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No doubt Apple will take this as a sign their efforts in dumbing down OSX was the pivotal move here. :(

Yet another smart move they made. Lion is fantastic.

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And LTD keeps telling us we are in the post pc era. What's up with that?

Not sure.

But in 2011 we've reached this point:

http://www.displaysearch.com/cps/rd...pc_market_share_position_from_hp_in_q2_11.asp

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1214677/

Apple Retakes Top Mobile PC Market Share Position from HP in Q2’11

displaysearch_mobile_rankings_2q11.jpg


Tablet PC Shipments Fuel Apple’s 136% Y/Y Mobile PC Growth; Lead on HP Nearly 4 Million Units

SANTA CLARA, CALIF., August 18, 2011—Apple shipped over 13.5 million mobile PCs in Q2’11 for 136% Y/Y shipment growth, overtaking HP for the top spot, according to preliminary results from the latest DisplaySearch Quarterly Mobile PC Shipment and Forecast Report. Nearly 80% of Apple’s mobile PC shipments were iPads, which reached over 10.7 million units, for 107% Y/Y growth. Apple’s total mobile PC shipments (notebook and tablet PCs) were 3.9 million units more than HP’s nearly 9.7 million units for the quarter.

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http://www.canalys.com/newsroom/worldwide-pc-market-7-pads-fuel-growth

Worldwide PC market up 7% as pads fuel growth

- Apple cements its position amongst top 5 PC vendors

Palo Alto, Singapore and Reading (UK) – Thursday, 28 April 2011.

Canalys today announced that the PC market grew 7% in Q1 2011, as the pad market, led by Apple’s iPad, continued to bolster growth. Once again, Apple set the standard in the pad market, mainly at the expense of notebook and netbook shipments, as pads competed for a share of consumer IT spend.

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‘Taking into consideration the iPad’s ‘halo effect’ on the company’s other products, Apple has grown considerably in most markets worldwide,’ said Canalys Analyst Tim Coulling. ‘As the iPad 2 and its competitors continue to roll out, we expect pad sales to propel PC market growth for the rest of the year.’

The findings of a recent consumer survey by Canalys show that current pad usage resembles that of a PC, rather than a media player or e-book reader. After web browsing, both pad owners and non-owners in Western Europe, linked pad usage to e-mail/messaging and social networking. Among pad owners, all three categories rated much higher than e-book reading and video watching. Non-owners, however, expected e-mail/messaging, e-book reading, and video watching to top pad usage after web browsing.[1]

At least 10% of Western European pad owners surveyed by Canalys claimed to use over 24 different application categories, spread across communications, entertainment, leisure/lifestyle and financial/business. Educational apps were the only exception, only used by about 8% of pad owners.

iPad owners used a significantly wider range of categories than other pad users. The most popular apps among non-iPad owners tended to be relatively functional ones, such as e-mail, social networking, news and banking. While iPad owners also used these apps, they reported a much higher use of general web browsing and video consumption.

Feedback from potential pad owners shows how pad marketing campaigns, some of which refer to the devices as ‘media tablets’, have influenced their perceptions. In reality, pads have a wide range of uses. While browsing, for example, does include finding and consuming content, it also includes many other activities.

‘This broad usage pattern reinforces the pad’s role as a general-purpose computing device, and much more than just a consumption device,’ said Coulling. ‘The pad represents a real threat to PC and consumer electronics vendors, as it is capable of replacing devices in a range of other categories.’

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Big difference from just a few years ago.

You can use the "Post-PC" label, or whatever other label you'd like that best illustrates in your mind the vastly different market dynamics compared to pre-June 2007 and particularly pre-January 2010.
 
Do you really have to ask? :confused:

It's the same reason Apple sells record numbers of them even during recessions.

If we were in the post pc era, Mac sales would be sliding as iPad sales rose. Obviously this is not the case.
 
Yes - vastly different.

5% to 10% of the various markets, compared to 95% to 90%.

Vastly different.

Not everyone can afford one. Nor is OS X is universally-licensed.

You have to pay to play.

Apple's penalty for "losing" the PC war in the 1990s is that they're now the most profitable PC maker in the world. Mac sales growth has outpaced the industry for well around 30 consecutive quarters now, if not more (even during a recession.) Apple owns the $1000+ category. And they are set to have another record quarter (already well into double-digit share in the US) selling expensive gear that runs an unlicensed, closed-platform OS, usually with a $1000 entry-fee.
 
Not everyone can afford one. Nor is OS X is universally-licensed.

You have to pay to play.

I thought you uber-fans had the mantra that "there is no Apple tax"?

Do you like paying more for a system with a half-eaten Apple logo, even though it's made from the same components and comes out of the same factories as the Dells, HPs, Lenovos and the others?


Apple's penalty for "losing" the PC war in the 1990s is that they're now the most profitable PC maker in the world.

Can you prove that? Apple isn't very open with their finances, and OSX systems are a minority and declining share of the business. Apple makes a lot of money on the Itoys, for sure. (And to be fair, few other companies *only* make PCs, so the earnings are mixed with servers, printers, motherboards, televisions,....)


And they are set to have another record quarter (already well into double-digit share in the US) selling expensive gear that runs an unlicensed, closed-platform OS, usually with a $1000 entry-fee.

Wow, they broke 10%.

Will you be quoting the same misleading statistics that include large screen crippled phones as PCs when that is announced?
 
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Not everyone can afford one. Nor is OS X is universally-licensed.

You have to pay to play.

Apple's penalty for "losing" the PC war in the 1990s is that they're now the most profitable PC maker in the world. Mac sales growth has outpaced the industry for well around 30 consecutive quarters now, if not more (even during a recession.) Apple owns the $1000+ category. And they are set to have another record quarter (already well into double-digit share in the US) selling expensive gear that runs an unlicensed, closed-platform OS, usually with a $1000 entry-fee.

You tell it like it is brother!

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I thought you uber-fans had the mantra that "there is no Apple tax"?


'uber-fans' I like the sound of that, Sounds German. Much cooler than that French sounding abomination 'fanbois' That one gives me the willies.

Oh yeah and...

there is no apple tax, there is no apple tax, there is no apple tax

What would you call a tax that you want to pay anyway?
 
So you admit that Windows 7 is the best os in history due to it's record sales? That's not a mystery. Ask the hundreds of millions of satisfied consumers.

I see where you're going with this.

Just because they bought Apple doesn't mean they are happy having paid more for something that turned out not to be worth it.

So the extension of that logic means that their may be hundreds of millions of Microsoft Windows users who are unhappy with their purchase. I guess that makes sense. Good point.

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Some people have a way with words...

Some people... no have way.
 
So you admit that Windows 7 is the best os in history due to it's record sales? That's not a mystery. Ask the hundreds of millions of satisfied consumers.

MS/PC record sales happen for one reason. Apple record sales happen for entirely different reasons.

A horizontally integrated platform in which a universally-licensed OS is spread out to everyone who can slam together a box, will experience substantial sales for reasons far different than a vertically integrated platform that is highly differentiated, vetted, comparatively more expensive, with a closed-licensing model where the focus is on differentiation and User Experience (and not pushing massive volume on price.)

You can certainly measure innovation and quality by sales, but if you don't understand your measure (sales) then you'll come to wrong conclusions.

To examine sales figures divorced from their strategic and market context is a waste of time and will lead you to false conclusions.

Apple gear sells for one set of reasons. MS for another.

Vista on PCs didn't sell in substantial amounts for the same reason Macs sold in substantial amounts. Vista was junk, a complete embarrassment for MS (they've openly admitted this), yet the horizontal business model + OEMs scheme will work via sheer force of numbers. It's an easy way to fleece the consumer who a) doesn't know any better, b) doesn't care (they'll toss it and buy something else), or c) can't afford anything better.

Think about it.

Consider, for example, the theme, tone and message of MS' "Laptop Hunters" campaign from a couple of years ago. Classic MS/PC strategy [when in fact a few of those customers (actors) actually wanted Macs, were it not for the fact they couldn't afford them! Which was hilarious.]

Anyone can pimp out an OS to OEMS and sell tons of $400 eMachines. But what is the consumer actually getting?

We know what they're getting with a Mac, though. Each and every time.

https://www.macrumors.com/2011/09/20/...secutive-time/
 
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MS/PC record sales happen for one reason. Apple record sales happen for entirely different reasons.

A horizontally integrated platform in which a universally-licensed OS is spread out to everyone who can slam together a box, will experience substantial sales for reasons far different than a vertically integrated platform that is highly differentiated, vetted, comparatively more expensive, with a closed-licensing model where the focus is on differentiation and User Experience (and not pushing massive volume on price.)

You can certainly measure innovation and quality by sales, but if you don't understand your measure (sales) then you'll come to wrong conclusions.

To examine sales figures divorced from their strategic and market context is a waste of time and will lead you to false conclusions.

Apple gear sells for one set of reasons. MS for another.

Vista on PCs didn't sell in substantial amounts for the same reason Macs sold in substantial amounts.

Think about it.

Consider, for example, the theme, tone and message of MS' "Laptop Hunters" campaign from a couple of years ago. Classic MS/PC strategy [when in fact a few of those customers (actors) actually wanted Macs, were it not for the fact they couldn't afford them!]

Anyone can pimp out an OS to OEMS and sell tons of $400 eMachines. But what is the consumer actually getting?

We know what they're getting with a Mac, though. Each and every time.

https://www.macrumors.com/2011/09/20/...secutive-time/

But Vista still sold more copies than every Mac built since day one. Not bad for a pimped out OS.
 
Actually, the consumer is getting quite a bit...

Anyone can pimp out an OS to OEMS and sell tons of $400 eMachines. But what is the consumer actually getting?

I recently bought one to update my HTPC. It's a Gateway (but I'm sure you have the same unwarranted disdain for Gateway as for eMachines).

For $499 I got:
  • Core i5-2300 (quad core 2.8 GHz)
  • 6 GiB RAM
  • Intel HD graphics
  • DVD-RW
  • 1.5 TB SATA drive
  • Gigabit ethernet
  • 802.11n WiFi built in
  • Win7 x64 Home Premium
  • 10 USB 2.0 ports
  • 2nd optical bay
  • 2nd and 3rd HDD bays
  • PCIe slots

I added a fanless 1 GiB GeForce 500 x16 PCIe card for an additional $30 and a BD-RE for $60. (The Intel HD actually had no problems driving the XBR at Full 1080p over HDMI, but the GeForce 500 has much better CUDA and rendering acceleration for other tasks.)

What's the closest from Apple?

For $599:
  • Core i3 (dual core 2.3 GHz)
  • 2 GiB RAM
  • 500 GB laptop hard drive
  • Intel HD
  • TBolt port
  • 4 USB
  • SDXC slot
  • no optical drive
  • no internal expansion

Much less system for the same price (including the discrete PCIe graphics and Blu-ray Disc drive I added) - that's the Apple tax at work.

Ask yourself what the consumer is actually getting....
 
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I recently bought one to update my HTPC. It's a Gateway (but I'm sure you have the same unwarranted disdain for Gateway as for eMachines).

For $499 I got:
  • Core i5-2300 (quad core 2.8 GHz)
  • 6 GiB RAM
  • Intel HD graphics
  • DVD-RW
  • 1.5 TB SATA drive
  • Gigabit ethernet
  • 802.11n WiFi built in
  • Win7 x64 Home Premium
  • 10 USB 2.0 ports
  • 2nd optical bay
  • 2nd and 3rd HDD bays
  • PCIe slots

I added a 1 GiB GeForce 500 x16 PCIe card for an additional $30 and a BD-RE for $60. (The Intel HD actually had no problems driving the XBR at Full 1080p over HDMI, but the GeForce 500 has much better CUDA and rendering acceleration.)

What's the closest from Apple?

For $599:
  • Core i3 (dual core 2.3 GHz)
  • 2 GiB RAM
  • Intel HD
  • TBolt port
  • 4 USB
  • SDXC slot
  • no optical drive
  • no internal expansion

Much less system for the same price - that's the Apple tax.

But the consumers are happy to pay that Apple tax. They love their Apple products and want to ensure that Apple makes a huge profit. You have to remember that you aren't dealing with normal consumers. Apple consumers are more concerned about Apple than they are themselves. They want to pay a higher price so Apple can make a huger profit. Then they like to brag to all of their friends that Apple made an $86 gazillion dollar profit last quarter. These Appleonians are a selfless bunch. They sacrifice themselves for the good of the company.
 
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