Survey Shows Increasing Mac Interest

[shadowlander]

I really believe that Apple is going to arrogantly keep to their same slow update cycle despite switching to Intel. This means we probably won't see Core 2 Duo and better GPUs in MacBook /MacBook Pros / mini until MacWorld SF 2007.

Apple really misses the boat by not having up-to-date new product available before the holiday buying season.

The way I see it, we don't know why Apple hasn't released an upgraded MBP. As quickly as they upgraded the iMac I feel like there's a good reason for the delay.

I'm not being blindly cavalier here...just going on what we've been seeing from them lately--their marketing people are far from stupid. It's easy to draw conclusions based on assumptions, especially when the silence from Cupertino is deafening. But I still bet there's a good reason.

Plus...they still have plenty of time before the holiday buying season.

If, when Apple finally does release the C2D MBP, it is a simple swapped processor, no revisions or other upgrades, I will stand corrected.

 

[lmalave]

Wait a minute...I think I see your problem. Just click once on you document folder and it will open very quickly.
what you are doing is simulating a right click (Click and hold the button down). this will bring up a Start menu-like interface).. I think if you right click this will happen instantly, too.... (or maybe it's option-click...I'm not on my mac at the moment, unfortunately). There is SUPPOSED to be a delay when you click and hold like that.

I've never seen Finder slow... and I'm on the same machine as you are.

(of course I may have completely misread this and be totally wrong, in which case I would ask what apps you have open, how much memory is on the machine, etc.)

Nevertheless, if one user is using the dock this way (and a Mac user at that), that means there are many others out there. And that means that a lifetime windows user going to the Apple Store and using a Mac for the first time is going to try to use the dock this way. They are going to click on the leftmost icon on the Dock, the Finder icon, expecting it to work just like the Start menu.

Maybe now that Apple trackpads have 2-finger right click, this feature of the dock should just be disabled by default if OS X detects that you are using a MacBook/Pro, or have a mouse plugged in that has a right mouse button.

 

[pink-pony115]

Yep

My school is filled with eMac G4s. Fastest one you can find in my school is 1.25 ghz. Not only are those machines slow, have no ram, they are also running under a SLOW server. So you can see why nobody likes Mac at my school.

That is the same deal at my school! It's a shame our schools are "mac ghetto".

 

[wyatt23]

ouch, my lab at binghamton, is filled with 17" 1.8 G5's with some ram to boot.

tho, something is amiss with the server situation, because logging on the machine for the first time takes forever. each time after that it's a breeze. but switch the computer and same thing. oh well, technology will be technology.

 

[iMikeT]

The more this world switches from Windoze to Mac, the better.

 

[digitalbiker]

Wait a minute...I think I see your problem. Just click once on you document folder and it will open very quickly.
what you are doing is simulating a right click (Click and hold the button down). this will bring up a Start menu-like interface).. I think if you right click this will happen instantly, too.... (or maybe it's option-click...I'm not on my mac at the moment, unfortunately). There is SUPPOSED to be a delay when you click and hold like that.

I've never seen Finder slow... and I'm on the same machine as you are.

(of course I may have completely misread this and be totally wrong, in which case I would ask what apps you have open, how much memory is on the machine, etc.)

No, I already knew to cntl-click. I originally meant right click on the documents folder. I guess I have a lot of folders because it takes mine forever to open. I have 1 GB of ram and things do get sanppier once something is cached but it is still painfully slow.

It also takes awhile for my system to open windows with many folders or files in them.

I have always thought OS X finder was slow. OS 9 always seemed snappier and windows has a much snappier GUI. I am just hoping that Leopard fixes these issues.

 

[SheriR]

So very true. I am one of those waiting for C2D (snipped)

Another hand raising here as a current Windows user who is holding out for a C2D. I'm dying to lay my hands on a 17" MBP, but will not buy before they go to at least that upgrade.

If it takes much longer I might as well wait until after the first of the year, or change plans and stick myself with another PC. I really, really don't want to do that, but I need a new semi-portable system.

 

[FF_productions]

That is the same deal at my school! It's a shame our schools are "mac ghetto".

The eMac G4's are new this year though!

Only a few of the labs had eMacs, last year it was all iMac G3's!!!

The sad part, is presenting a PowerPoint in class, and having to log-in with a G3 iMac, and try to present something, just to find out it is as slow as a turtle.

They really need to pick up some new iMacs.

 

[auxplage]

There's something strange about coffee shops and Mac laptops. They seem to attract the same crowd. Hanging out in coffee bars toying on a Macbook - it does have a certain, almost clicheed, image, doesn't it?

Yes, it does, because I am one of those people.

Market share is overrated. As long as Apple continues its 2-5% share, they are fine.

 

[Tehy]

Great news!

 

[iBorg20181]

Right. The Core 2 Duo's have been out how long...a month perhaps, and Apple is falling behind?

Well, C2Ds have been shipping for that long, and Apple is the only notebook manufacturer who has not even announced! (Lenovo's announcement Monday left Apple as the sole hold-out.)

So, yes, they are "falling behind." (And that's if they announce within the next couple of weeks - if they wait until MWSF, it's just embarassing!)



iBorg

 

[iBorg20181]

Market share is overrated. As long as Apple continues its 2-5% share, they are fine.

What planet are you from?!?!

2-5% market share is "fine" as long as you don't need developers, application programs, component parts for new products (why should Intel, Ati or NVidia sell any of their "hot" new products for very long to such a tiny niche market!), compatibility with other electronic devices (TiVos, printers, cameras, etc.), ... the list goes on and on! (And don't even get into gaming, which still drives alot of computer sales!)



iBorg

 

[digitalbiker]

Well, C2Ds have been shipping for that long, and Apple is the only notebook manufacturer who has not even announced! (Lenovo's announcement Monday left Apple as the sole hold-out.)

So, yes, they are "falling behind." (And that's if they announce within the next couple of weeks - if they wait until MWSF, it's just embarassing!)



iBorg

I agree and I think this is a big deal because this sets the tone for how Apple plans to update systems in the future.

Will they update to keep pace with the PC manufacturors? Or will they stick to the same old product update cycle that they established with the PPC.(ie updates around MWSF, WWDC, Paris Expo, etc.)

The jury is still out but if the MacBook Pro core 2 duo isn't released prior to Thanksgiving then they might as well wait until MWSF and announce a major re-design with santa rosa chipset and new GPUs. After all it will be too late for the holiday buying season anyway.

 

[Apple Shmapple]

You must have never driven a luxury car?

LMAO

Getting you to the same point is not the purpose, hell a bus can do that ..why dont all of us low self esteem car drivers just get on the darn bus, apple shmapple?! I mean doesnt a bus get you the same places as a car?

What a load of crock.

Uh oh. Looks like I struck a nerve, right where it hurts (the ego), to a luxury car driver.

Acura's are made with Honda parts. So why don't they cost as much as Hondas? Because you're paying for the "prestige" of showing off to other people how you can afford a higher car payment than them.

Ever read The Millionaire Next Door? It's a book about fiscal responsibility and the traits of those that have it and the traits of those that don't. 95% of millionaires in the U.S. don't drive luxury cars. They have more sense than that. It's the wannabees and people that place ego above fiscal responsibility that spend more than they have to on an automobile.

Simple as that. Don't like it, take it up with the PhD's that researched and wrote the book. Sorry to call you out on why exactly you pulled the trigger on your ill-advised purchase. I'm not coming on here saying I'm perfect. I have my flaws too. It's just that one of them isn't the overpowering desire to impress others with my material goods at all costs.

 

[rahrens]

What?

What planet are you from?!?!

2-5% market share is "fine" as long as you don't need developers, application programs, component parts for new products (why should Intel, Ati or NVidia sell any of their "hot" new products for very long to such a tiny niche market!), compatibility with other electronic devices (TiVos, printers, cameras, etc.), ... the list goes on and on! (And don't even get into gaming, which still drives alot of computer sales!)



iBorg

I don't know, but Intel seems to be selling Apple all the processors they want, and even are working with them to produce special applications for Apple's needs, NVidea seems to be selling cards to them, too...

Apple has been even more compatible with periperals then Windows ever dreamed of, tho TiVo for some reason IS a hold-out. But then there have always been companies that held out, and Apple gets by just fine.

The gaming market is one Apple apparantly isn't concerned about yet, and probably won't be for a while, at least until they are well into gains in the consumer market... which has more potential than the gamers do.

So, yeah, 5% IS fine, which has been Apple's position for quite a while, after all, aren't they making money for their shareholders hand over fist?

What part of "record sales" isn't clear?

 

[rahrens]

Rolls eyes...

Uh oh. Looks like I struck a nerve, right where it hurts (the ego), to a luxury car driver.


...Sorry to call you out on why exactly you pulled the trigger on your ill-advised purchase. I'm not coming on here saying I'm perfect. I have my flaws too. It's just that one of them isn't the overpowering desire to impress others with my material goods at all costs.

I don't know about anybody else, but showing off never entered MY mind when I bought my Macs. I just like a computer I don't have to reinstall the OS for twice a year. Of course, you are free to ASSUME whatever you like about my attitude or motives, I don't care. I'm happy with my purchase, and don't feel it's ill-advised at all.

Yeah, there may be Mac owners with the attitude you speak of; in fact, I'll bet anything there are more than just a few. But most of the Mac owners I know just like how they work, and often struggle to make the payments.

The point is that Macs, like many luxury cars, are better engineered than the cheap models are, and therefore, work better, with a smoother experience and better handling characteristics. That isn't a controversial statement in the automotive world - there, it's pretty much known that you get what you pay for.

Then again, even there, you get the dorks that just like to argue...

 

[Queso]

Everyone on this site will have different reasons for why they use Macs. Certainly only a tiny minority are buying them to impress others.

 

[nplima]

the "good 5%"

I don't know, but Intel seems to be selling Apple all the processors they want, and even are working with them to produce special applications for Apple's needs, NVidea seems to be selling cards to them, too...[...]
The gaming market is one Apple apparantly isn't concerned about yet, and probably won't be for a while,[...]

One things that might make sense is that those 5% of users are mostly the same as they were some years ago, and those are people who are willing to spend some extra money, so it's good to have them onboard - I mean those people over there at the sub-forums for photography, design and music

From a Production point of view, not only Apple Computer buys a lot of chips (or other component) as they probably buy a lot of the same. On the contrary, a company like HP, buying components for 3 lines of products, with 10 models each might eventually sell 10 times more computers than Apple, but in fact get similar volume discounts in each component.

As for gaming, 2 thoughts: it's too late to compete for the atention of developers working with DirectX, and it's possibly too late to compete with Sony, Nintendo and MS on the console part of that market. In the end it makes sense: a Mac will work nicely out of the box, a Nintendo will too, a PC gamer will expect some tinkering with settings before being able to get the optimal framerate. Those 5% of people who have been happy with Macs for so many years, and the thousands joining in late are likely to be happier with a Nintendo Wii than with 3 screenfulls of settings when they start up a computer game.

I don't know if these 5% are a comfortable place or not, I do wonder what is people's reasonable expectation for market growth, considering that the competing operating systems have much more to lose than to gain, and that overall Windows lags behind OS X.

 

[Gasu E.]

Increased marketshare is good, up to a point. Also, if world marketshare is staying the same, but the US is increasing, somewhere in the world apple is becoming less popular.

Not necessarily. This is likely due to very high growth in the PC market in several emerging economies; e.g., China, India. I am guessing the Mac is very weak there. This would explain the numbers without a loss of share in any particular country market.

 

[slffl]

Ya I'm going to rate this as a negative. The more people that start using macs, the worse everything is going to get (hw/sw quality, viruses)

 

[flopticalcube]

Macs are now essentially well-thought-out PCs so hardware interaction will become less and less of an issue in the future. As long as Apple maintains sufficient market share to entice mainstream product manufacturers to write drivers, I see nothing wrong in being the top 5%.

 

[Seasought]

Why navigate large amounts of poorly-labeled menus and sub-menus when what you need is on the dock?

Even so, I've never clicked on a folder and gone to get a cup of coffee. That only happens on my friends' pc's.

Oh snap.

 

[Seasought]

You are obviously not trying to switch because of OS X. For me, I couldn't stand Windows or Linux (too complicated to be any good) anymore.

Linux has come a long way with regard to ease of installation, and the open source community has extensive documentation on how to do everything from installing a different window/desktop manager to setting up an email server. I'm not so sure Linux can rise to the level of ease of use that OS X has without sacrificing a good deal of power and flexibility.

Still, I (as a Linux user) can see why people prefer OS X over fighting through using a Linux distrib. OS X is engineered to be easier to use overall (and yes it does sacrafice some flexibility to an extent).

Just firing my two cents out there...not trying to turn this into a Linux war or what not.

 

[lmalave]

Uh oh. Looks like I struck a nerve, right where it hurts (the ego), to a luxury car driver.

Acura's are made with Honda parts. So why don't they cost as much as Hondas? Because you're paying for the "prestige" of showing off to other people how you can afford a higher car payment than them.

Ever read The Millionaire Next Door? It's a book about fiscal responsibility and the traits of those that have it and the traits of those that don't. 95% of millionaires in the U.S. don't drive luxury cars. They have more sense than that. It's the wannabees and people that place ego above fiscal responsibility that spend more than they have to on an automobile.

Simple as that. Don't like it, take it up with the PhD's that researched and wrote the book. Sorry to call you out on why exactly you pulled the trigger on your ill-advised purchase. I'm not coming on here saying I'm perfect. I have my flaws too. It's just that one of them isn't the overpowering desire to impress others with my material goods at all costs.

You're making a straw man argument by bringing up the Honda/Acura comparison. That's not what people have been arguing. People have been arguing that there *is* something unique about the Mac product *itself* that isn't tied to the branding or the perceived "prestige".

As I mentioned before, it's like comparing a fully loaded Ford Taurus with an entry level BMW. Driving a Ford Taurus is never going to *feel* like driving a BMW. The handling is going to feel totally different. Believe or not, some car buyers are loyal to a particular brand and are willing to pay more, for reasons that have nothing to do with prestige. I mentioned BMW's handling but it could be something else like: safety (e.g. Volvo, at least in the old days), reliability (e.g. Lexus, consistently top rated by Consumer Reports), comfort/smooth ride (e.g. Mercedes). The point is, you're missing the point if you think a Mac's appeal is only as a status symbol.

 

[ziwi]

THe disparity between the folks who say I am considering it and those who actually get one may be the initial sticker shock. They do not look at the entire package they are getting versus the laptop or desktop is how much??? not realizing that they get alot more out of the box than they do with the PC alternative.