Despite mixed reactions, new MacBook Pro is selling like crazy

[runner77]

Impressive numbers:

http://mashable.com/2016/11/09/macbook-pro-sales-report/

These numbers are sales and not sold units. But even so, the MBP numbers refer just to 5 days, while the other computers refer to the sales over a period of up to more than a year. That is crazy and shows how small the micro cosmos of forums like MR and the like is.

The complainers and naysayers that constantly tell why Apple is doomed are a ridiculously small part of the community.

 

[therealseebs]

So, in late 2015, I was thinking about getting a MBP, but I decided to wait because there'd be a refresh "probably soon". We kept waiting. March, we kept waiting. May, we got one that we absolutely had to get right then because the previous machine was dead, but we kept waiting. October 27, we ordered two machines. If they'd been closer to what we wanted, we'd have ordered three.

And we ended up keeping zero of them. One went to another guy, so he cancelled his first-five-days order, the other was a straight return.

The first five days sales are very high... But the retention a month later is lower than I've ever seen it. I think the last Mac I returned was a Performa, and I returned it to get a PowerMac 7500 because I wanted a beefier machine. Other than that, we've always been really happy with them.

In short: I don't think it makes sense to compare the only Mac released in a year and a half (meaning people have been waiting most of a year in some cases and needed new machines, and were waiting on the announcement), when there's no other ways to run MacOS on notebook hardware, to individual contenders in a crowded field with dozens of options.

 

[bevsb2]

Sales are high, waits can still be long and anyone visiting an Apple Store may wonder if Apple is really doomed. We have 3 Apple stores in the area and they are always crazy busy.

 

[markusberger]

oh wow, this is a perfect example of how to skew facts with colorful bars that make one assume some sort of statistical model is being used properly.

if you ever had a statistics class, you will know that using an index (such as revenue=1 for the new macbook pro) is only legitimate and mathematically correct when the other indices are derived from the same base, meaning in this case the time span since release as well as the cost of the actual product.

so what are we seeing here? that the new macbook pro (indexed as 1) had a revenue that is higher than other products.

why is this statistic deceiving, you may ask? mbp are priced much higher than windows laptops. therefore the revenue is higher. quite an insight, right

also, for people (like me) that are invested into the mac eco-system (for the reason of os x still being better than windows 10, even though windows 10 is quite nice) it is not really surprising that sales are substantial if laptops are only updated once every 1,5 years...

 

[runner77]

In short: I don't think it makes sense to compare the only Mac released in a year and a half (meaning people have been waiting most of a year in some cases and needed new machines, and were waiting on the announcement), when there's no other ways to run MacOS on notebook hardware, to individual contenders in a crowded field with dozens of options.

If you spread Apple's sales of the new MBP over 1.5 years, it still outnumbers the competition massively.

Don't overlook that the Surface Book sales are measured since October 2015. More than one year of accumulated sales. And the MacBook Pro sales refer to 5 days.
[doublepost=1481315082][/doublepost]

why is this statistic deceiving, you may ask? mbp are priced much higher than windows laptops. therefore the revenue is higher. quite an insight, right

You might have to take another statistics class.

The timeframe for the MacBook Pro sales is 5 days. The timeframe for example for the accumulated Surface Book sales is more than 365 days. Is a MacBook Pro 70 times more expensive than a Surface Book (so sales would be equal)? Hahaha

You see, even because of the fact that a MacBook Pro is more expensive than a Surface Book, the long timeframe of the Surface Book sales makes the Surface Book sales look much better than they are. This even will look awesome for Apple if all sales from those 5 days would be mathematically spread over a timeframe of 1.5 years (that's how long we waited for the new MBP).

 

[kathyricks]

The complainers and naysayers are not saying Apple is doomed, but that it's losing it's reputation for quality and reliability by opportunistically releasing products like the new Macbook Pro's just before Christmas knowing full well that they have hardware and software defects like this:

 

[jerryk]

The biggest issue with this is the comparison is between the most of the spectrum of devices that can run OSX and a few of the computers that can run Windows. So it is cherry picked data.

Comparing Macbook (of all flavors) sales to the entire spectrum of computers that can run Windows is a more apt comparison. And do it over a quarter or more to allow demand to be averaged.

When I worked for large computer manufacturer, the marketing dept. used to release similar figures. And as they say, "Marketing is where the rubber meets the sky".

 

[runner77]

And do it over a quarter or more to allow demand to be averaged.

If it's done over a quarter the MacBook Pro sales would be even bigger, as this is an accumulative view and not an average per day sales. Look at the graph, the numbers for the MBP are for 5 freaking days only, total sales. And the numbers for example for the Surface Book are for over a year of total sales. This is insane.

 

[jerryk]

If it's done over a quarter the MacBook Pro sales would be even bigger, as this is an accumulative view and not an average per day sales. Look at the graph, the numbers for the MBP are for 5 freaking days only, total sales. And the numbers for example for the Surface Book are for over a year of total sales. This is insane.

Compared to a Surface Book the sales are great. But again, the Surface Book is one of dozens of windows laptops a user can select from, and one of the most expensive and for a very specialized user in the windows market (users who want a notebook that can be a tablet, and run same apps as a desktop). The graph is nice click-bait, but I would wait a while and see how the run rate sales settle in before getting too excited.

 

[marc55]

The complainers and naysayers are not saying Apple is doomed, but that it's losing it's reputation for quality and reliability by opportunistically releasing products like the new Macbook Pro's just before Christmas knowing full well that they have hardware and software defects like this:

I agree, Apple's quality control must have run across these defects in testing, so if there was a known issue, they should have held off shipment. However, with the holiday season upon them, the decision was obvious, sell them the way the are, and deal with the damage control after the fact.

 

[radus]

The complainers and naysayers are not saying Apple is doomed, but that it's losing it's reputation for quality and reliability by opportunistically releasing products like the new Macbook Pro's just before Christmas knowing full well that they have hardware and software defects like this:

 

[marc55]

"radius" did you mean to post something?

 

[radus]

Well all new Systems have some problems, but the problems I have with this great new Macbook pro are fare less then problems occured with my XPS 15 or later my Presion Pro 9550 - both had to be repaired by Dell. I can connect my new Macbook Pro to a Dell 4k Display via Displayport 4k 60Hz which never worked neither using the XPS nor the Pecision 5510.
Until now I have never had any of the "graphics problems".
But yes I'd like to have a touch screen aditional to the touch bar...

 

[leman]

why is this statistic deceiving, you may ask? mbp are priced much higher than windows laptops. therefore the revenue is higher. quite an insight, right

Erm, you do realise that those figures compare sales of the Map in the first 5 days vs the sales of (most) other laptops since the LAST YEAR? And besides, both the Lenovo Yoga and the MS SurfaceBook are priced very similarly to the MBP. And even if the Inspiron is 2 times cheaper than the MBP on average, it still means that Apple sold more MBPs in the first 5 days than Dell sold Inspirons in last half a year.

 

[markusberger]

Erm, you do realise that those figures compare sales of the Map in the first 5 days vs the sales of (most) other laptops since the LAST YEAR? And besides, both the Lenovo Yoga and the MS SurfaceBook are priced very similarly to the MBP. And even if the Inspiron is 2 times cheaper than the MBP on average, it still means that Apple sold more MBPs in the first 5 days than Dell sold Inspirons in last half a year.

actually it doesn't. and that's the thing. this "bar chart" is by no means representative to the number of units sold (worldwide, total, vs. all windows laptops).

as the sample size is n=12.979 US online shoppers (footnote on the bottom) this statistic shows exactly what apple marketing and people that don't question anything that looks even remotely "factual" like to believe: that these new computers sell like crazy and that you should better buy one now before they're gone.

and this is what i don't get about discussions online, it seems to be almost impossible to criticize random peaces of "viral information" without being stigmatized as a hater or whatever.

just my .2€, but if you bought a 2016 MBP be happy if it works for you but accept the fact that this new apple strategy might not work for everyone...

 

[Ries]

Erm, you do realise that those figures compare sales of the Map in the first 5 days vs the sales of (most) other laptops since the LAST YEAR? And besides, both the Lenovo Yoga and the MS SurfaceBook are priced very similarly to the MBP. And even if the Inspiron is 2 times cheaper than the MBP on average, it still means that Apple sold more MBPs in the first 5 days than Dell sold Inspirons in last half a year.

It compared most of the apple new laptop line 's->revenue<- for laptops barely updated in 4 years against other players "tablets" in the market. You see Lenovo thinkpad laptop line or Dell xps in the graph?

 

[CaptRB]

Of course it's selling well!!! Most people who own one can see why.

Many of my friends got them already and everyone is pretty happy.

Does anyone think internet noise on forums and youtube can stop a good product?

1) Most people didn't care that the new machines weren't five times faster because even a 2011 Machine is quick enough for the majority.
2) I was annoyed by the ports and then I grew up. It makes no practical difference when actually using this thing and already has proven advantages. A non issue unless you want to be pig-headed. Buyers don't really care.
3) Better screen, keyboard, speakers, SSD, build quality, touch-bar....this thing is LOADED with improvements! Hang on for the next release and it will be better still.
4) The new MacBook Pro is the nicest notebook on the market. Wanna play, then you gotta pay.

Youtube videos are now starting to have titles like "Better than I thought" and the angry ones make little sense to anyone who's coming off a 2012 MacBook and uses it to make money.

It's a seriously nice laptop. KAH-CHING! Apple wins again. By the way...though I like Apple computers, I'm no sheep. I think Samsung bests the iPhones easily. I buy what works best. If Kia builds a better car than Porsche (and they probably will) I'll buy it!

I'll likely trade up to the faster model in a year or two, but this thing has retired my rMBP and Air for good.



R

 

[radus]

please excuse me - I am a lttle bit trunk, hearing musik in Merano Italy btw. great city, friendly people and a good chistmas market

 

[jerryk]

Erm, you do realise that those figures compare sales of the Map in the first 5 days vs the sales of (most) other laptops since the LAST YEAR? And besides, both the Lenovo Yoga and the MS SurfaceBook are priced very similarly to the MBP. And even if the Inspiron is 2 times cheaper than the MBP on average, it still means that Apple sold more MBPs in the first 5 days than Dell sold Inspirons in last half a year.

Go and look up what units the chart compares. It is comparing some very interesting models that are only one part of a few manufactures lines. All of them are devices that can transform or detach into tablets. These are a small, specialized fraction of the Windows/Chrome notebooks sold. My guess is someone wanted to make the MacBook Pro sales look good to generate site traffic and took some stats that had lying around on convertible Windows/Chrome devices and compared them to MacBook Pro sales.

If they wanted to be accurate they should compare the sales of MacBook Pros that can transform or detach into tablets to these units.

 

[alphaod]

I bought my girlfriend one, and she is happy with it. She doesn't use anything that requires plugging into it except the occasional flash drive. The latter I remedied with a USB-A/USB-C dual headed flash drive. The computer is smaller, thinner, lighter, has a nicer screen, wonderful keyboard, big trackpad, and the touch bar is quite nifty. What's not to like?

At home she uses a Thunderbolt display which does require an adapter, but that's plugged into the display cable, so not an issue.

 

[MH01]

If you spread Apple's sales of the new MBP over 1.5 years, it still outnumbers the competition massively.

Don't overlook that the Surface Book sales are measured since October 2015. More than one year of accumulated sales. And the MacBook Pro sales refer to 5 days.
[doublepost=1481315082][/doublepost]

You might have to take another statistics class.

The timeframe for the MacBook Pro sales is 5 days. The timeframe for example for the accumulated Surface Book sales is more than 365 days. Is a MacBook Pro 70 times more expensive than a Surface Book (so sales would be equal)? Hahaha

You see, even because of the fact that a MacBook Pro is more expensive than a Surface Book, the long timeframe of the Surface Book sales makes the Surface Book sales look much better than they are. This even will look awesome for Apple if all sales from those 5 days would be mathematically spread over a timeframe of 1.5 years (that's how long we waited for the new MBP).

Ummmm...... revenue and units sold are two different things. Your title is in fact incorrect based on this report. Second do you really think those 5 other laptops shown are competitors to try MacBook Pro? No, this is an awful graph for one comparing unrelated models to the MacBook Pro and it's revenue.

And given the MacBook is one of the most sold laptops in the world, and of course more would have been preordered than the surface book sold this year.....

This graph is awful reporting , whoever put his together does not even understand the which segment the MacBook Pro competes in....definerly not those 5 laptops....surface book yes....the other 4 no way

And it's not 5days, do you realise preorders were open for about a month....

Stats is not about cherry picking, and that is exactly what has happened here.

And to come to a conclusion they are selling like crazy based on a revenue graphs ???? Here is a pro tip, the 2015 MacBook Pro tops his silly graph also....

 

[CaptRB]

I bought my girlfriend one, and she is happy with it. She doesn't use anything that requires plugging into it except the occasional flash drive. The latter I remedied with a USB-A/USB-C dual headed flash drive. The computer is smaller, thinner, lighter, has a nicer screen, wonderful keyboard, big trackpad, and the touch bar is quite nifty. What's not to like?

At home she uses a Thunderbolt display which does require an adapter, but that's plugged into the display cable, so not an issue.

What's not to like?

Seriously?

1) My Atari 2600 cartridges do not work with this machine.
2) Does not play my laser discs.
3) No analogue connections for Betamax.
4) Additional color and brightness are hurting my eyes. I prefer green-screen.


R.

 

[EightyTwenty]

I saw it in person for the first time today at BestBuy and it is a gorgeous machine. The keyboard is the best I've ever used. It makes the old style chiclet keyboard seem like something from the 1980s. It's so much better than the 12" Macbook keyboard as well... so hopefully the improvements are brought along for the 2017 12" Macbook.

Still have no clue why this thing is so insanely expensive. Even the non-oled version is ridiculously expensive.

 

[CaptRB]

Ummmm...... revenue and units sold are two different things. Your title is in fact incorrect based on this report. Second do you really think those 5 other laptops shown are competitors to try MacBook Pro? No, this is an awful graph for one comparing unrelated models to the MacBook Pro and it's revenue.

And given the MacBook is one of the most sold laptops in the world, and of course more would have been preordered than the surface book sold this year.....

This graph is awful reporting , whoever put his together does not even understand the which segment the MacBook Pro competes in....definerly not those 5 laptops....surface book yes....the other 4 no way

And it's not 5days, do you realise preorders were open for about a month....

Stats is not about cherry picking, and that is exactly what has happened here.

And to come to a conclusion they are selling like crazy based on a revenue graphs ???? Here is a pro tip, the 2015 MacBook Pro tops his silly graph also....

According my friend at the Apple Store here in LA, the new MacBook Pro models are generating the most walk-in traffic she's seen for any of their other computer releases. It appears that it's selling very well, but I think the model we'll see next year will really knock it out of the park even more dramatically.

The new design, which truly upgrades the whole system, is going to win out in the end.


R.

 

[MH01]

According my friend at the Apple Store here in LA, the new MacBook Pro models are generating the most walk-in traffic she's seen for any of their other computer releases. It appears that it's selling very well, but I think the model we'll see next year will really knock it out of the park even more dramatically.

The new design, which truly upgrades the whole system, is going to win out in the end.


R.

I personally really like mine. And I can see the appeal it would have to many. Price is the one problem, though I bought a 2012, and to be Honest a paid a premium for the new design . Wait one year and there will be a nice price drop like there was on 2013