Windows 8 passes OS X in Brazilian market share

[skaertus]

According to StarCounter website, the market share of Windows 8 is already ahead of OS X in Brazil.

Here are the market share of each of these systems:

Last 7 days (December 23-29):
Windows 8: 2.16%
OS X: 1.55%
http://gs.statcounter.com/#os-BR-dai...3-20121229-bar

Last 3 days (December 27-29):
Windows 8: 2.16%
OS X: 1.54%
http://gs.statcounter.com/#os-BR-dai...7-20121229-bar

December 29:
Windows 8: 2.59%
OS X: 1.72%
http://gs.statcounter.com/#os-BR-dai...9-20121229-bar

Brazilian numbers were also the reason why Windows 8 has more market share than OS X in South America, as data from yesterday reveals: http://gs.statcounter.com/#os-sa-dai...9-20121229-bar

Windows 8 is ahead of OS X in Brazil not because it is wildly popular here; in fact, it may be quite as popular (or unpopular) as in the rest of the world. The fact is that OS X market share is very low in Brazil, even lower than the OS X market share in the African continent (which is about 1.9-2.1%). The reason is probably the very high prices of Macs. The cheapest Mac laptop that can be bought here is the base 11" MacBook Air, which sells for US$ 1,800, due to the heavy taxes charged by the government. The base 13" MacBook Air sells for US$ 2,500, and that's a no-go for most Brazilians. The 13" and 15" retina MacBook Pros sell for US$ 3,500 and US$ 5,000, respectively, and I have only seen these models been showcased in stores (I've never seen someone who actually bought them).

[ConCat]

Well, since Windows 8 is Windows, it should overtake Mac OS, seeing as its market share is minuscule in that part of the world. Very logical.

EDIT: You may want to get your local rulers to tax you less however. May make Macs more affordable.

EDIT2: I suppose you might be able to get someone to bring a mac with them from America. Never know. Might find someone going to brazil on the forums. Could save money that way.

[skaertus]

Originally Posted by ConCat

Well, since Windows 8 is Windows, it should overtake Mac OS, seeing as its market share is minuscule in that part of the world. Very logical.

EDIT: You may want to get your local rulers to tax you less however. May make Macs more affordable.

EDIT2: I suppose you might be able to get someone to bring a mac with them from America. Never know. Might find someone going to brazil on the forums. Could save money that way.

Well, we have the most expensive Macs in the world. But not only the Macs. We have the most expensive consumer electronics in the world.

The iPhone 5 is currently selling for US$ 1,200 (the 16 GB model). The Sony Vaio Duo, which costs US$ 1,199 in the US, sells for US$ 2,600 here. And the Lenovo Yoga, which sells for US$ 999 in the US, is selling for a whooping US$ 4,500 here. Totally insane.

PCs are far more popular than Macs here because people is able to buy affordable low-end desktops and laptops. By low-end I mean really low end. Kind of those ones equipped with a Celeron processor.

The government will not lower taxes. It is indeed adopting a very protective policy, with very heavy taxes on some imports. Several newspapers in the U.S. have already bashed this Brazilian protectionism, but the government will only listen to some sectors of the industry. We have a very sad picture then, where the OS X market share in Brazil is lower than in Afghanistan, Nigeria and Haiti. You Americans should impose some sort of embargo and force Brazil into reality again before it's too late...

I will only buy a new laptop when I travel to the U.S. And I will have to take the risk of passing the customs office with the laptop without being noticed (otherwise I will have to pay a 60% tax over any amount exceeding US$ 500, plus a 50% fine for not declaring it...). Insane, really insane.

[ConCat]

Originally Posted by skaertus

Well, we have the most expensive Macs in the world. But not only the Macs. We have the most expensive consumer electronics in the world.

The iPhone 5 is currently selling for US$ 1,200 (the 16 GB model). The Sony Vaio Duo, which costs US$ 1,199 in the US, sells for US$ 2,600 here. And the Lenovo Yoga, which sells for US$ 999 in the US, is selling for a whooping US$ 4,500 here. Totally insane.

PCs are far more popular than Macs here because people is able to buy affordable low-end desktops and laptops. By low-end I mean really low end. Kind of those ones equipped with a Celeron processor.

The government will not lower taxes. It is indeed adopting a very protective policy, with very heavy taxes on some imports. Several newspapers in the U.S. have already bashed this Brazilian protectionism, but the government will only listen to some sectors of the industry. We have a very sad picture then, where the OS X market share in Brazil is lower than in Afghanistan, Nigeria and Haiti. You Americans should impose some sort of embargo and force Brazil into reality again before it's too late...

I will only buy a new laptop when I travel to the U.S. And I will have to take the risk of passing the customs office with the laptop without being noticed (otherwise I will have to pay a 60% tax over any amount exceeding US$ 500, plus a 50% fine for not declaring it...). Insane, really insane.

The only consistent thing in the world these days, is that government is unreliable and volatile. I hope you guys can get your government under control. The entire world seems to be having trouble with it these days, we're no exception.

[aziatiklover]

Blame your greedy gov!

[emori]

Originally Posted by aziatiklover

Blame your greedy gov!

Apple is not the innocent here.

Despite receiving fiscal incentives, Apple still charges the same price for the iPad and iPhone mounted in the Foxconn factory in Jundiaí, São Paulo.

People accept to pay the absurd prices (there was huge lines for the iPhone 5), so they carry on with the huge profit margins and blame the gov.

[aziatiklover]

Originally Posted by emori

Apple is not the innocent here.

Despite receiving fiscal incentives, Apple still charges the same price for the iPad and iPhone mounted in the Foxconn factory in Jundiaí, São Paulo.

People accept to pay the absurd prices (there was huge lines for the iPhone 5), so they carry on with the huge profit margins and blame the gov.

Yea sure if you say so since I don't live in fashion week city!

[emori]

While the iOS devices manage to get traction even with the absurd prices, OS X still suffers.

It's not only because of the price, OS X itself is not attractive.

First, the Microsoft Office suite for Mac is horrible, it's not even available in portuguese.

Also there's no version of the keyboard in the ABNT2 standard (not that important, but still).

But mostly, no one here knows how to use it, even the promoters on the store kiosks. Windows is dominant everywhere, Mac still is the thing people use to play with photos and videos, as it lacks most software people use to work. People are used to Windows, there's no reason to change (specially if the entry cost is higher than US$1500).

[Macman45]

I don't think that there is any surprise here really...PC's and Windows laptops cost roughly less than one third of the price of Apple hardware, are mainstream, easily available, and Windows still retains the number 1 OS ranking anyway.

[JoeG4]

Yea, I'm not surprised. Most of the people I know still don't use Macs (primarily because they can't fit one into their budget). I see tons of them at my university, but then again i see tons of windows laptops as well.

[skaertus]

Originally Posted by JoeG4

Yea, I'm not surprised. Most of the people I know still don't use Macs (primarily because they can't fit one into their budget). I see tons of them at my university, but then again i see tons of windows laptops as well.

Well, Windows is the leader in market share anyway. OS X is far less used than Windows in any country.

But look at the margins. Numbers are not consistent. OS X has about 15% of market share in the US and about 7.5% worldwide. But only a puny 1.5% in Brazil.

----------

Originally Posted by emori

Apple is not the innocent here.

Despite receiving fiscal incentives, Apple still charges the same price for the iPad and iPhone mounted in the Foxconn factory in Jundiaí, São Paulo.

People accept to pay the absurd prices (there was huge lines for the iPhone 5), so they carry on with the huge profit margins and blame the gov.

Not the one to blame either.

The base version of the 4th-gen iPad is currently selling for US$ 850, which is expensive, but not double the price of the US$ 499 charged in the U.S. Macs are comparatively more expensive.

But the bottom line is: Apple is a company, and it behaves like a company. It is not a charitable organization. It is business. Apple seeks huge profit margins, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. The one (and only) thing that prevents huge margins is one little thing called competition, in which - as the Brazilian government seems to have long forgotten - the capitalist system is based on.

That's why the strategy of the government obviously doesn't pay out. At least for consumers. The Brazilian government gives tax incentives for companies which mount their products in Brazil. But if the competitors still import their products, the import taxes will make them expensive, leaving little incentive for Apple to reduce the prices of its own products, even if tax incentives are there. And that's why protectionism is one of the worst economic measures any country can take. It only protects a small elite of local entrepreuners, and there's no benefits for workers, consumers, other sectors of the economy and for the population as a whole.

----------

Originally Posted by emori

While the iOS devices manage to get traction even with the absurd prices, OS X still suffers.

It's not only because of the price, OS X itself is not attractive.

First, the Microsoft Office suite for Mac is horrible, it's not even available in portuguese.

Also there's no version of the keyboard in the ABNT2 standard (not that important, but still).

But mostly, no one here knows how to use it, even the promoters on the store kiosks. Windows is dominant everywhere, Mac still is the thing people use to play with photos and videos, as it lacks most software people use to work. People are used to Windows, there's no reason to change (specially if the entry cost is higher than US$1500).

Well, then, that's your personal opinion.

You may notice that Windows is far more used than Macs in the whole world. But Macs are more widely used in most other countries, and this is because the entry price is much lower than in Brazil.

[kot]

Originally Posted by emori

Mac still is the thing people use to play with photos and videos, as it lacks most software people use to work.

Simply not true.

[roadbloc]

Hardly surprising. Windows does control the majority of the PC OS marketshare. I am interested to know how they do in Tablet OS marketshare over the next few years.

As for Windows 8 itself, despite a few UI inconsistencies that will probably be slowly irradiated with updates, I think it is a fantastic OS. Fast, mostly bug free, some great new features (for both desktop and tablet devices) and suitable for touchscreen devices.

Love the look of my Steam collection on the Start Screen.

[tech4all]

Originally Posted by emori

It's not only because of the price, OS X itself is not attractive.

Yea the lack of viruses and good interface really suck.

Originally Posted by emori

First, the Microsoft Office suite for Mac is horrible, it's not even available in portuguese.

Speaking for the 2004 version; yea it's slowish, but hardly horrible. And not being available in Portuguese is hardly a reason to call it 'horrible.'

Originally Posted by emori

But mostly, no one here knows how to use it, even the promoters on the store kiosks. Windows is dominant everywhere, Mac still is the thing people use to play with photos and videos, as it lacks most software people use to work. People are used to Windows, there's no reason to change (specially if the entry cost is higher than US$1500).

Guess that's why plenty of businesses use Macs.

Entry is higher than $1500? What are you smoking? I want some!

[skaertus]

Originally Posted by roadbloc

Hardly surprising. Windows does control the majority of the PC OS marketshare. I am interested to know how they do in Tablet OS marketshare over the next few years.

Yes, Windows has the majority of the PC OS market share. But in the rest of the world, OS X (all versions considered) is still more used than Windows 8. In Brazil, hardly someone uses a Mac, so Windows 8, despite having been released two months ago, and being received with mixed reviews at best, has already surpassed OS X. Windows 8 will surpass OS X worldwide and even in the U.S. anyway, and this is not surprising. What is surprising is the extremely low market share of OS X in Brazil.

----------

Originally Posted by tech4all

Entry is higher than $1500? What are you smoking? I want some!

Yes, it is. He is not smoking anything. In the U.S., the base MacBook Air costs US$ 999.00. In Brazil, this very same model costs US$ 1,800.00. This is the cheapest Mac laptop available here.

But it's not the cheapest Mac. The cheapest Mac is the base Mac Mini, which sells for US$ 1,200 here (that's the very same model that sells for US$ 599 in the U.S.).

Yes, we do have the most expensive Macs in the world. And the most expensive PCs. And the most expensive electronic consumer products in general (pretty much everything, including iPhones, iPods and iPads). And yes, the protectionist measures and the corrupt and oversized government are to be blamed for that.

[G51989]

Originally Posted by tech4all

Yea the lack of viruses and good interface really suck.

Windows 7/8 have proven to be very secure, and easy to use. The fact that they dominate the worldwide Laptop/Desktop PC market proves that.

Speaking for the 2004 version; yea it's slowish, but hardly horrible. And not being available in Portuguese is hardly a reason to call it 'horrible.'

Indeed, 2004 on the Mac was not....amazing....

Guess that's why plenty of businesses use Macs.

Small and medium business, yes. Large business? No. Besides BYOG, deploying Macs on a huge scale is a nightmare. They are next to impossible to manage, and Apple does not offer the option for in house repairs.

Entry is higher than $1500? What are you smoking? I want some!

As the poster above said, a Mac Book Air costs 1800 dollars in Brazil, and the Mac Mini costs 1200 USD, so after a monitor and keyboard and mouse. Your well over 1500.

I think that shows with OSX's very small marketshare. If your the average person in the US, and want to try a Mac, you can pick up a MBA for 1K, or a Mini for 600. In Brazil your looking at 1500 Minimum, to much money for no gain.

----------

Originally Posted by skaertus

Yes, Windows has the majority of the PC OS market share. But in the rest of the world, OS X (all versions considered) is still more used than Windows 8. In Brazil, hardly someone uses a Mac, so Windows 8, despite having been released two months ago, and being received with mixed reviews at best, has already surpassed OS X. Windows 8 will surpass OS X worldwide and even in the U.S. anyway, and this is not surprising. What is surprising is the extremely low market share of OS X in Brazil.[COLOR="#808080"].

Its not surprising, because the cost of Macs in Brazil automatically makes Macs overpriced and not worth it, due to government measures as you stated.

Yes, it is. He is not smoking anything. In the U.S., the base MacBook Air costs US$ 999.00. In Brazil, this very same model costs US$ 1,800.00. This is the cheapest Mac laptop available here.

Indeed, would you pay 1800 for a MBA? I wouldn't. I wouldn't even pay that much for a RMBP. Weak on the Specs.

But it's not the cheapest Mac. The cheapest Mac is the base Mac Mini, which sells for US$ 1,200 here (that's the very same model that sells for US$ 599 in the U.S.).

100% agreed. 1200 for a Mini is not worth it.

Yes, we do have the most expensive Macs in the world. And the most expensive PCs. And the most expensive electronic consumer products in general (pretty much everything, including iPhones, iPods and iPads). And yes, the protectionist measures and the corrupt and oversized government are to be blamed for that.

This seems to be like it would hurt the consumer a good b it.

[VenusianSky]

Out of curiosity, how much does an HP or Dell Windows computer cost in Brazil? By this, I mean what do they cost in comparison to the same HP or Dell computer if purchased in the United States. Also, are there Windows PC manufacturers native to Brazil?

[G51989]

Originally Posted by VenusianSky

Out of curiosity, how much does an HP or Dell Windows computer cost in Brazil? By this, I mean what do they cost in comparison to the same HP or Dell computer if purchased in the United States.

I would think, far more than they cost here.

[skaertus]

Originally Posted by G51989

As the poster above said, a Mac Book Air costs 1800 dollars in Brazil, and the Mac Mini costs 1200 USD, so after a monitor and keyboard and mouse. Your well over 1500.

The Apple keyboard and mouse cost US$ 110 each. So it's US$ 220 if you buy both.

The Apple Thunderbolt Display costs US$ 1,600 (and nobody actually buy it, because it's too expensive).

So, the minimum cost of the Mac Mini is US$ 2,920 if you buy only the accessories provided by Apple. But people usually buy low-end TN panels, with 1920x1080 resolutions, from Samsung or LG (or even from AOC), which cost far less, about US$ 250. Even in this case, the end price will be almost US$ 1,700.

[skaertus]

Originally Posted by VenusianSky

Out of curiosity, how much does an HP or Dell Windows computer cost in Brazil? By this, I mean what do they cost in comparison to the same HP or Dell computer if purchased in the United States. Also, are there Windows PC manufacturers native to Brazil?

There are Windows PC manufacturers native to Brazil. The largest one is a company called Positivo, which sells most of its computers to the government. And a company called CCE was recently purchased by Lenovo for a reportedly US$ 150 million. But the computers from these companies are very low end and poorly constructed. It doesn't come close to the quality of a Dell, for instance, but they sell well among the lower end classes. There are governmental incentives for these local companies, and they pay less taxes than companies which import laptops from abroad.

I'll give you some examples of prices, as you requested.

Dell is one of the few companies that offer a good selection of laptops for sale via their website. Prices are not outrageous, considering the Brazilian uber-high taxes.

A Dell XPS 13 with a 13" 1366x768 screen, a Core i5-3317U 1.7 GHz, 4 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD, 6-cell battery and Windows 8 sells for US$ 999 in the U.S. and for US$ 2,200 in Brazil.

A Dell XPS 13 with the same specifications as above, but with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD sells for US$ 1,299 in the U.S. and for US$ 2,700 in Brazil. If you replace the processor for a Core i7-3517U 1.9 GHz, it will cost US$ 1,499 in the U.S. and US$ 3,500 in Brazil.

The Dell XPS 15 with a 15" 1920x1080 screen, Core i7-3632M, 8 GB RAM, 1 TB HD with 128 GB mSATA, and a GT 640M and a blu-ray reader sells for US$ 1,999 in the U.S. A slightly inferior model, with a DVD instead of blu-ray, and a 1 TB HD with 32 GB mSATA, sells for US$ 3,500 in Brazil.

An Inspiron 14z with a Core i5-3317U 1.7 GHz, 6 GB RAM, HD 500 GB with 32 mSATA SSD, Radeon HD 7570M 1 GB, and DVD-R, sells for US$ 749 in the U.S. and for US$ 1,350 in Brazil (but it is currently being sold at a discount, for US$ 1,250).

HP laptops are harder to compare, as the models are different from the ones sold in the U.S. But here are some examples:

HP Envy 17, with a Core i7-2670QM, 8 GB RAM, 1 TB HD, blu-ray reader, and a Radeon HD 7690M XT, sells for US$ 5,000.

HP Envy 4, with a Core i5-3317U, 4 GB RAM, 32 GB SSD, 500 GB HD, sells for US$ 1,600.

A Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon, with a Core i5-3427U, 4 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD, sells for US$ 1,349 in the U.S. (US$ 1,187 with eCoupon) and for US$ 3,000 in Brazil.

And so on...

Well, you may ask... which kinds of computers do Brazilian buy then?

I'll give you an example: a Positivo (local brand, as I explained above) with a Core i3-2330M, 6 GB RAM, 320 GB HD, and a 14" screen, sells for US$ 700, but it is currently at a discount for about US$ 500... and another one with an Intel Celeron B800 1.5 GHz, 4 GB RAM, 500 GB HD, is selling for US$ 450...

[G51989]

Originally Posted by skaertus

Intel Celeron B800 1.5 GHz, 4 GB RAM, 500 GB HD, is selling for US$ 450...

Really? Is it that bad? I've seen machines like that at Wal Marts and best Buy's in the USA for 220-250USD....and they tend to be latops

[skaertus]

Originally Posted by G51989

Really? Is it that bad? I've seen machines like that at Wal Marts and best Buy's in the USA for 220-250USD

Yes, and that's for sale... regular price is about US$ 500, I guess. Very, very crap piece of hardware.

[emori]

Originally Posted by tech4all

Speaking for the 2004 version; yea it's slowish, but hardly horrible. And not being available in Portuguese is hardly a reason to call it 'horrible.'

Try to use Excel in a language different than you're used to and you will see how nice it is.

Autocorrection in Word has some annoying bugs (it's not related do the dictionary, it's with some special characters like "ã").

And it goes on and on. The software ifself is not as good as the Windows counterpart. There's some incompatibilities with macros (at least that I experienced).

It may be some minor problems, but they make a reason for me to be unable to recommend it for other people.

[VenusianSky]

Originally Posted by skaertus

There are Windows PC manufacturers native to Brazil. The largest one is a company called Positivo, which sells most of its computers to the government. And a company called CCE was recently purchased by Lenovo for a reportedly US$ 150 million. But the computers from these companies are very low end and poorly constructed. It doesn't come close to the quality of a Dell, for instance, but they sell well among the lower end classes. There are governmental incentives for these local companies, and they pay less taxes than companies which import laptops from abroad.

I'll give you some examples of prices, as you requested.

Dell is one of the few companies that offer a good selection of laptops for sale via their website. Prices are not outrageous, considering the Brazilian uber-high taxes.

At least there are options for more affordable systems from the local manufacturers. That way more people can own computers and get on the Internet.

[skaertus]

Originally Posted by VenusianSky

At least there are options for more affordable systems from the local manufacturers. That way more people can own computers and get on the Internet.

That's one way of viewing it. And that how the government deals with the situation: there should be a computer in every house, no matter how crap it is.

I am sorry, but it shouldn't work this way. Brazil is supposed to be a market economy, with the 6th highest GDP in the world. We're not exactly - or at least we shouldn't be - begging for favors of the government.

Should there be no abusive taxes, these crap computers could sell for some US$ 300, and even more people could have access to the Internet.