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

[jayenh]

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.

exactly. could not agree more.

OSX server is ok for little workgroups and i think this fits in with the Apple way of thinking.... 5 or 6 guys/gals sat in a little design studio with their macs and xserve + raid. i think apple are content with this idea as there is still money to be made from little companies like this.

 

[Digitalclips]

More than anything else, this article demonstrates how the price of PC desktops and laptops has gone down dramatically over the last few years. To the point where new laptops are almost becoming impulse buys.

Not just impulse it's often necessity. Many low end users buy another one as soon as Windoze craps out as it cheaper than paying a geek to fix it. If only those PCs were bio degradable too! Good news is quite a few are saying 'Enough!' and switching to their first Mac. I know a few friends like this and I am sure we all do.

 

[mdriftmeyer]

That's what I thought too. Sounds like they have cut costs a lot...I hope that doesn't translate into lower quality stuff.

Apple's margins are consistent. The drop in prices reflect more in the materials costs drop to Apple.

 

[mdriftmeyer]

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.

It means that the publicly traded stocks that sell on such low margins are castrating their own long term sustainability.

 

[mrochester]

Mostly. The first problem is they don't run OS X.

And who is it that's stopping you from doing that?! Apple are equally the problem as they are the solution.

 

[cmaier]

Most people do not like OS X.

Wrong. Most people haven't tried it and have no opinion.

 

[tatonka]

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.

Apparently people do click.

The initial question was why people are happy about the high margins, since it would be something they have to pay, without gaining anything. Still think it is stupid how fanboys are happy about paying more ..

T.

 

[deus_ex_machina]

Of course, just like any stats, it depends who you ask. Local news site NBR just released these stats for its website visitors:

Windows Server 2K3?!?!

Who's browsing the internet with their SERVERS!?!??!

 

[Mr. MacPhisto]

Not just impulse it's often necessity. Many low end users buy another one as soon as Windoze craps out as it cheaper than paying a geek to fix it. If only those PCs were bio degradable too! Good news is quite a few are saying 'Enough!' and switching to their first Mac. I know a few friends like this and I am sure we all do.

Funny, that's what I said about my Macs. Enough of being gouged by Apple. Built a system that could blow away most any Mac for $1K with a 24" 1080p monitor.

Windows 7 is more stable than my iMac was and thus far my computer has yet to fry like my last iMac did (that Apple didn't want to even bother trying to do anything about).

Last I checked Win7 had less problems than Snow Leopard on release and PCs weren't shipping incapable of booting or with cracked screens like the i7 iMac.

I'll be most interested to see the numbers for the current quarter with Win7 released.

And I think MS would be smart to find Apple customers who have been victims of Apple's bad quality of late and have decided to go to Windows because it actually "just works". No blue screens since I switched unlike the kernel panics I would get on the Mac.

 

[tabasco70]

I'm not sure this is a very good way to measure computer sales. Obviously, a lot of sales are going over the internet. E.g., does Dell have any retail sales?

Do places like Best Buy count? They sell Dell and a bunch of other brands.

And... for the average price of the PC desktop, is that only the computer price (tower) or are peripherals included? (monitor, keyboard, mouse)
because although the iMac is 3 times as expensive (on the table at least) it is usable straight out of the box.

 

[oxfan]

Windows Server 2K3?!?!

Who's browsing the internet with their SERVERS!?!??!

People on Citrix or Terminal Servers maybe?

 

[*LTD*]

Funny, that's what I said about my Macs. Enough of being gouged by Apple. Built a system that could blow away most any Mac for $1K with a 24" 1080p monitor.

Windows 7 is more stable than my iMac was and thus far my computer has yet to fry like my last iMac did (that Apple didn't want to even bother trying to do anything about).

Last I checked Win7 had less problems than Snow Leopard on release and PCs weren't shipping incapable of booting or with cracked screens like the i7 iMac.

I'll be most interested to see the numbers for the current quarter with Win7 released.

And I think MS would be smart to find Apple customers who have been victims of Apple's bad quality of late and have decided to go to Windows because it actually "just works". No blue screens since I switched unlike the kernel panics I would get on the Mac.

Why would anyone here be interested in a Windows 7 rig that someone threw together? Why are you here?

 

[Bubba Satori]

Very impressive. Well done, Apple.

Could you please throw us a bone now and sell an affordable i5 & i7 towers. The new Apple Performa and Quadra. starting at $800 & $1,000.

Thank you.

 

[gnasher729]

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.

When you think about it, I don't have any doubt that Apple could easily build a cheap computer running Windows, and sell them at zero profit to these banks and call centres and double their unit market share without any gain in profitability. Apple just doesn't have any reason to do this.

Three years ago or so Gateway had about the same unit sales as Apple (I think they are part of Acer now), and the market caps of the company was $700 million. So buy spending say a billion dollar, Apple could have doubled its unit market share overnight. But what difference would that have made? None.

 

[Bubba Satori]

Why would anyone here be interested in a Windows 7 rig that someone threw together?

Uh, great value and performance. An infinitely bigger selection of hardware and software. An operating system that doesn't have nearly as many problems and bugs as Leopard Vista has had.

Why are you here?

To ruffle fanbois feathers with blasphemous ideas and information.

 

[VoR]

So buy spending say a billion dollar, Apple could have doubled its unit market share overnight. But what difference would that have made? None.

???....

I can see a fair few benefits for customers if the platform had twice the market share

 

[*LTD*]

Uh, great value and performance. An infinitely bigger selection of hardware and software.

We didn't buy it the first time with the Laptop Losers campaign. I doubt we'll buy it this time.

 

[Bubba Satori]

When you think about it, I don't have any doubt that Apple could easily build a cheap computer running Windows, and sell them at zero profit to these banks and call centres and double their unit market share without any gain in profitability. Apple just doesn't have any reason to do this.

Three years ago or so Gateway had about the same unit sales as Apple (I think they are part of Acer now), and the market caps of the company was $700 million. So buy spending say a billion dollar, Apple could have doubled its unit market share overnight. But what difference would that have made? None.

People who aren't rich and smug could have bought Apple computers.
Why do you hate the less well off?

PC companies make profits. Silliest urban myth ever that they don't.
Quit defending high margins and obscene plutocratic profits.
$35 billion in the bank.

No, they could sell the exact same machines as the pc makers but in a pretty, silver case, put an Apple sticker on it and charge an extra $100 for the Apple sticker and they would sell like hotcakes. Fanbois love paying more for their special things. It makes them special people. Hip and cool for a few hundred bucks.

 

[Bubba Satori]

We didn't buy it the first time with the Laptop Losers campaign. I doubt we'll buy it this time.

Oh dear, the country club smirk rears it's snarky attitude. Oh snap.

 

[VoR]

We didn't buy it the first time with the Laptop Losers campaign. I doubt we'll buy it this time.

"Yeah, goooo we!!! We're the best!"

95% of the world still buys other brands of computers, and 99% of all computer purchases are by the technologically inept. No exaggeration...

 

[Arcadie]

In my honest opinion, I really hope apple gets around 20% market share in the US but never more than 25%.

The reason for this is because with 20-25% market share, They will have tons of capitol to put into R&D and creating new and more advanced products and software. However, With only 20-25% share, The virus scumbags still wont find targeting OS X worth their time. I think this market range will keep all of us Apple fanboys happy for years.

 

[jayenh]

When you think about it, I don't have any doubt that Apple could easily build a cheap computer running Windows, and sell them at zero profit to these banks and call centres and double their unit market share without any gain in profitability. Apple just doesn't have any reason to do this.

but that would be hardware.... i think you missed my point in a previous post about software market share. that windows will never be made "history" by OSX because XX% of businesses (i'm not going to give a number, i don't know what it is and if i pluck one, even a realistic one, someone will jump on me about it) want to buy machines cheap as possible. and that means dell/hp/whoever windows PC's and it will always be this way unless apple makes a decided effort to enter the business class (read that as "basic") computer market. even then the take up would be slow for reasons already given (software compatibility etc). i was not implying that apple need or want to sell cheap machines, merely that windows is not going anywhere as suggested... hence the comment you quoted... there ARE companies that want and need macs to operate, such as the print industry etc, but there are more companies that need basic machines at a low cost. cheap machines with windows installed will always be the desired choice for these companies and so windows will never die.

 

[LagunaSol]

PC companies make profits. Silliest urban myth ever that they don't.

Go take a look at the 5 year stock graph for Dell. Is that the business you'd want to be in?

Quit defending high margins and obscene plutocratic profits.
$35 billion in the bank.

How much cash does Microsoft have in the bank? How much more would they have if they weren't paying people to buy Xboxes and use Bing?

Where's the outrage?

Oh dear, the country club smirk rears it's snarky attitude. Oh snap.

I love how a dig from an Apple user is "smug," "snarky," or "country club smirk" whereas a dig from a Windows user is simply grumbling from the common man.

Stereotype Different.

 

[*LTD*]

In related news . . .

http://www.macdailynews.com/index.p...cloner_psystar_sold_just_768_pcs_with_apples/

ROFL.

 

[NoSmokingBandit]

Probably due to the extremely high margins.

Word.
Still, some people believe that Macs are actually that much different than PC hardware. If Macs were built o much better Apple wouldnt be able to have such high margins. It probably costs them the same amount to manufacture a MBP as it does to manufacture a pc of the same specs. Apple tax strikes again.