If demand like that were reached for Macs, even during the christmas season, it would create the image of apple who can think of the best stuff, but can't deliver the goods.

What I think Apple could use is a market share large enough to attract a larger, yet just as diverse bland of hardware and software developers, yet small enough that they can stay nimble and run lean in the market, and wont explode. Apple IS the niche designer, and better product... it should stay that way, afterall, if everyone drove BMWs (or Mercedes or whatever), where would be the fun in that?

[-hh]

Originally posted by macFanDave
...based on trigger events. My desired marketshare for Apple would be at least enough to ensure that most software vendors create Mac versions and release them concurrently with the Windows versions...we (currently) are buying into a monopoly of our own free will. If it became numerically dominant, whether Apple's monopoly was a matter of choice or coercion would then become a matter of litigation.

Good points, although don't forget that its not illegal to be a monopoly: what is illegal is to abuse your monopoly power.

FWIW, I voted the ~50% choice because I simply want Apple to finally have a larger marketshare than Microsoft - - which means that I'd also be happy with 10% Apple, 5% Microsoft and 85% Linux :-)



I'd like to see Apple's marketshare among people who are free to choose their equipment. And sector-by-sector analysis would be a lot more enlightening. Also, since these numbers are used by software vendors for planning, I'd like to know about software piracy by platform. My hypothesis is that since Mac users show that they value their computing experience more by paying more upfront for hardware that they tend to also legally purchase their software at higher rates. In the few instances where I've seen the earnings analysis of companies that make software for both Mac and Windows, the proportion of revenue generated by the Mac side is far greater than the 2-3% marketshare figure would predict.

I think there's a lot of interesting statistics that can be found if you look. One I recall from awhile back (and which probably supports your 'Less Piracy' hypothesis) is that average dollar value of software sold to Mac users was significantly higher than PC users...this means PC'ers steal, while Macophiles buy. This is probably the same lesson being learned with iTunes.

This hypothesis is a corollary to my other theorem: Mac people are better people than PC people.

But they're very humble about it. :D


-hh

[rueyeet]

I voted 10-19%. Not out of any elitist urges--it's amazing how interpretable a phrase like "the rest of us" can be!--but because I really doubt any company's ability to get as big as Dell and yet maintain the rate of innovation and the level of quality of a smaller company like Apple.

Apple can innovate partially because the majority of the computer world isn't running on Apple machines. Imagine that Firewire disk bug if most of the businesses of the world had been running Panther--you thought there was an outcry over Blaster/Slammer/etc?

I'd like them to be big enough that an Apple computer isn't a rare sight outside graphics departments, that a Mac is seen as a realistic and known option by the everyday consumer, and that there's maybe more software support. But not so big that they turn into a cheap mass-market vendor like most of the larger PC companies or lose their ability to innovate and design a well-integrated computer that is both useful AND attractive.

[Kid Red]

I don't understand how some can say keep it where it's at. We get no respect, web site designers laugh at us and tell us to get a PC and use IE, software/hardware makers rob us (ATI, NVidia) and delay our release 3-6 months after the PC version IF we are lucky.

Give us close to 30% and we'd garner a lot more respect no only for software/hardware but enjoyment on the web as well.

[Eniregnat]

It doesn’t matter, as long as Apple doesn’t loose any market share, and I get a choice of operating systems and platforms. If Apple goes the way of NEXT*, then the platforms I can choose from will be greatly expanded and simultaneously limited. All I care about is choice. If Apple had a monopoly, we would be bitching about the good old days of WinTell. From my perspective, they both have their uses, and I am glad to have the choice. Designers and artists often complain, just as digital film artists once did/do about highend software running only on Sun or Avid systems.

Also, Apple's are PC's- as they are Personal Computers.

*At one point NEXT changed from a processor specific OS (black units) to the architecture being open (white units). Apple seems to be shifting towards being software orientated, and may at some point untie themselves from the processor architecture. This could be a mistake.- pardon the digression.

[jero]

10-19%

man you gotta love the fact that most people chose this percentage. for some reason, seeing this makes me smile. i like being the underdog and people that go against the grain.

[Dont Hurt Me]

forget those %, I would like Apple to have enough marketshare so when i walk into Walmart,Sears, or Tom Dick & Harry's that i can buy Mac software and things to go with it. right now you have to mail order or drive to the next state to find anything Mac and that Sucks.

[jkojima]

Apple's strategy is all about the niche... but I'd like to see a slightly more robust market share in order to allow the company a little more "wiggle room". So I voted for 10-19%.

[Macmaniac]

I would love to see 10-19% market share, but its an unlikely dream. However the iPod and other Apple inventions may help Apple solidify its market share at a healthy 8-10%

[bousozoku]

Originally posted by Kid Red
I don't understand how some can say keep it where it's at. We get no respect, web site designers laugh at us and tell us to get a PC and use IE, software/hardware makers rob us (ATI, NVidia) and delay our release 3-6 months after the PC version IF we are lucky.

Give us close to 30% and we'd garner a lot more respect no only for software/hardware but enjoyment on the web as well.

No respect or little respect? In any case, it's not enough. I know that 10 to 19 percent isn't enough. We were there in the mid-1990s. Mac users were creating most of the web content at that time and Macs a decent part of the content.

I don't know how nVidia is robbing us. They don't sell us anything. I wouldn't even be sure that they create the drivers for PowerPC machines. Apple is responsible for all nVidia-based products for their hardware.

Anyway, we'd be happier with a mix similar to the computer market in the early 1980s.

[MrMacMan]

25% would be good.

You can't ignore 1/4 of the software world...

We get some good games out way...

Good stuff all around.

[pimentoLoaf]

20-39% within 3 years seems like a good bet -- if Apple plays their cards right.

[iLilana]

3 reasons I picked 10-20%

1. pricing to remain competative or become more competative.

2. continuous app support and better games

3. if market share remains lowish viruses will remain nil to non existant.

[CrackedButter]

Originally posted by Awimoway
I'm not into elitism. I would hope the whole world would use Macs. But I admit that we would have to deal with more viruses. That would suck.


Didn't Steve Woz go down as saying that ever since DOS was cancelled everybody uses macs anyway?

[LoopHoles]

over 250 people replied they want 100% marketshare for apple! hilarious!

the thing is, is this hardware marketshare ? — i think here apple has brand recognition like few and decent share compared to other companies — or is it software marketshare (where M$ whoops without having a very good product in comparison)?

i don't care how much of either marketshare apple has as long as it's more than enough for it to keep innovating and chugging along healthily as a corporation.

let me pose an interesting theory here: if microsoft's market share lowers under 80% or 75%, they would crumble because the whole point of their biz is "everybody has M$ software, so we have to have it too in order to be compatible".

[Chip NoVaMac]

As a recent re-switcher (had a G3 back in the OS 8 days), I can't see why there isn't a 20-35% share for Apple.

I do ad layouts for my company and thought there was not difference between the Adobe programs for Mac and Windows. Was I wrong! Even with making the switch from MS Publisher (don't laugh) to InDesign, my productivity has increased. Acrobat is so much easier for me under OSX than Windows.

I used a dual monitor setup under Win XP, and had to make sure that "orphans" were taken care of before I disconnected the spanning monitor. When I plugged in that monitor to my PB 12", it saw it for what it was (a Mitsu SB70). I set it up so when I have it plugged in that it is the "primary" (menus and all). When I unplug it the PB 12" then switches back. Way cool! Try that in windows. I even plugged in my LG5350 and it was recognized without my buying additional software!

Even for the average home user, I see the ease of the OSX in just working with apps and not worrying about the OS like I did in Windows.

The problem is with people like my brother-inlaw. He wants a new system to do DVD's of his kids. I mentioned that he should look at the Apple systems. Spoke of the ease of use and the great SuperDrive. His comment was that there wasn't much software for the Apple when compared to Windows. Never mind that he only has Office, Explorer, and tax software on his current Windows system.

Guess that is why he like so many others have an Expedition his is driveway. Just so that he can go off-road if he needs to. As long as that mindset exsists Apple will never see much more than 15%.

Just a few thoughts from a switcher who is looking forward to his Windows desktop system going south in a couple of years so I can get the latest in a Powermac desktop.

[wdlove]

With the impressive figures that Steve gave today, it would certainly indicate a pro-growth agenda. 10,000 native apps for X. iTunes has sold 30 million since April 28th. A share of 70% of the legal downloads and is number one in downloads and revenues. With iPod with have a 31% share of the market. The introduction of the iPod mini is going after the other 31% of the market of high end users. We have Pepsi & AOL on board with iTunes Music Store. The impressive show of VA Tech with it's 1100 dual G5's being number three in the world at the low cost of $5.7 million. According to Steve leaders from around the world are making a pilgramage. We are positively chipping away at Microsoft.

[TheMacOS.com]

apple sells such a quality product, 40-50% would be nice. :)

[Frohickey]

I say, 100%, but I'm biased. :p

[Les Kern]

Since Apple doesn't want a complete monopoly like M$ wants (neither do I!), I'd say 8 - 10% would be good in the short-term, say 15% tops. I think if they DID have more share, there would be a greater effort by the PC makers to make something better than the smiley-face Gateways and Dells, and maybe, just maybe, Windows 2007 will ACTUALLY work properly. Everyone wins. My dream? Crush those bastards. They're like the GOP of the IT world.