This report is rather incomplete since it only covers branded prebuilt PCs and doesn't cover the thriving majority DIY PC segment. There are whole web sites like pcpartpicker.com dedicated for DIY.
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Mac Shipments Down in Q1 2019 Amid Worldwide PC Decline
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Darth Tulhu
macrumors 68020
I feel that while Apple has always been on the leading edge, they jumped too far forward with the latest Macs. Technology can and does mature, and Apple was a bit shortsighted when they went all TB. The complaints of needing dongles for everything are valid. People still plug in to standard ports and will continue to do so for several years at least. The inability to listen to music and charge the device (today) sucks. Integration in the creative world has suffered because of it (look up articles regarding musicians and Apple devices).
The keyboard complaints are approaching a cacophony now though. Apple even issued an apology over it, so let's not candy coat this issue.
The last time Apple issued an apology of this magnitude the guy "responsible" for the flub was fired. However, there is no accounting for taste and if you like the KB then more power to you. Personally, it wouldn't be a deal-breaker for me (aside from obvious quality issues reported), but I'm not a touch-typist.
I take issue with the "same as it's always been" comment. Apple machines used to be an excellent value for the money (I'm typing this on my bulletproof 2011 17" MBP). They were flexible, user-friendly machines. Not so anymore. They are Apple-friendly now. Sealed, non-repairable, and more expensive than ever. All flexibility has been offloaded to the user under the "modularity" umbrella. And the state of the Mac is a shame, because macOS is the single thing Apple has that truly has no equal in the marketplace. EDIT: iMessage also has no equal in the market either, which keeps people in the iOS camp (aside from Apple cachet).
I also already gave examples of products that showed Apple up in my previous post, but I look at companies like the gamer-focused Razer and Huawei and I see the obvious Jobsian-Apple influence of a combination of aesthetics, power, and user-friendliness. Personally, I want their hardware with Mac OS on it. But alas...
Of course, this is all opinion, but Apple hasn't made me go "whoa" since my 17" and maybe the iPhone 4. Well, the current iPad Pros are probably the only exception, but again, crippled by the OS.
All that said, I'm not an Apple doomsayer. I just see a lot of wasted potential, and the competition thinking more and more about me as a user and improving their products accordingly... enough to make me start thinking about a divorce after 19 years of Apple-marriage due to irreconcilable differences.
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I just bought a MacMini, and while I understand your point and can backup it, I still went with the mini after months of thinking.
But in the end I wanted MacOS and with possible Ram upgrades, that many ports (habe now a 1TB external SSD), it was the most future proof possibility and the lowest price for OSX I could get...
Apple lost me. I own a 2015 15" MBP that still works and has never had any hardware issues. The time came to upgrade and given the well documented hardware faults and high prices of the current lineup I decided that despite the fact I dislike Windows I mu$t buy something else. I went for a Dell XPS 13 9380. A similar spec 13" MBP would have cost me AUD 1,300 (US $930) more than the Dell. OK I have no idea about the quality of the Dell hardware but I assume it is nothing to get excited about. However I could not justify an Apple tax of that magnitude considering the known hardware issues I would be buying. Dell also included in the price a 1 year onsite warranty which sealed the deal.
BTW I recently sat next to a guy on a train. He pulled out his MBP. Just for "fun" I asked him what was wrong with it. Answer: keyboard.
BTW I recently sat next to a guy on a train. He pulled out his MBP. Just for "fun" I asked him what was wrong with it. Answer: keyboard.
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No bud, Lenovo is now the number one PC maker in the world
They have laptops ranging from $200 basic chrome book to $3,000 premium laptops.
Our company upgraded everyone to thinkpad X and it's a pure joy to use, wonderful keyboard crisp screen and oh so fast.
No wonder they are growing while everyone else is shrinking
Yet for some reason... there were 58 million PCs sold in just three months.
That's 650,000 every day.
Someone is still buying PCs...
Sure... there aren't as many PCs sold today as in previous years. But PCs tend to last longer... so you don't need to replace them as often as the old days.
Post PC isn't the same as Post horse-n-buggy.
Nobody's buying horse-n-buggies anymore... but people are still buying PCs. And still using existing PCs.
There are 1.5 billions PCs out in the world right now. Did Steve Jobs expect them all to be replaced with iPads?
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I hope it tanks hard enough to force a creative, pricing & reliability rethink.
I would adjust Steve Jobs vision of iPads replacing everything in people’s lives and just mark “the smartphone” as that device. They’ve gotten so big and so functional and so powerful, everybody’s life revolves around one to the point a lot of people don’t buy ANY pc’s anymore because the phone fills that spot in their lifeYet for some reason... there were 58 million PCs sold in just three months.
That's 650,000 every day.
Someone is still buying PCs...
Sure... there aren't as many PCs sold today as in previous years. But PCs tend to last longer... so you don't need to replace them as often as the old days.
Post PC isn't the same as Post horse-n-buggy.
Nobody's buying horse-n-buggies anymore... but people are still buying PCs. And still using existing PCs.
There are 1.5 billions PCs out in the world right now. Did Steve Jobs expect them all to be replaced with iPads?
Anyway, everytime there’s a new quarterly sales report, everyone wants to jump in and give all the reasons why they aren’t selling like they used to when really, it’s not like apple is doomed here. This is to be expected. People are keeping their Mac longer than ever, the negative press from the newer keyboards, they are now more expensive than the last gen, people are diversifying and using tablets and smartphones more and more.
The pcs that actually grew in shipments are largely sales+ business contracts.
Interesting stuff present in these numbers:
Lenovo is the biggest worldwide manufacturer, commanding 22,5% of the market. About 10% of their production sold in the US.
HP is the biggest manufacturer in the US, with almost 30% of the market. About 25% of their production sold in the US.
Apple is overall number 4 with 7% of the worldwide market. A whooping 40% of their production is sold in the US!
America first then, I guess?
Lenovo is the biggest worldwide manufacturer, commanding 22,5% of the market. About 10% of their production sold in the US.
HP is the biggest manufacturer in the US, with almost 30% of the market. About 25% of their production sold in the US.
Apple is overall number 4 with 7% of the worldwide market. A whooping 40% of their production is sold in the US!
America first then, I guess?
Make a decent keyboard and you’ll sell more. I have many friends abandoning the Mac due to the keyboard, al using the new models with the membrane.
1. No Touch Bar
2. Reliable Keyboard
3. Good Genius Bar service, not out-sourced service
4. A reasonable price.
I'm hunting for a new laptop for my wife. She had a very old MBP. She wanted to buy a new one. After I told her these issues, MBP/MB/MBA isn't in our list any more.
2. Reliable Keyboard
3. Good Genius Bar service, not out-sourced service
4. A reasonable price.
I'm hunting for a new laptop for my wife. She had a very old MBP. She wanted to buy a new one. After I told her these issues, MBP/MB/MBA isn't in our list any more.
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Yeah, many people refuse to buy any new Mac as a form of civil protest until Apple removes the 5400 rpm option (some people may also do so until Apple removes the teal sport band for the Apple Watch from sale).
Apple is still riding the iPhone wave.
They are squeezing every little dime out of it.
But what will happen when the next big thing will hit the streets?
From somebody else. Not from Apple.
Apple should have used the iPhones to increase their Mac use base.
But with the current Mac strategy and pricing it is not happening.
Apple does not seem to care much for the Mac. Just check the links on their webpage.
There is one link for Mac, followed by iPhone, iPad, Watch, TV, Music.
Apple went from being a Mac company, to being an iPhone company.
And they are pouring all their money into the iPhone. Not really investing in the Mac.
Why not make an affordable 15" Macbook. Even if it means making it a bit thicker, heavier.
Why does it take year to update the Mac Pro, Mac mini?
They are squeezing every little dime out of it.
But what will happen when the next big thing will hit the streets?
From somebody else. Not from Apple.
Apple should have used the iPhones to increase their Mac use base.
But with the current Mac strategy and pricing it is not happening.
Apple does not seem to care much for the Mac. Just check the links on their webpage.
There is one link for Mac, followed by iPhone, iPad, Watch, TV, Music.
Apple went from being a Mac company, to being an iPhone company.
And they are pouring all their money into the iPhone. Not really investing in the Mac.
Why not make an affordable 15" Macbook. Even if it means making it a bit thicker, heavier.
Why does it take year to update the Mac Pro, Mac mini?
Look at market share last 15 years. It peaked with the grandiose MBP Retina 2012, and kept ever so slightly creeping upwards - up until the last reliable MBP, the grandiose MBP2015 went out - despite no serious increase in performance since 2012. Starting 2016 you see how buyers are reluctant, with repeated reliability and functionality concerns. Even the massive performance boost with the 2018 redesign didn't help. You don't invest this amount of money if you expect the keyboard to fail within month or on the first day at the beach house, or the screen to fail first day out of warrantees.
Fix it, Apple!
Fix it, Apple!
More like your experience with a 2012, 500$ Lenovo is completely irrelevant.
I’m guessing volume sales for corporate make the figures so high for the majority of these companies.
I switched from buying HP to Lenovo business computers some 4-5 years ago. Never looked back. Easy to manage, always works and most of the time offer the exact configurations needed at a better price.
I don't think they are overpriced at all. I tried to make same configuration PC as 2019 27-inch 5K iMac with i9 CPU and I ended up only few hundred euros less (using LG 5K Ultrafine display) than iMac so it is not overpriced at all for what it is and what can it be used for. Granted, the LG 5K made around 1400 EUR of total price but if you need iMac for browsing the web only, then you are barking at the wrong tree
. For me as a photographer the need for high quality display is top priority.I'm one of those buyers - I'm still stuck in a Mac work flow for various reasons and I've been prevaricating about replacing various machines for a few years now. I keep putting it off. The new iMac looks OK (user replaceable ram etc) but would want to use it for some 3d rendering so AMD only is potential issue for a desktop but I could work round that.
I do absolutely need a laptop but with endless reported quality issues I don't want to 'punt' £4k and hope it's going to be OK. (For that price it has to be perfect). If they were a third cheaper or had some user replaceable bits (RAM, HD etc) I'd probably just buy one.
One of the most telling things about their lineup is the current roaring trade in secondhand late cheese grater MacPros. I appreciate we're quite small sector now but this situation is madness - Apple would have to do so little to keep us onboard.
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The only thing which bothers me on new MBPs is lack of SD card slot. I don't care that ports are USB-C/TB3 only as there is a lot of external HW that supports this nowadays. But the convenience of pulling SD card out of camera and putting it straight into the laptop without having any dongle is what is excellent UX for me.
Never had any issues with my 2017 MacBook Pro as well. Keyboard feels fine to me. I can’t understand the hate for it but I know a lot of people don’t like it.
There’s no doubt that the butterfly keyboard has a higher failure rate than the scissor-style, but it’s nowhere near the problem that the Apple-hate crowd likes to post about. To hear them tell it, it’s 100% of all butterfly keyboards, but that’s just the typical echo-chamber BS.
There are at least 20 million of them out there, and Apple would be spending billions of dollars a year replacing them if they failed at the frequency the hate-crowd claims. I suppose we’ll see some hard stats as the class action suit moves along.
I'll be frank here... OSX is dead to me until it properly supports Displayport. Apple going for USB-C and not supporting it properly is a joke. Same is the display resolution of MacBooks, especially the 13". Let alone the cooling "solutions". In the meantime Windows 10 has become a really well performing plattform. I really like the native support for cellular modems -which is installed in my Dell. Also something that Apple yet didn't manage to integrate in their >2k so-called PRO devices.
I'm afraid the Macbook will only become interesting again once there is an A14X+ or so installed as CPU instead of intels overpriced x86.
I'm afraid the Macbook will only become interesting again once there is an A14X+ or so installed as CPU instead of intels overpriced x86.