very well put, i agree " i can make a much better computer than this for half the price " but it will never be as good as a mac, ever
Thanks!
I disagree (slightly). I think a lot of current Windows users see tremendous value in a Mac. Form factor is obvious, but Mac OS too. Windows users are fed up with viruses and stability etc, etc. I get the sense they WANT to move (Apples marketing has helped in that).
So - they start looking. It is obvious they are going to compare. Anyone who makes a purchase over $1K for
anything and does NOT look around and compare is quite frankly...stupid. It is totally natural to value something new against what you have (and the latest version of what you have). I bet you will do the same when looking for a new Mac [compare to your existing one).
The problem is: For a lot of folks, they value
other things too.
- Blu-Ray
- HDMI output
- High performing processers
To move to a machine that does not have them AND comes at a premium price...it's tough to justify! In that sense, yes - they will always be a Windows user - but not because they don't value form and Mac OS. It is simply not that black and white.
Question: Do Mac users not want these things too?
I think they
do.
I think Apple needs to decide who it wants to be.
I hear some fans comparing Apple market share to Microsoft, and how it won't be long before they overtake them.
With their current strategy; they never will. There is simply not
enough in it for users to convert.
Now - if Apple don't want to "beat" Microsoft, great! They have a very successful business already...but please...can all the fans shut up with the stupid obsessions [beat Microsoft], please!!
BTW - don't forget...that laptop is $700! Over half the price of the entry level MBP 15". It seems the value of Mac OS and form factor are
increasing in Apple's eyes.
The market will decide.
First, to add the grey area in that you didn't think was in my first post, you have to also realize that not everyone comp shops $1K+ purhases, and it's not always because they're stupid. They may have familiarity, the industry may use similar equipment, they may just have enough money to not bother with it, or they might simply not care. Brand loyalty also plays a big part and, in my opinion, that's why Apple has been experiencing tremendous growth quarter after quarter.
I think the reason that you slightly disagree is that you're looking at this from a completely different angle than I am. First I looked at it from a marketing standpoint. Then I looked at it as a Mac user shopping. Then I assumed that if you're comp shopping, you're only looking at hardware/features and not software.
Let me explain those three topics in reverse.
Comp Shopper
A person comp shopping is looking for the best features and the best hardware. What features or hardware someone is looking for varies, but it doesn't matter. If they care about Mac OS, Windows, or Linux they're not looking at the others. So either they care little about the software, or they're going to mod it with Bootcamp, Hackintoshing, etc. You accused me of thinking in black and white, but there's not much grey area here other than the users themselves and their individual needs. I can't go into every case, so I must generalize. Yes, as you say there are people that think Mac OS has value, but they want the newest/greatest hardware and they find it in a Windows box. That proves my point though, they value the OS, but not as much as the hardware. They'll always own PCs.
Mac Shopper
This is the category I fall into. I don't touch Windows—it has too many problems, I don't like Microsoft as a company, and there's no FCP. I don't touch Linux—it's made great strides but there's still too much to fiddle with and I can't use Adobe or FCP. And I don't Hackintosh because there's still too much to fiddle with. On top of all of that I just like OS X and Apple hardware and design.
A person shopping for a Mac greatly values OS X or they value Apple design. They might love the hardware, they might wish it was better, they might whatever. In any case, they still value OS X/design over hardware and so they'll always own Macs. How much you want hardware determines how willing you are to buy the current models. I still need my hardware to be top notch, so I've got to wait until the revisions bring the best they're going to offer. I am willing to pay more for less, because I perceive the value of owning a Mac to be greater than screwing around on PCs. I have been much happier with my Macs, even though my first one was riddled with problems and has finally died.
Apple's Marketing
This, I think, is the most interesting issue.
Let's look at how Apple markets its products. Though their goal is to always get switchers their marketing isn't entirely set up directly for that purpose. I am well aware of the Mac vs. PC ads—which I'll address momentarily—but the Mac market is set up for current Apple users. There aren't ever ads for the Pro models for instance—at least this century anyway. Why? Because the way that Apple gains most switchers is through consumer devices—iPod, iPhone, iPad, etc. Those people fall in love with those devices and how well they work—which is why Apple is so concerned about user experience and why they don't allow things like Flash to ruin it. Then they start to wonder why their PC can't be that simple, and then they wonder if a Mac suits them better. This is where the Mac vs. PC ads come into play. Their purpose is to plant the seed of doubt in the heads of Windows users with Apple devices. If it works, those people come in and buy a Mac. Most will buy the more consumer oriented Macs. Eventually they may move to the pro models.
The Pro models sell because people in certain industries buy them based on familiarity, quality, and reliability of the product. They know that because Macs have been in use in those industries for a while. They're almost a standard—though not quite of course.
etc.
For all of those saying that your Windows-problems argument is 2002: that doesn't mean that viruses and stability aren't still relevant or that those problems haven't become even more important. Perhaps those problems have been down a bit since Windows 7, but for those on other versions, it's still a daily source of frustration.
