Apple Marketshare Gains in 2006

[MacRumors]

SwitchtoaMac provides a breakdown of recent marketshare data from Net Applications.

Apple's total market share numbers represents percent of new sales for the time period defined. Based on the numbers, Apple has seen significant gains in marketshare in 2006 as compared to 2005. Apple's marketshare hovered between 3.3%-3.8% for much of 2005, but since November of 2005, has seen a rise into 4.1-4.7% marketshare, with October ending with a 5.21% marketshare.

Of course, Apple's last year has been marked by a switch to the Intel processors, so an increase in sales could represent a large portion of Mac owners upgrading to the newest Mac models. As a result, future sales numbers will be important to see if this trend continues.

 

[adamfilip]

Glad to see Apple's share is increasing
Everyone deserves to use a Mac (if they choose too)

and the more Macs around the more people will see them
they more they see. the more they are aware of them.

 

[Kaafir]

Hmmmm...

I'll be interested to see what share Apple has of the holiday season new computer purchases this year as compared to years past. With the entire line up now being Intel processor based, I'd be willing to bet that the holiday buying season will show some significant growth.

(I can still remember back in 2001 - one of my friends and I were talking stocks and I told him to buy Apple because this new "ipod" thing looked pretty promising. At that time it was around $18/share for Apple stock. He said that was the worst advice he'd ever heard for investing...)

 

[twoodcc]

well i hope it's not from already mac owners buying intel macs. i hope the marketshare continues to increase

 

[sbrhwkp3]

Hopefully it's more due to people switching over from windows rather than old mac owners buying new macs. Obviously, a person who owns a mac now is going to buy another one eventually. The swtichers are going to help apple in the long run.

 

[ready2switch]

Just from my observation (I have no hard data or anything), it seems that at least 25% of new mac buyers are switchers. And from conversations I've heard around my office, I think that number will continue to grow. Apple is really turning heads with this transition to Intel. People like to know what they're getting in a machine (even if they don't really understand the components themselves) and Intel is a household name for the windows world. Good stuff.

 

[Squonk]

Congrats Apple!!
Congrats Steve!!!

The more market share, the more vendors will be supporting our platform of choice. That's great news!

Let's hope that the OS is as secure as Apple likes to spout off in their ads...

-- Switcher from 1988!

 

[ziwi]

As long as they continue to produce innovative and quality products the marketshare will grow and then word of mouth or usage of a system will sustain it.

 

[splintah]

i dont know anybody who is upgrading !

in fact they all wait for the universal binaries

 

[sterno74]

Some switchers for sure

I can personally attest to being somebody who just switched to a mac. I've always wanted to own a Mac but didn't want to chance abandoning Windows completely. I'm a gamer and there's a few other apps that just don't exist for Apple that I use. Now I've got a Mac Pro dual booting OSX and XP Pro 64-bit.

It's much easier to justify the switch when you know you can always switch back if you just don't like it.

 

[rowanhall]

The revolution will be televised...

"Hello i'm a mac..." "...and i'm a pc"

 

[0098386]

It was obvious that the Intel switch was going to be a fantastic move for Apple. My Apple hating friends have bought or are planning to buy C2D iMacs. I knew Apple got it right when one guy who constantly hated Apple said on MSN messenger "I'm in OSX, it's too dangerous online in Windows". I wasn't planning on buying a new Mac for a long time but the Bootcamp ability lets me get back to work on making games and making money. Another mate of mine wants an iMac because they're slim, cheap and very quiet and was impressed as hell when we made a DVD in a few minutes with all our adventure video and photographs.

Intel, you are ****ing legends.

 

[ImAlwaysRight]

Apple will one day rule the world

In ten years from now, expect the Mac OS to have 98% of the market share and a paperweight will be more valuable than any Windows PC.

 

[Padraig]

I wonder if this increase is an accurate reflection of the market. PC sales always tend to drop off hugely in the run up to a new windows release.

 

[toneloco2881]

I'm convinced that these numbers are not directly attributable to just prior Mac owners now upgrading. For instance, at my sisters Law school last year she was one of about 200 students that were owners of Apple computers. This year, since the Intel switch she has told me there are now at least 30, with new people asking everyday about the advantages of the Mac. The fact that Macs can now run windows programs, which continues to be a necessary evil, is allowing people who would have never otherwise, to purchase a Mac.

I'm also seeing a great deal more at my local libraries, starbucks, etc. Mac market share is definitely on the rise! As a brief aside, my sister has told me everyone who now owns a Mac at her school has become experts, and looks at persons using PC's as uninformed lemmings, as if that wasn't them just a year ago haha. This is a little bittersweet b/c she and myself appreciated being part of the niche group of enlightened ones, yet wish Apple much success.

 

[guzhogi]

i dont know anybody who is upgrading !

in fact they all wait for the universal binaries

It's a chicken & the egg problem: no one will by intel macs until universal binaries come out and universal binaries won't come out until more people have intel macs. However, I think I'll upgrade to either a Mac Pro or MacBook Pro after Apple releases Leopard since I don't really use anything that needs to be a universal binary. Maybe xCode, but that's already universal. Anything else, I don't mind running under Rosetta.

 

[DeepIn2U]

Yah, man INTEL & APPLE bonding couldn't have happened at a better time. New Platinum Age of Apple is dawning.

> but with too many great machines - I dont know which I want more. The Mac Pro or the Mac Book Pro Core2Duo. But both are just too expensive right now (work keeps screwing my cheques) and iMac may be the machine (17")/.

 

[BII]

well i hope it's not from already mac owners buying intel macs. i hope the marketshare continues to increase

Well, all I can is from my expierence, and I just ordered a MBP, and this is my first time buying a new mac.

I know a lot of *nix geeks like me are either taking a serious look at macs or have bought one. The intel change and bootcamp/virtualization possibility sealed the deal.

 

[billyboy]

Rename the Halo effect, the Hallo effect

As long as they continue to produce innovative and quality products the marketshare will grow and then word of mouth or usage of a system will sustain it.

It sounds like the time has come to move on from the theory of the halo effect. Time to hear the media and Mac doubters saying, hallo, the Mac is back. It is clearly going to sell in ever greater numbers year on year, whatever the doubters would like to happen.

This all started back in 97 with a plan that has evolved and taken advantage of the iPod phenomenon. Solid hardware, solid OS, educated masses about what a computer can really do, move to Intel, it is a great reinvention without losing the essence of Apple. There is too much real substance behind the Apple story for them not to make a dent in worldwide acceptance of thinking different.

 

[scottlinux]

It's sad though, many people still hate macs. People who have not used one since the old OS 8 / OS 9 days. The 'only one-mouse button / expensive / can't run any programs' image still tarnishes apple. It might take another couple of years for that to wear off from people. At least.

 

[calculus]

Whilst it's good to see Apple gaining some market share there is a part of me that does not want them to gain too much. I worry that if they ever become mass market that they will lose some of their uniqueness.

 

[Buschmaster]

I'm a switcher, well, a switch backer. My last computer was a PC, but that's my only PC ever.

My brother is also a switch backer. I have a friend who is a switcher, my mom is a soon to be switcher. I have two friends who are both soon to be switchers and possibly even one or two more.

After everyone saw what my MacBook was capable of, they all wanted to get on board. And they'll only convince a few more people who will convince a few more people. It sounds like a pyramid scam, but it's great to be back in the Mac World.

 

[x86isslow]

My friend and I had a conversation a few nights ago. He recently switched to Mac.

friend: i dont like how Mac OS X software is so artsy though
i dont like over-artsiness
me: what do you mean by artsiness?
friend: its just a feeling
me: we've grown up in a land of Windows 3
friend: yup
but i kinda liked that feel man
i like the slightly industrial feel, compared to the art deco feel
i agree mac os x is better
but i just wish it had a more gritty feel to it
me: that makes no sense?
friend: it seems like its OVER polished
everything is too perfect and elegant
dude for example
click on the apple button on the top left
see how the background of the menu has those light lines across it
it looks so perfect
its too fancy
1:22:08 AM me: the OS looks "too perfect" because it has lines on the background of the menu?
i don't see the connection
1:23:45 AM friend: Mac feels artsy
thats the best i can say it

 

[shawnce]

well i hope it's not from already mac owners buying intel macs. i hope the marketshare continues to increase

Apple retail store statistics imply that around 50% of folks purchasing a Mac are new to Mac. ...so new blood appears to be joining the platform.

 

[Eraserhead]

Apple retail store statistics imply that around 50% of folks purchasing a Mac are new to Mac. ...so new blood appears to be joining the platform.

I'm sure it's not from existing users purchasing new computers, it's just PC geeks getting their knickers in a twist that they cannot insult Mac's anymore.