Apple Records Nearly Half of U.S. PC Desktop Retail Industry Revenue

[Eidorian]

Have you even been paying attention to what Apple is doing? You can get an i5 or i7 in an iMac now.

The platform cost to go from Core 2 to Lynnfield isn't what Apple purports it to be.

They're ahead of you again.

I don't understand what you mean. You mention "behind the times" in your other post as well.

Interesting you should say that, since you seem quite happy with your 2 year old MacBook. After all, Apple's hardware was made to last longer than a mere 2 years. Give it 3 more years, and I think you'll be quite happy with what Apple has available then.

Other hardware doesn't last longer than two years? I'm happy with my MacBook. I've also been happy with every computer that I have owned and yes the non-Apple computers lasted more than 2 years as well.

I can however say that my least happiest time was the 15 months of PowerPC only.

 

[Vulpinemac]

Here is the another thing - all of the components (except for the case) in Macs are the same as in PCs. Can you tell what exactly broke in the PCs that you assembled? It is my observation that nowadays PCs (including Macs) age faster than they break. It is true that Mac users stick with their machines longer than their PC couunterparts but this is simply because Macs cost more, so people have to save longer to buy a replacement PC users on the other hand can afford to replace computers faster.

As a matter of fact, I can. Even though I spent extra for good power supplies, the power supplies were always the first. The hard drives almost never failed, and I was readily able to upgrade video cards. But not all that many motherboards can handle two or three power supply failures. When I had to replace PSUs an average of once a year, even taking into account that I bought PSUs recommended by some of the best PC magazines on the market, I had to assume something was causing them to fail. Meanwhile, I got over 5 years on a second-generation iMac; I still have my second-generation Mac Mini (used as a DVR now); working my third year on an aluminum iMac Extreme; 900 Mhz G3 iBook running Tiger; 1st Gen Intel MacBook... Well, my point is that of all my Macs, only one ever died with a power suppy failure and none of the others ever died... they got donated to charity or given as an educational gift to someone who couldn't afford a computer for her child.

Oh, the reason those power supplies failed? My oil furnace in the apartment I lived in was running too rich, sending oily soot throughout the apartment. A total of 4 PCs died during that time, a minimum of 7 power supplies. Only the one iMac lost its power supply, after 5 years in that environment. Now--which one was truly better?

 

[fernandovalente]

Unfortunately, Macs are expensive. They could be easily in more than 80% of the houses in the US if they were not more expensive than PCs.

 

[Vulpinemac]

I noticed this the other day when I was reading the thread the other day about the 27" imac shipping cracked, or not working, that some of the Apple obsessed guys blame everybody but apple. After reading one of the guys saying that it was the fault of the Chinese I quickly had to get away from the thread it was so obnoxious. And now it's my fault that my battery went crap because for some reason I was supposed to to intuitively know that rather than placing my macbook down on my desk of this cold house I was supposed to buy a special stand for it. The problem had nothing to do with over heating, but something that was holding the white cover got lose. Other than that, battery works fine. Plus my macbook never over heats, because I'm obsessive about it staying cool, even putting it on sleep mode when the fans start going, and even not watching videos on youtube, but actually downloading it. Which reminds me of another problem that the macbook had the 1st six months that I had it that many other people had and that the audio would skip when it got hot, which made me more obsessive about always keeping it running cool.

And with all of this rant, you don't once mention doing any kind of troubleshooting to discover the cause of the problem, you merely hide the symptoms by reducing your use. Come on now! Do you really think I'm that stupid? Rather than trying to determine the cause and perhaps taking it back to Apple for warranty repair, you choose to hide the fact that maybe, just maybe, something might be wrong with it? Who really is the smart one here?

 

[inlovewithi]

And with all of this rant, you don't once mention doing any kind of troubleshooting to discover the cause of the problem, you merely hide the symptoms by reducing your use. Come on now! Do you really think I'm that stupid? Rather than trying to determine the cause and perhaps taking it back to Apple for warranty repair, you choose to hide the fact that maybe, just maybe, something might be wrong with it? Who really is the smart one here?

Well, people who assume things are the ones who come of looking really dumb. I clearly said that what ever holds the white piece of the battery the cover, got lose and the outer white part of the battery sticks out. It's definitely hard to explain in words, but there's nothing to trouble shoot. It's hard to explain, but I'm going to try and explain it better. The battery has a spring that helps the battery snap into the macbook. That spring pushes against the outer part of the battery, and the outer part of the battery can't handle the pressure obviously, so it sticks out. So the battery now, being in that condition doesn't fit properly and presses hard against the computer, to the point where if you touch the hand rest, it registers as a mouse click, making it impossible to type, and really annoying to do anything mouse related, since it's always clicking. Listen carefully since I don't think you comprehended it earlier, but I'm out of warranty. I never had the need for extended warranty ever since I never had any major computer problems. Yesterday I took off the battery for good since the pressure from the battery might be causing other internal problems, particular with the gpu. I know in your eyes Apple is perfect and all hardware problems are always the users fault, so I don't know what else I can tell you.

 

[fifthworld]

In a recession, no less.

Actually I'm starting to think that Apple goes particularly well because of the recession, non in spite of it.

 

[tatonka]

Now this is one stupid survey. I hate when they compare Apples to whole fruitbaskets.
There is no such thing as A Windows PC. There are thousands and they come from very different vendors, all with different strategies. Some go for the cheap-netbook market some only for the high margin $1000+ market. They are all lumped into one number .. great survey.

The second thing I am really puzzled about is how many fanboy are happy that those margins are so high for Apple products and that Apple is sitting on such a pile of money? I mean honestly, besides you being able to show the world that you can afford it .. what is in there for you? It is not like Apple is going around and investing that money back .. they are mostly sitting on it?

T.

 

[Henriok]

Wasn't there any Linux desktops or laptops sold at all in retail? Really? None?

 

[skinnylegs]

So, all sub $1000 computers (that is, all computers that aren't from Apple) are a POS??

Thanks man, you've opened my eyes.

Haha, the ammount of arrogant assumptions that can be taken from such a comment are hillarious.

• All $400 computers are ****
• People who buy $400 are in need of charity
• Only companies that sell stuff at premium prices are successful.

I don't think people who buy $400 computers are in need of charity. I do, however, think they are in need of therapy.

While we are rounding up assumptions, let us not forget that Linux is free only if your time is worth nothing.

 

[MorphingDragon]

Wasn't there any Linux desktops or laptops sold at all in retail? Really? None?

Because no major OEM supports or advertises linux to consumers. Dell's half assed Ubuntu computers don't count.

 

[skinnylegs]

I mean honestly, besides you being able to show the world that you can afford it .. what is in there for you?

Dividends.

 

[vvebsta]

i wonder if netbooks are grouped into this... cause then its technically not fair if they are included

 

[skinnylegs]

Wasn't there any Linux desktops or laptops sold at all in retail? Really? None?

Well, would you pay for a computer with Linux on it? LOL

 

[RestlessCaviar]

Firstly : I love Apple hardware (and software for that matter). I'm glad to hear Apple are reaping the rewards.

But : I've had literally two MBP batteries 'bulge' now to the point of nearly exploding (I'm not kidding), another that had the Nvidia overheat issue, three broken iPhone 3Gs (plural of 3G is conflated somewhat with the 3Gs model) with problems such as Wifi completely breaking etc, and two magsafe power supply sockets that came apart at the magsafe end.

On the plus side, taking these back to the Apple store in Regent street has always yield excellent customer service, with free replacements, even outside warranty.

Maybe I'm unlucky, but I do hope those margins are not being increased too much by scrimping on the quality control. Certainly I've not been alone in these particular issues, so I don't think it's me not looking after my kit. Trouble is, it's dfficult to get actual percentages of failures/problems.

Anyway, looking forward to the new lineup of MBPs early '10. Thinking I'm going to go back to 15" from my early '07 17". I suppose it just goes to show just how good they are that many people still trust in Apple, despite such issues.

M

 

[jayenh]

The day the Mac reaches 25% market share worldwide, Windows will be history in three years. Only inertia and ignorance maintain the horrible Windows experience!

not a chance. PC's are always going to dominate the business market because, well, businesses are a business like apple. they want to make a profit. they're not going to spend that money on macs that are aimed at the higher end of the price scale. they're going to continue buying £350 PC's every 3 years because it still works out better than buying a mac, especially if all the user needs is Office. and this is exactly why mac's struggle at home. users use PC's at work, so they get PC's to use at home. it's what they are used to. don't get me wrong, there are people who will still buy and use a mac at home, obviously, the sales show it, but there is no way the above statement is true. Apple will have to completely change their sales approach to make windows "history". and even then, windows server will still survive.

 

[RestlessCaviar]

Apple will have to completely change their sales approach to make windows "history".

Agree - kudos to Apple really for gaining such a huge share of the revenue with relatively small marketshare. But Window will dominate for some time. This isn't entirely a bad thing - competition is good.

and even then, windows server will still survive.

Disagree - Windows server is on its way out. It only survives in huge corporations, where Microsoft execs wine and dine the CIOs. But even here, shareholders are getting savy, and questioning why x million is being spent unnecessarily on server licences.

 

[ccuk]

not a chance. PC's are always going to dominate the business market because, well, businesses are a business like apple. they want to make a profit. they're not going to spend that money on macs that are aimed at the higher end of the price scale. they're going to continue buying £350 PC's every 3 years because it still works out better than buying a mac, especially if all the user needs is Office. and this is exactly why mac's struggle at home. users use PC's at work, so they get PC's to use at home. it's what they are used to. don't get me wrong, there are people who will still buy and use a mac at home, obviously, the sales show it, but there is no way the above statement is true. Apple will have to completely change their sales approach to make windows "history". and even then, windows server will still survive.

This is true... A lot of businesses are locked into the Windows platform for a variety of reasons, not just cost, but factors such as bespoke software critical for day to day running that will only run on Windows based systems (Without a very costly rewrite).


Part of me is happy that Apple are doing well, but it is marred by the blatant evidence that shows how massive their markup is on each unit they sell. I would rather the Macintosh ecosystem was made slightly cheaper so more people can enjoy the benefits.

 

[MorphingDragon]

Disagree - Windows server is on its way out. It only survives in huge corporations, where Microsoft execs wine and dine the CIOs. But even here, shareholders are getting savy, and questioning why x million is being spent unnecessarily on server licences.

Unless its Ubuntu, thats a step back in any direction.

 

[fifthworld]

This is true... A lot of businesses are locked into the Windows platform for a variety of reasons, not just cost, but factors such as bespoke software critical for day to day running that will only run on Windows based systems (Without a very costly rewrite).

The opposite is also true. In the art department where I used to work till last year, the value of software was so much greater than the value of the hardware that switching to a Windows based system was unthinkable. However, the Macs where keep in service for about 5 years, buying a couple of the latest Macs about every 18 months for the senior designers, moving their previous Macs down to the designers, and designer's previous Macs to the graphic artists, serving 12 people in total. During the 7 years I worked there not a single Mac hardware failure occurred.

 

[jayenh]

Disagree - Windows server is on its way out. It only survives in huge corporations, where Microsoft execs wine and dine the CIOs. But even here, shareholders are getting savy, and questioning why x million is being spent unnecessarily on server licences.

i just don't see who is going to step up and take over from windows server. it is considered the standard. companies use it because of this "standard" tag that it has. if nothing else it makes replacing your it support guys easier and cheaper if you don't need to get someone in to understand your bespoke setup. got active directory and an exchange server? then you'll never be short of someone to support it and you're in control of your IT staff and their demands rather than the other way round.

plus with solutions like vmware the costs aren't so bad. i'm surprised this option hasn't taken off faster than it already has, to be honest, as 1 license for windows server 200X can be installed on up to 4 VM's rather than just 1 physical machine. the savings are pretty huge in the long run and the more machines you want to run the cheaper it works out. not just in energy and licensing, but in the hardware.

 

[jayenh]

The opposite is also true. In the art department where I used to work till last year, the value of software was so much greater than the value of the hardware that switching to a Windows based system was unthinkable. However, the Macs where keep in service for about 5 years, buying a couple of the latest Macs about every 18 months for the senior designers, moving their previous Macs down to the designers, and designer's previous Macs to the graphic artists, serving 12 people in total. During the 7 years I worked there not a single Mac hardware failure occurred.

this is true for design/print/video/music, but the percentage of businesses in these segments is small. those 4 together are probably smaller than banks and their call centres.

 

[RestlessCaviar]

got active directory and an exchange server? then you'll never be short of someone to support it and you're in control of your IT staff and their demands rather than the other way round.

Exchange server, yes, definitely. It is without doubt the standard. But Windows Server as an OS for deployment, I'm really surprised you don't see Linux as a real threat to it.

I suppose it would be nice to see some numbers really.

Having said that, as a small business myself, I signed up for bizspark, so get all the MS software for free for three years. Even then, I still use Linux on the server side.

 

[Nuvi]

Since I'm end user and not investor I find these figures alarming. From consumer stadpoint, Apple with agressive growth of market share policy would be much better then the current low market share high revenue one. With its insanely high revenue / low market share its no wonder Mac's are not regarded as viable sollution for vast majority of eterprise computing needs.

 

[tatonka]

Dividends? Child please!
As far as I can see there has been no dividends in the past couple of years, yet Apple is sitting on Billions in Cash.

Besides .. I doubt that most folks here have enough stocks to gain more on dividends then they could save on a single Notebook purchases margin.

On the topic of MacOS taking over Windows.
Thats is not gonna happen ever, not before Apple entirely changes the way they handle their system at least.
The biggest advantage of Windows to most companies (besides the huge point of software availability) is the maintenance of the system. Having a unified domain login across the whole network, easy access control, controlled update roll-out management .. that is what makes Win environments valuable to companies. I know you could do most of those things one way or the other on a Mac OS/ Unix System as well, but the knowledge required is much higher, hence much more expensive.
For a small/medium company it is much cheaper and easier to use a Windows system.
And I honestly believe that Apple has absolutely no wish to enter that market. They are happy in there ivory towers on their piles of money .. and have every right to be. It is just Apple fans who have these dreams of taking over the world.

T.

 

[Nuvi]

Dividends? Child please!
As far as I can see there has been no dividends in the past couple of years, yet Apple is sitting on Billions in Cash.

Besides .. I doubt that most folks here have enough stocks to gain more on dividends then they could save on a single Notebook purchases margin.

Dividends, LOL... Oh my god kiddo... I believe no one expects to gain on AAPL dividends. However, for day traiders and short term investors having AAPL in the portfolio is viable option.

Regarding Mac market share I believe only most naive fan boys dream of dominance over Windows. However, even small gains in over all market share could potentially benefit any end user by lowering unit princing, opening up the market for wider spectrum of developpers etc.