Apple Marketshare Increasing?

[SiliconAddict]

Oh and to the people that say that Microsoft will loose. Heh. Dream on. Right now from an IT perspective Apple isn't anywhere close to killing Microsoft. Until Apple starts to really take the corp environment serious they will loose out to Microsoft. Heck the enterprise environment tools alone available on the Windows platform...

Oh and...

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070302-8966.html

Anyone who thinks Microsoft is going anywhere anytime soon is a fool.

 

[Westside guy]

Go to adult swim fix if you want to see a site that is not mac compatable! I really think the web statistics are skewed since most of the world is forced to us PC's at work. Man I really want to stream ATHF. The guys at at adult swim need a wake up call. Or at least some sort of campaign to make them change.

That changed a month or so ago - they moved to Flash from Windows Media.

 

[Toe]

Oh and to the people that say that Microsoft will loose. Heh. Dream on. Right now from an IT perspective Apple isn't anywhere close to killing Microsoft. Until Apple starts to really take the corp environment serious they will loose out to Microsoft. Heck the enterprise environment tools alone available on the Windows platform...

Many of the best enterprise tools are unix programs, and most of those run on Macs. Things like SugarCRM, VMWare, Oracle, MySQL, and so many, many other enterprise-class unix apps run natively on OS X.

As servers, Xserves make the best value proposition (great hardware, much cheaper per-user than Microsoft, much easier to deploy than other flavors of unix).

But yes, Apple certainly needs have more sales reps in the enterprise telling them this. Hopefully with Leopard they'll feel confident enough to do so.

Anyone who thinks Microsoft is going anywhere anytime soon is a fool.

...and everyone will always use WordPerfect and Lotus 1-2-3, right?

 

[derbazooka]

You are mixing up marketshare (which is a percentage of product sold/shipped during a time frame) with install-base. You simply can't do that. You either need to take 2% of the total number of computers sold during those 6 months (which is much less than 2 billion) or you need to find out the percent increase in install-base and multiply that with the 2 billion. Then you will get some figures with which to make proper judgements.

Mmm, no. The original survey uses this definition of market share:

Operating System Market Share

This report lists the market share of the top operating systems in use. This data is derived by aggregating the traffic across our network of websites that use our service.

They weren't using page hits from computers that had been sold/shipped during a time frame. They defined market share as install base. FWIW, I'm sure when software companies look at Apple's "market share," I'm sure they're talking about installed base, as well.

 

[DeepIn2U]

Good. Maybe more websites will finally become mac/safari-compatible. It's getting better all the time, but nowhere near 100%.

An example is the following site that the company I work for (well client of IBM, BNSF) has on their site www.bnsf.com\emu ... info of FAQ's underneath the link for the "Start Emulator" button states IE v5/6. There's a non-helpful link for Mac OS X running IE v5.2 for OS 9 emulation. A user gave me a site because he searched google for the error he got in WinXP for using the Java SUN code instead of the Microsoft VM (hasn't ben distributed since 2001 by M$ so you see just how long M$ Coding has been the standard). I didn't believe the user he got the same IBM MF interface working in Java SUN code using firefox. I thought to myself if the following link works in Firefox (www2.bnsf.com:8200) then it should work for Mac right? Well to my amazement it DID! in Safari on a Black MacBook. WOW!

This goes to show that coders in corporations writing proprietary code may need to change support for an interface to follow web standards.

Forget market share... browser share is extremely important.

Imagine you're a company that's developing a big web-based marketing campaign. Would you find it acceptable if the developers told you that more than 6% of your audience will not only be unable to access your site, but also will be offended in the process?

2% you might be able to ignore (if you're callus). Anything over 5% is undeniably important.

Now all web developers will be required to make Mac-compatible websites. The days of lazy developers who only test in IE are over.

(And P.S. that means that web developers need Macs to test on. It won't take them long to realize that a dual-boot Mac or one with Parallels or VMWare is their best option for a full-range testing platform.)

GOOD POINT, but the pendelum swings BOTH ways. They could just be as easy for them to say "call Apple". All standard by that infamous/notorious commercial Leemons/Lemons I think. Apple needs to not only promote their iPods & consumer interesting aspects of Mac OS X, but more its power, professional side.

OS X's ability to be a server Farm, its ability to be data store for multiple heavy load simultaneous transactions etc. that kind of stuff, why OS X can be considered as a PRO platform! = PRO

 

[ortuno2k]

It's great, as long as it doesn't bring VISTA to Mac OS X. See below.

• Virus
• Infections
• Spyware
• Trojans
• Adware

Long live

 

[Bye Bye Baby]

Apple's position

Apple is truly in a unique position. Vista has not made such an impact on the market, there is a real hardware advantage in having a mac (design & intel) plus the end-to-end model means that Apple has really a lot to offer.

The real question is why don't they offer it???? Lepord needs to be a real improvement over Tiger, MAC harware must offer the best intel has, .MAC needs to be fully integrated and made a much more generous service than it currently is, a true-video ipod plus movie download in the whole world. I sometimes think that Steve's greatest strength is his own greatest weakness. Too much 'my way' tends to make apple a one dimension operation. Apple needs to get aggressive and bring its best products for the consumers to the market and stop flogging M$ with soggy lettuce- i.e. ad campaign. If you won't to kick them, then hit them where it hurts- products.

So much opportunity, I just hope that narrow 'profit' considerations don't kill some of the grea things that Apple can do.

Steve- you need some products baby!!! Get aggressive, the we're too cool approach won't work forever.

 

[BenRoethig]

I actually don't find this to be good news. I'm not overly happy with the attitude of Apple right now. They are acting like cock of the walk and they are the underdog. I really would hate to see what Jobs and Apple would be like with even 15% market share. Admittedly that its years off, if ever. But their behavior is turning into more of an IBM\Microsoft company more then anything else. I really feel the phrase Think Different has been replaced with Think Corporate.

To be honest, I think it's been changed more to "think exactly as we do." I agree, Apple has been acting very arrogant of late, like they've somehow taken the lead on computers. To be honest, they owe most of their profits to switchers and mainstream devices. The traditional hardcore Mac users have been just enough to keep Apple going, if not slightly in the red. I think some have tried to block out the condition of Apple from the end of the G3 iMac craze until the iPod caught on, it wasn't pretty. I'm afraid that Apple's (and the Mac community's) attitude will eventually drive them back to the PC world. Unfortunately, I saw more then a few people who bought the original iMac do exactly that. It's not about how many windows people we can get to buy a Mac. It's about how many we can get to replace that Mac in a couple years with another Mac.

 

[Digitalclips]

Not sure what's incompatible for you. I just went over there and watched a couple of videos with no problem. OS X 10.4.8, Safari 2.0.4.

Re Mac unfriendly web sites

You should try the Real estate related MLS systems in the USA. They are very poor at supporting Mac. The Realtor side of them, where data in entered refuses to even allow access unless you are running IE on Winblows. Parallels and XP / IE is fine so at least we are free of PC hardware now. However, the experience for the client visiting the XMLS sites is still weak on Mac as text formatting is all over the place in Safari and Firefox. My wife's site is 100% made on a Mac but the links into the XMLS system are all external and I have to place an apology to visitors using a Mac for their less than perfect experience viewing listings due to this issue. It really makes me angry. The XMLS system is just a database containing listings in a specified area. Nothing difficult to program, just poorly done.

Check this out for yourself.. select listings and then view details you will see text over shooting frames and going off edge of pages when viewing the XMLS served data. Note my Mac user apology... maybe the XMLS service need to be embarrassed. Feel free to e-mail them to ask for Mac support. The XMLS people not my wife that is... Thanks for any support.

http://www.sarasotaproperty.com/index.html

 

[Digitalclips]

I actually don't find this to be good news. I'm not overly happy with the attitude of Apple right now. They are acting like cock of the walk and they are the underdog. I really would hate to see what Jobs and Apple would be like with even 15% market share. Admittedly that its years off, if ever. But their behavior is turning into more of an IBM\Microsoft company more then anything else. I really feel the phrase Think Different has been replaced with Think Corporate.
That being said I'm not one of these fanbois who:

1. Wants to keep the Mac market small to feel important and special.
2. Wants to keep Apple the way its always been.
3. wants Apple to cater to its fanbas first and new users second.

No I'm perfectly happy with Apple growing their market, but not at the cost of their for lack of a better term..."soul". I've said this time and again but I think it is worth repeating. I really think Jobs had a revelation when he went through that bout of cancer. For now...Apple is Jobs. Jobs is Apple. Without him the company's future would be questionable at best. I think in 2004 Jobs made the decision that they couldn't maintain the status quo in regards to where Apple's market share stood. And thus began the push to increase market share...at any cost.
To put it another way if Jobs left the company for whatever reason, good or bad, would you as a fan be more comfortable with him leaving at 3% market share or 15%.
For a while Apple, as a computer company has been teetering. No I'm not one of these MS fanbois who is screeching like a baboon that OMG OMG! Apple is going to go out of business tomorrow! LOL!!!11one1|| But they have been in a niche market that was iffy to say the least. To put it another way Apple before the Intel transition was more likely to loose market share then gain it. Or more then likely it was in the .01% range per year.
Loosing Jobs would have probably tipped the scales further into the sliding market share. And contrary to popular belief market share DOES matter. Without it software and hardware manufacturers don't make wares for your platform. (Observe iPod vs. Zune as an example.)

So yah. While I approve of the market share growth I'm not happy what appears to be happening to apple's "culture". Its being dragged through the mud all in the name of growing numbers.

Ps- flame away.

I've said it before too:
History Book 2015 a.d. Famous large companies from the past no longer with us:
PANAM, TWA, Gateway, DELL, FORD, Microsoft ...

 

[sionharris]

Mmm, no. The original survey uses this definition of market share:

They weren't using page hits from computers that had been sold/shipped during a time frame. They defined market share as install base. FWIW, I'm sure when software companies look at Apple's "market share," I'm sure they're talking about installed base, as well.

of those 2 billion computers, how many are connected to the internet? remember this is a browser survey and will ignore all of those millions of PCs sat in offices, never actually using the internet.

 

[SPUY767]

of those 2 billion computers, how many are connected to the internet? remember this is a browser survey and will ignore all of those millions of PCs sat in offices, never actually using the internet.

Which is why this is a more accurate survey for the meat of the computer market. This doesn't include all the computers which people don't have a choice about, so it's more of a survey about what consumers choose rather than what businesses choose.

 

[Toe]

Which is why this is a more accurate survey for the meat of the computer market. This doesn't include all the computers which people don't have a choice about, so it's more of a survey about what consumers choose rather than what businesses choose.

It is only a survey of which platforms web developers have to program for. But that's quite important in itself. When Macs passed 5%, they became un-ignorable.

That can have snow-balling effects. It means that executives in boardrooms will be discussing Mac compatibility. It means potential switchers will have even less disincentive to switch. It means web developers will buy more Macs. It can also mean that developers will have more discussions of building Mac versions of other, non-web software products. And so on...

 

[Tehy]

Mac's market share is growing nicely! Good work Apple!

 

[Maccus Aurelius]

Let's just pray they don't start coming out with "basic" systems costing upwards to a whole $300

 

[twoodcc]

good news!

apple deserves a bigger marketshare.

very good news, and yes they do!

 

[Maccus Aurelius]

I do think Silicon is right though. Apple needs to change their marketing strategy. They're trying to take the effects of their old 80's commercial and apply it to modern consumers which just doesn't work. I'd much rather see a mac commercial showing off OS X and the hardware and showing different people doing various things with their macs like production and music and so forth. I'd buy that.

 

[DMann]

Along comes Leopard

I do think Silicon is right though. Apple needs to change their marketing strategy. They're trying to take the effects of their old 80's commercial and apply it to modern consumers which just doesn't work. I'd much rather see a mac commercial showing off OS X and the hardware and showing different people doing various things with their macs like production and music and so forth. I'd buy that.

It is very likely that once Leopard is released, commercials will begin to reveal short glimpses of some of Leopard's interface and operation. Also, so will commercials begin to show some of iPhones features, starting in June. So far, the recent movie: "The Devil Wears Prada" shows off Tiger's gene minimizing effect and dock magnification features - indirect advertising, you say? .

 

[jessep28]

I actually don't find this to be good news. I'm not overly happy with the attitude of Apple right now. They are acting like cock of the walk and they are the underdog. I really would hate to see what Jobs and Apple would be like with even 15% market share. Admittedly that its years off, if ever. But their behavior is turning into more of an IBM\Microsoft company more then anything else. I really feel the phrase Think Different has been replaced with Think Corporate.
That being said I'm not one of these fanbois who:

1. Wants to keep the Mac market small to feel important and special.
2. Wants to keep Apple the way its always been.
3. wants Apple to cater to its fanbas first and new users second.

No I'm perfectly happy with Apple growing their market, but not at the cost of their for lack of a better term..."soul".

You make some good points in the entire post, but that last sentence kind of raises an interesting question. How big in terms of market share and volume does a company get before it loses it's "soul?"

Apple as corporation has a duty to it's shareholders to provide a return to their investment. This is of course achieved from ROE, EPS, Revenue and Net Income growth. I am engaged in a 10 week corporate environment simulation for a Business Capstone class I am taking for college. As part of it, we are EXPECTED to maintain a certain growth rates in Earnings Per Share (EPS) and Return on Equity Growth (ROE). Making money is something that has to be done in order for a company to be successful.

Nonetheless, does that mean that Apple has to become a cost leader like Dell and focus solely on increasing sales volume to reduce fixed costs in order to achieve increasing returns for shareholders? NOT IN THE LEAST.

Apple can still differentiate their product and maintain the customer culture they currently have. This can be achieved through continuing innovation, Research and Development and other factors.

I think Apple's market share increase is driven in part to the iPod, throwing Intel Chips into their machines and the increase in retail locations. This allowed people who thought of Apples as just good for photo editing to be exposed to how good of a machine they really are.

I'm one of them. I probably would have bought another Dell in September if Apple didn't open up shop in Omaha and my friend didn't show off her new MacBook. I had to be exposed to something foreign to me before I trusted it enough to drop $1600 into purchasing one.

Oh well, that's my two cents. I didn't really answer the question, but rambling is good too .

 

[DMann]

Marketshare

You make some good points in the entire post, but that last sentence kind of raises an interesting question. How big in terms of market share and volume does a company get before it loses it's "soul?"

Apple as corporation has a duty to it's shareholders to provide a return to their investment. This is of course achieved from ROE, EPS, Revenue and Net Income growth. I am engaged in a 10 week corporate environment simulation for a Business Capstone class I am taking for college. As part of it, we are EXPECTED to maintain a certain growth rates in Earnings Per Share (EPS) and Return on Equity Growth (ROE). Making money is something that has to be done in order for a company to be successful.

Nonetheless, does that mean that Apple has to become a cost leader like Dell and focus solely on increasing sales volume to reduce fixed costs in order to achieve increasing returns for shareholders? NOT IN THE LEAST.

Apple can still differentiate their product and maintain the customer culture they currently have. This can be achieved through continuing innovation, Research and Development and other factors.

I think Apple's market share increase is driven in part to the iPod, throwing Intel Chips into their machines and the increase in retail locations. This allowed people who thought of Apples as just good for photo editing to be exposed to how good of a machine they really are.

I'm one of them. I probably would have bought another Dell in September if Apple didn't open up shop in Omaha and my friend didn't show off her new MacBook. I had to be exposed to something foreign to me before I trusted it enough to drop $1600 into purchasing one.

Oh well, that's my two cents. I didn't really answer the question, but rambling is good too .

Yes, and your three cents points to those factors which actually made the difference between stagnation and continual growth:

iPod - multiple halo effect
Intel transition - compatibility, capability, and consumer confidence
Retail Stores - experience the extraordinary user experience

The retail stores in particular helped those who had never experienced "Think Different," see different...

 

[jaybonner]

Uh... is the math off?

If I am not mistaken... 4.29 + 2.09 is 6.38%...not 6.28%... just being O.C.D.

 

[TTt]

Come on

I completely agree. Steve Jobs has no desire to see cubicle farms populated with Macs. He prefers to have only the high end of the market; to be seen as above all the rest..

Sucka, puleeze! Are you trying to tell me that if Apple could tick mark a "Yes" or "No" box next to a survey question; "Would you like to see a Mac in every office cubicle in the world?" that they would select the "No" box? I think you are employing the same business sense that you were back in 04 when you thought Pixar had seen the last of Disney. Where is your post predicting Bush's glorious victory in Iraq?

Apple's greatest acheivement was making every Mac owner believe that they are special and above everyone else just for owning their product. Geez.

And yes, I own a Mac, a linux box, and 2 "PC"s. Who doesn't?

 

[Trogloxene]

The Apple 2.0 blog points to new marketshare data from NetApplications showing that Apple's marketshare increased to 6.28% based on recent browser statistics:

Browser statistics here are much lower at 3.9%, but market share is certainly increasing.

-T

 

[splashman]

Fashionably late?

Sucka, puleeze! Are you trying to tell me that if Apple could tick mark a "Yes" or "No" box next to a survey question; "Would you like to see a Mac in every office cubicle in the world?" that they would select the "No" box? I think you are employing the same business sense that you were back in 04 when you thought Pixar had seen the last of Disney.

You're replying to a two-month-old thread? Oooookay.

Re: Apple, I'll clarify: Apple (as long as Jobs is in charge) has no BUSINESS PLAN to infest the world's cubicle farms, which are generally filled with cheap POS's. If there's three things we can be sure of, it's death, taxes and Apple's sky-high margins. Sure, they would select "Yes" on your mythical survey, but how about taking a vacation down here in reality?

Re: Pixar (Now a three-year-old thread? Time for Dumpster-Diving Anonymous, dude), I made that comment eight months before Eisner announced his retirement. As long as that profit-whore was at the helm, Disney and Pixar didn't have a chance in hell of staying together. Care to argue it? Or are you too busy scanning my posts from 1992? For every article you can find from before 9/04 which forecasted Eisner and Jobs doing a deal, I can find a hundred which stated the relationship was doomed. It was common wisdom at the time; thus the stockholder revolt. I eagerly await a link to your 1/04 post, in which you prognosticated Eisner leaving, Iger taking over, and Disney buying out Pixar.

Gawd.

 

[spydr]

Awesome! Please keep it under 15% guys. That would be big enough volume for any single computer manufacturer to pass on good savings to the user; small enough for the group to still feel unique and close knit; big enough to push all the 'serious' software makers to try to port their work to Mac; small enough to discourage virus/spyware authors to take too much interest in.