iPhone Serves as Gateway to iPad and Apple Watch Sales, but Mac, Apple TV, and HomePod Lag Behind

[freediverx00]

The HomePod is a joke, because it was priced very high while designed in a very constricted way that limited its options as a hi fidelity audio system, rather than an overpriced and not-so-smart speaker/assistant. The Mini addresses the cost, but sacrifices a lot on audio quality.

The AppleTV is priced much higher than competitors. Initially this was justifiable by having a consistent and superior user experience (not to mention being free of ads and tracking). But now third party services are abandoning any efforts to deliver a native user interface and are instead cramming in their respective one-size-fits-all software that both feels out of place and lacks support for some Apple features. To add insult to injury, the AppleTV app itself is a giant storefront that bombards the user with what are effectively ads for paid content while making it difficult for them to enjoy the content they’re already paying for.

The Mac has always been a tough sell for the general public because people need full blown computers less and less these days, and for those who do need them, many work primarily in Google’s or Microsoft’s ecosystem so they don’t get as much of the benefit from using all native Mac apps. To make things worse, even native Mac apps are now migrating to Electron and similar platforms that negate the whole point of paying for a Mac in the first place.

 

[I7guy]

Seems like it's enough of a gateway that ipad, mac and iphone sales as well as other services revenues contributed to some record profits.

 

[kerr]

Apple TV is a must. Far more likely for a network tv channel or a streaming service to support Apple TV than the many various brands of Smart TV.

 

[jamcgahey]

I have everything apple but an iPad... I have a problem

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

Every subsequent OS has been an improvement over the last (expect for 10.7, maybe, although it laid a the ground for a lot of frameworks we enjoy today, like document snapshots).

Not maybe - definitely! No one here is going to forget the whole ‘Save a copy’ shenanigans, or documents residing in app containers…

 

[fred the fox]

i find that rather logical
ipad and i watch advantages are logical coming from an iphone

apple tv is fantastic (i own two) but its too expensive
you can get the same functionality (its not clear what the atv can do better) for 50 euros in a google dongle thingy.
and its 4k - apple that sets you back 200 euros
so thats 4x the price for no apparent advantage

pc i think might change with the m line of computers
m1 is fantastic - by now everyone got that
if they can make them them even cheaper (which seems to be whats happening) then i believe mac sales will pick up quite substantially

 

[freediverx00]

i find that rather logical
ipad and i watch advantages are logical coming from an iphone

apple tv is fantastic (i own two) but its too expensive
you can get the same functionality (its not clear what the atv can do better) for 50 euros in a google dongle thingy.
and its 4k - apple that sets you back 200 euros
so thats 4x the price for no apparent advantage

pc i think might change with the m line of computers
m1 is fantastic - by now everyone got that
if they can make them them even cheaper (which seems to be whats happening) then i believe mac sales will pick up quite substantially

The Google Dongle Thingy will have a poor user experience and will extend their global surveillance capitalism network to your living room.

 

[Realityck]

I'm going to say it's a cost thing. A MacBook Air and Pro is a lot more expensive than a Chromebook or Windows PC. If Apple wants to better cross sell, Apple should be looking for ways to lower their laptop prices, not raise them.

Maybe Tim Cook shouldn't have tried to push people to buy an iPad as a replacement for their notebook and desktop?

Macs are actually a lot cheaper these days then past models given Dollars buying power, but they have also dreadfully delayed remaining competitive with newer models on a regular basis. Look at the how much they used to ding people for adding more memory or storage, so people bought/updated from 3rd parties. Now it’s soldered in, which considering the performance improvements is tolerable, but fans keep asking where are the new models.

Even if the iPhone ecosystem serves a marketing introduction to the rest of what Apple sells, it still has the tendency to eclipse everything else they sell excluding services. It’s a double edge sword of sorts, very good at cutting through competition but also cutting into their own products sales. My biggest worry is the transition to ARM is not occurring fast enough to reinforce Mac Sales while iPhone has annual product revisions. As you say the Mac Market needs more computer solutions for all customer needs not marketing the iPad as a cheaper computer alternative.

 

[SicTransitGloriaMundi]

i'm sure more iphone-people would have purchased a mac computer by end of june, if they'd finally relased higher end macs with apple silicon. as of now a lot of people are holding back, waiting for m1x products and updated design on the macbook-lineup.

 

[_Spinn_]

The iPhone 12 was definitely a gateway for me. I bought it at launch and it was my first Apple product. I now have a HomePod Mini, HomeKit devices, I'm planning on buying a Watch and AirPods this Fall, and I'll probably buy and iPad in another year or two.

Edit: If I didn't already have Rokus I would probably buy a few Apple TVs as well.

 

[SicTransitGloriaMundi]

apple tv is fantastic (i own two) but its too expensive
you can get the same functionality (its not clear what the atv can do better) for 50 euros in a google dongle thingy.
and its 4k - apple that sets you back 200 euros
so thats 4x the price for no apparent advantage

counter argument: my 4k-tv has an apple-tv and apple-music app preinstalled. no need for a seperate apple-tv or google-dongle-thingy.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

The numbers are not surprising, given Macs have been treated poorly after Snow Leopard with reduced functionality and have been basically treated as an unwanted stepchild. The new M series chips may help because they show some commitment to Macs.

Yet Mac sales and market share have grown substantially since Snow Leopard. It's clear you personally don't like what's happened since Snow Leopard, but if the rest of the world felt the same, things would be very different than they are.

As to the article as a whole... Some of the conclusions and spin just don't cut it. Is it a "lose" that 40% of iPhone owners have a Mac? That's a far higher percentage than the population as a whole. Sure beats the 2% market share Mac had back in the days of Snow Leopard.

It would seem that iPhone has converted a lot of PC users to Mac users. However, as others have noted, a lot of PC use is driven by business usage. If they use a Windows PC at work, familiarity with that platform is going to encourage owning a Windows PC at home as well.

That "familiarity factor" has become a tipping-point phenomenon. As mobile platforms have become the dominant OS type, there's been a tug-of-war over the desktop platform - basically the question of whether familiarity/compatibility/integration with your iPhone or your Windows PC becomes the primary determining factor in your choice of desktop OS. The more central your iPhone/iPad is to your computing activities, the more likely Mac will seem attractive on your desktop.

But what about the enterprise? Mobile computing - whether Apple or Android - has driven business computing to adopt cross-platform, browser-based/cloud-based techniques. This has made the question of Mac vs. Windows less and less relevant over time (no coincidence that Microsoft pivoted to cloud computing from a PC-centric strategy). With Mac moving to the same CPU architecture as iPhone and iPad, we'll see more and more businesses porting their iOS/iPadOS apps to Mac as well. I'm not going to say Apple will ever be the dominant desktop or even mobile platform - Apple will likely stick to its traditional pricing practices, leaving the high-volume/low-profit-margin end of the business to other OSes. However, its share of Mobile is so substantial that there's no ignoring it. That certainly was not true of Mac back in the days of Snow Leopard. Mac is now harder to ignore than it ever has been.

Effectively, "everybody" has a smartphone. That's a much higher market penetration than PCs have, or ever had. It wouldn't be a surprise that people who never needed/wanted a PC prior to the advent of the smartphone haven't purchased a Mac. Their iPhone (and maybe iPad) are all the "personal computer" they want or need.

 

[jseymour]

We went iPads -> iPhones -> Apple Watch (me) -> AirPods (me) -> Apple TVs. Then it was going to be Macs and maybe HomePods.

 

[RedRage]

People get an iPad if they want a bigger screen that's portable. It's basically a big iPhone.

Most people don't' care for MacOS so I'm not surprised there.

 

[Sir_Macs_A_Lot]

The iPod Classic was my gateway into all things Apple. Once I fought iTunes to get all of my CDs & MP3s on there...I knew that there was no going back. From there I was feening for the original iPhone 2G, then the iPhone 4, but it wasn't enough. I had to go bigger. That's when the iPad 2 got it's hooks in me. With each subsequent purchase, I felt powerless to stop myself...a new iPhone here...a new iPad there. I'm not proud of myself, but I jumped on an Apple Watch somewhere in there. Then I made the leap to a MacBook Pro, and it wasn't even a new one. Someone else had already done who knows what to get their hands on it, but I didn't care.

I need help bad. Just don't think I have the strength to kick this habit.

 

[ikramerica]

Well yeah, you can buy an inferior but adequate roku stick or box for $30-40 (or Amazon stick) so it makes sense people would pay the lower price when all they care about is a streaming portal. And since that’s all most people care about, AppleTV will never be popular unless there is a cheaper one.
And if you travel, AppleTVs are worthless as they can’t log into captive internet portals like a roku stick can.

 

[fhopper]

Apple TV give no reason to own it. Everything cost money on an Apple TV. I can watch years worth of free stuff on Prime or Netflix. Apple TV is just a way to watch movies I was dumb enough to by through iTunes back when iTunes had a purpose.

 

[jseymour]

Apple TV give no reason to own it.

This speaks to one of my comments in the "why Apple TV+ isn't more popular" thread.

Apple TV (and Apple TV 4K) are streaming devices. Apple TV+ is Apple's streaming service.

I agree that Apple TV+ isn't particularly attractive. (You're wrong, though. Not everything is PPV.) But Apple TV streamers are very nice. Albeit rather pricey.

 

[RedRage]

I had an AppleTV. Then I bought a new Samsung Smart TV last year and it has all the apps I needed built right in for me to stream my favorite shows. I no longer need the AppleTV. No reason for me to upgrade to the current version.

 

[jseymour]

I had an AppleTV. Then I bought a new Samsung Smart TV last year and it has all the apps I needed built right in for me to stream my favorite shows. I no longer need the AppleTV.

Except (and Apple's latest announced moves may negate this): Did you actually read Samsung's ToS and privacy policies? When I bought a Samsung BD player I did. I was so horrified it went right back to the store.

I have a Samsung "smart" TV that's going to go in a particular room once I finish remodeling it. It will not be connected to the network except briefly, on occasion, to check for firmware updates. I will use an ATV 4K to stream on that TV.

Not that other manufactures are necessarily any better than Samsung. Our new (as of last year) LG TV in the family room had similarly-execrable terms. It, likewise, is normally disconnected from the network and an ATV 4K used for streaming.

 

[sjsharksfan12]

I wish Apple would dedicate some time to make TVOS better. It's the same thing it's been for at least 5-6 years and I feel like it's the red-headed step child to the other OSs. In this age of streaming and people cutting the cord, Apple TV feels antiquated. I think some things I would think to make the experience better:

1. Give more incentive for app developers to develop their apps and not just say "Bug Fixes". Some of these apps (Like Netflix are just old and not exciting anymore

2. Have an App Update section where if you don't have automatic apps updated turned on, at least it lists what apps need to be updated. Then you can click on each one and see if you really want to update it. When MLB brought out its disastrous update earlier this year, I wish there was warning on how far back a step they would take with it. I update because updates are exciting and I like new things. That app regressed.

3. Make the apps smaller so you can fit more on the top shelf. The app boxes are a little too bulky and for a 65 inch TV, I should be able to fit at least 7 apps up there.

4. Improve the Apple TV app to the point where even if Paramount + doesn't have an up next section during the credits, if you go through the TV app, they would and you can click up next.

 

[dontpokebearz]

The iPod Classic was my gateway into all things Apple. Once I fought iTunes to get all of my CDs & MP3s on there...I knew that there was no going back. From there I was feening for the original iPhone 2G, then the iPhone 4, but it wasn't enough. I had to go bigger. That's when the iPad 2 got it's hooks in me. With each subsequent purchase, I felt powerless to stop myself...a new iPhone here...a new iPad there. I'm not proud of myself, but I jumped on an Apple Watch somewhere in there. Then I made the leap to a MacBook Pro, and it wasn't even a new one. Someone else had already done who knows what to get their hands on it, but I didn't care.

I need help bad. Just don't think I have the strength to kick this habit.

I can't even tell if you are being sarcastic or not, but this is why I want to cut as much Apple out as I can. They suck you in to all their products and make it hard to leave. This isn't even hyperbole anymore, leaked documentation shows it's exactly what they want to do.

I've installed Manjaro Linux on my 09 Mac Pro, and am planning to drop iCloud and other services as well. When my iPhone 12 Mini dies I may move on. That's tough though, because I love this phone.

The CSAM issue is what has really pushed me over the edge. With Apple's privacy claims there was a lot of trust. Is Apple honest about their data collection policies? Who the **** actually knows! For the most part I trusted them, but now I don't.

Sure, I could just turn off iCloud Photo's but then I have to find another photo backup solution and Apple's locked down OS makes that more difficult.

/rant

 

[Sir_Macs_A_Lot]

I can't even tell if you are being sarcastic or not, but this is why I want to cut as much Apple out as I can. They suck you in to all their products and make it hard to leave. This isn't even hyperbole anymore, leaked documentation shows it's exactly what they want to do.

I've installed Manjaro Linux on my 09 Mac Pro, and am planning to drop iCloud and other services as well. When my iPhone 12 Mini dies I may move on. That's tough though, because I love this phone.

The CSAM issue is what has really pushed me over the edge. With Apple's privacy claims there was a lot of trust. Is Apple honest about their data collection policies? Who the **** actually knows! For the most part I trusted them, but now I don't.

Sure, I could just turn off iCloud Photo's but then I have to find another photo backup solution and Apple's locked down OS makes that more difficult.

/rant

I was really just highlighting the point that Apple reels users into their ecosystem...making it hard to leave. I love how my devices integrate, for example: how I can pick up on my iPad or MBP where I left off on my iPhone and vise-versa. Or how each device automatically recognizes my AirPods the moment I pluck one from the case and jam it into my ear.

I'm not as concerned about Apple scanning my iCloud photos for smut. I don't have any, nor do I keep any of my pics in the cloud, anyway. If you're an Amazon Prime user, you could use their iOS app to backup all of your images. (Not sure where they stand on the CSAM issue, though.)

 

[bernstein]

While almost all iPhone users have a computer, only a 41 percent share of these users have a Mac [...].
On the other hand, of the iPhone users that have a tablet, 84 percent own an iPad.
Of the two-thirds of iPhone owners who have a smartwatch, three-quarters of those have an Apple Watch.
Similarly, 40 percent of iPhone users have true wireless earbuds, and over half of these are AirPods.
69 percent of iPhone owners have a TV streaming device, [...], but only one-quarter of these are Apple TV devices.
[...] of the 45 percent of iPhone users that have a smart speaker, just 21 percent have a HomePod. [...]

This has a lot to do with competition. And Apple pricing:
- iPhone starts at $399
- macbook $999 (technically $699, but not many buy a non-pro desktop)
- ipad $329
- watch $199
- airpods $159
- appletv $149
- homepod $99 (was $349 until half a year ago)
out of the above, the iphone & ipad clearly have the most bang for your buck. followed by the apple watch (platform synergies) and homepod mini (but went on sale 5 years a the echo dot). there is only niche synergy with mac & appletv.
also homepod & appletv are just not as visible. they're exclusively inside homes and rarely used with guests.

so for the price of a mobile mac i can get an iphone, ipad, watch & half an airpods. need i say more?

 

[Digitalguy]

I'm not sure I understand the meaning of the chart. is it percent of iPhone users owning the device? because I'm pretty sure that iPads out sell all other tablets on the market combined(unless that's changed recently), and I thought the same thing about AirPods. (quick google search didn't find me any answers on that)

that changed a long time ago, in 2012... iPad make a little less than a third of the tablet market.... Airpods have a similar market share too (arounds 30%)