U.S. Mac Sales Continue to Sag Ahead of October Updates

[Shaggymax]

OS X 10.9, Mac Pro, Refresh MacBook line...tomorrow is the return of the Mac!!!....(for a few minutes).....until they start unveiling the new iPad gear.

Oh and I agree with others, the Mac is their best product. With out the Mac, their ecosystem would have never existed.

 

[radiohead14]

it'll go up this week, and i'll be contributing to that.. granted they frickin finally refresh their rMBP line.

tomorrow is the return of the Mac!!!

you mean...

 

[Amazing Iceman]

Meaningless statistics...

 

[fhall1]

When was the last time Gene Munster was actually right about Apple shipments/sales?

 

[MayorQuimby]

Macs have never been such a poor value. Build quality of internal components is completely unreliable these days. At work we have 20 Mac Pros and they break regularly...unbalanced power to usb ports, logic boards and drives fail etc. Look at the flood of refurbs for sale these days!

Then there's lack of upgradeability...ram soldered in, weak basic configs and an astronomical "apple premium". As an Apple user since the early 90's, I would say recent Macs just stink. Even from a performance perspective, newer Adobe programs push Macs to their limits and recent OS X releases are....weird.

I think people will just hold on to their existing machines a bit longer (ie extra year or two). They are certainly not going to switch to any other o.s.

Macs used to be a good 20 - 25 pct more expensive than comparable Windows machines but today they are 50 pct or more. It is a shame that Apple seems to be losing a bit of its luster. Ymmv.

 

[ericinboston]

"... Munster believes that Mac sales will continue to decline as Apple customers shift to iPads, with Macs representing a smaller part of Apple's overall business. Currently, Macs represent less than 15 percent of Apple’s total revenue."


Ummmm...for the last 25+ YEARS Mac has been less than 15% of Apple Computer/Apple's sales (not to mention far less than 15% market share of personal computers)!

iTunes sales/iPod is what saved Apple back in 1999-ish from bankruptcy. Then the iPhone helped out...and now the iOS gravy train is beginning to fade with the iPad's 5th release. What's next Apple? Seriously. Apple's iOS making up 85% of Apple's revenue makes Apple, essentially, a 1 trick pony.

 

[Mainsail]

Unlike the masses glued to their I-device that only care about messaging, tweeting and searching for gossip on the Internet I need a real computer with a real operating system that performs real computing tasks.

These self righteous posts about needing a real computer to do real computing tasks are absolutely pointless. Everyone on this forum has a computer. That isn't the issue.

The point is that tablets and smartphones perform many of the functions that previously required a full computer. As a result, people are doing most of their common everyday tasks on these mobile devices and refreshing them more often. How often do you need to refresh a desktop computer? Most office workers barely scratch the surface of the productivity software on their 5 year old desktop. I see it everyday with folks using spreadsheets as fancy calculators.

The bottom line is that tablets are cutting into conventional computer sales because they are an inexpensive alternative for everyday tasks, so people hold off on upgrading their more expensive computers....that's what the data shows.

 

[Tech198]

no one loves Mac anymore.

Makes sense just before the event... Plus, more would go for tablets i would think anyway...

In this day and age, what do you even need a desktop/laptop anymore ??

(says me posting from a Macbook)

 

[SusanK]

I love mine too.
I'll be honest if there was no Mac,maybe I wouldn't be insisting on buying Apple products,I think Mac (OS and hardware) is so unique and %100 superior to competitor(s).whereas iPads and iPhones etc..have some very serious and close competition going on around them,specially iPhone.

ColdShadow, we may be soul mates. I love my Mac so much it's almost relationship status. Each Mac I've had is wonderful. There is actually joy in using a Mac. If necessary I can do Windows but it's not fun. It's a chore to be done and get out. I would prefer to vacuum or scrub the floors.

Glad you enjoy Macs. It's too bad that more people don't give them a try. We went with Mac for our first computer because we thought it was pretty. We were definitely not techies

If I started on Windows I don't think I would have learned as much or enjoyed the experience.

I know some folks (seniors) who are frustrated by computers. If they tried a Mac it would be different. Their adults have them trying to use Win so they give up. Too bad.

 

[kds1]

They are NOT for content creators, but for 95% of the content consumers, iPads are more than enough.

Really? People don't need to write resumes? Or perhaps draft a letter? Or use an Excel spreadsheet to do a household budget? Or keep track of something financial? And I suppose all your vacation photos are expected to be taken with your phone, and stored in the "cloud" or on your phone? And when you're shopping online, browsing several websites for different prices and products, who the hell wants to keep their face buried in a freaking tablet? Or hmm, let's say, you're unemployed, and need to file your weekly claim? I suppose you're supposed to do that from a tablet too, even though, many state government agency websites are NOT necessarily tablet/mobile compatible. And who the hell wants to sit there and file their taxes online using a tablet? Especially when it takes awhile. How about printing online forms? Filling out and submitting electronically PDF forms? Don't tell me it's just as easy on a tablet as it is on a desktop/laptop.

People need to do more than just casually browse the web, and use FB and Twitter and send email. If I sit here long enough, I could think of more...

It's still absurd.

 

[SusanK]

Don't blame Cook--he's just following Job's playbook.

Cook is a numbers guy. If he realizes that updates may sell more units it could happen.

----------

Apple should just develop and licensee out OSX and stop making the hardware.

Gil Amelio tried that. Didn't work well. Do you remember Power Computing and the clones?

 

[haruhiko]

Let's face it, for work, most people use the computer provided by their employer's IT department. For the most part, these are windows machines updated on a frequency determined by company policy. So when people on this forum talk about doing real work on a computer, they need to realize that most of that is done on corporate issued windows machines. Macs are a very small portion of the "doing real work" market. Don't get me wrong....I am fortunate to have a Mac at work and love it......but, this is the exception in most corporations.

For home use, people just don't need to update their computers nearly as frequently as the past because they are doing most of their day to day computing on smartphones and tablets. You don't need a full desktop computer to answer email, browse the web, organize photos, listen to music, write simple documents, track finances......the list goes on and on.

i.e. Windows boxes that haven't been updated for 5-6 years which have less computing power than a current iPad.

 

[9000]

Mac is and always will be the best product Apple makes.

Yes. I like my iPhone, but I know it's mostly a toy or something to use when you don't have a Mac.

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OS X 10.9, Mac Pro, Refresh MacBook line...tomorrow is the return of the Mac!!!....(for a few minutes).....until they start unveiling the new iPad gear.

Oh and I agree with others, the Mac is their best product. With out the Mac, their ecosystem would have never existed.

Good to hear. I was getting bored.

 

[kds1]

Yes. I like my iPhone, but I know it's mostly a toy or something to use when you don't have a Mac.

I'd hardly call a phone a "toy".

 

[SusanK]

Reading this thread reminded me to boot the Win 7 netbook so it can pleasure itself for an hour or two. McAfee, Windows Update, Flash. Sometimes Apple Software Update gets in on the action too.

That was the one thing that annoyed me the most. Making an appointment to use the computer. It needed about an hour each time to pretty up.

I love my Mac so much!

 

[M!M!C]

Really? People don't need to write resumes? Or perhaps draft a letter? Or use an Excel spreadsheet to do a household budget? Or keep track of something financial? And I suppose all your vacation photos are expected to be taken with your phone, and stored in the "cloud" or on your phone? And when you're shopping online, browsing several websites for different prices and products, who the hell wants to keep their face buried in a freaking tablet? Or hmm, let's say, you're unemployed, and need to file your weekly claim? I suppose you're supposed to do that from a tablet too, even though, many state government agency websites are NOT necessarily tablet/mobile compatible. And who the hell wants to sit there and file their taxes online using a tablet? Especially when it takes awhile. How about printing online forms? Filling out and submitting electronically PDF forms? Don't tell me it's just as easy on a tablet as it is on a desktop/laptop.

People need to do more than just casually browse the web, and use FB and Twitter and send email. If I sit here long enough, I could think of more...

It's still absurd.

You can sit there all year, the trend supports this theory. Furthermore, you can write documents, spreadsheets, and presentations on an iPad with iWork. Granted, it is not as convenient as with a larger monitor, but many, many people are seeing the value of the trade off.

For those who CREATE content (such as documents, spreadsheets, and presentations) often are better served by a desktop. Most of that CREATION is probably done at work or with a work notebook at home. So the home user, who is mostly a content CONSUMER tends not to need such large tethered computers.

Your website does not have to be 'tablet' ready as Safari renders webpages as they normally would appear on a desktop.

For the other applications you mentioned, you are 100% correct. They are easier on a desktop. Again, most people are finding less and less reason for a desktop, NOT everyone.

The next step in this trend is to get the tables docked to a larger monitor. Once that happens, the 'Desktop' is dead for CONSUMERS, but still very much alive for CREATORS.

 

[carmenodie]

The issue is that macs are so good people don't have to upgrade as often.

 

[slu]

I am in the market for new computer and have been waiting for a Mac mini update for a while. If it is not updated, not sure what I will do. The iPad has eliminated my need for a laptop, so I'd like a desktop for my heavy lifting, but I think the iMac are just priced too high for what they are, but I don't want to buy the Mini unless it is updated.

If the Mini is not updated tomorrow, I will either look refurb or Windows 8, but I don't think I can go back to an ugly black mini tower.

 

[Mainsail]

Really? People don't need to write resumes? Or perhaps draft a letter? Or use an Excel spreadsheet to do a household budget? Or keep track of something financial? And I suppose all your vacation photos are expected to be taken with your phone, and stored in the "cloud" or on your phone? And when you're shopping online, browsing several websites for different prices and products, who the hell wants to keep their face buried in a freaking tablet? Or hmm, let's say, you're unemployed, and need to file your weekly claim? I suppose you're supposed to do that from a tablet too, even though, many state government agency websites are NOT necessarily tablet/mobile compatible. And who the hell wants to sit there and file their taxes online using a tablet? Especially when it takes awhile. How about printing online forms? Filling out and submitting electronically PDF forms? Don't tell me it's just as easy on a tablet as it is on a desktop/laptop.

People need to do more than just casually browse the web, and use FB and Twitter and send email. If I sit here long enough, I could think of more...

It's still absurd.

Here again, we are missing the point. First of all, you can write a short memo (Pages) or create a simple spreadsheet (numbers) or track personal financial data ( Mint) on a tablet....but that isn't the point. The most common everyday functions that people do on a computer can be done easily on a tablet, so people don't need to update their laptop or desktop nearly as often because 1) their tablet handles most of the everyday use, and 2) their old computer still handles the remaining stuff just fine.

Really, how powerful or modern of computer do you need to do the stuff listed above? Almost any computer built in the last 5 years will handle it just fine. So, are people going to shell out $1,200 every two years just to get the latest Mac when their old computer does everything they want? Probably not.....and that is the trend in computer sales.

 

[fortheus]

I will use my computer till they can't boot anymore

For work, I got laptop from office and usually they can last for 5-8 years upgrade cycle.

The only market that needs the fastest computers are the media industry that handles heavy graphics, video, audio. It's a small market compared with generic office use.

Sadly the gpu performance (which is badly needed in media industry) in computer may not doubled every 1-2 year

 

[kds1]

You can sit there all year, the trend supports this theory. Furthermore, you can write documents, spreadsheets, and presentations on an iPad with iWork. Granted, it is not as convenient as with a larger monitor, but many, many people are seeing the value of the trade off.

If you want to pull your hair out and be frustrated by the tediousness of it, and how much longer it would take you, go for it.

For those who CREATE content (such as documents, spreadsheets, and presentations) often are better served by a desktop. Most of that CREATION is probably done at work or with a work notebook at home. So the home user, who is mostly a content CONSUMER tends not to need such large tethered computers.

Anybody who uses their work issued computer to do personal stuff on and stores personal stuff on it is naive and well, stupid. I used to work in corporate IT. Clueless employees would sync their phones to their work computers and then get pissed when we would tell them we were NOT responsible for their personal data (music, photos, whatever). Their machine crashes, "can you recover my personal stuff?" Ummmm...NO! Idiots!

Your website does not have to be 'tablet' ready as Safari renders webpages as they normally would appear on a desktop.

You don't seem to have come across websites that *don't* work the same on a mobile device as they do on a desktop/laptop. Trust me, they exist. It's not just about rendering and how they "appear" it's about how they *don't work* properly.

 

[Oracle1729]

I've been waiting for a Haswell mini or mbp (I need a mini, but for the extra $400 student price, the pro seems like a better deal). Haswell is getting pretty stale now, half-way thought it's cycle so I'm already losing interest and looking forward to a broadwell hackintosh next year.

It is very clear Apple doesn't care about the mac anyone, their bread is buttered by iOS crap. For now -- the phone market is much for fickle than the computer market.

 

[kds1]

Here again, we are missing the point. First of all, you can write a short memo (Pages) or create a simple spreadsheet (numbers) or track personal financial data ( Mint) on a tablet....but that isn't the point. The most common everyday functions that people do on a computer can be done easily on a tablet, so people don't need to update their laptop or desktop nearly as often because 1) their tablet handles most of the everyday use, and 2) their old computer still handles the remaining stuff just fine.

Really, how powerful or modern of computer do you need to do the stuff listed above? Almost any computer built in the last 5 years will handle it just fine. So, are people going to shell out $1,200 every two years just to get the latest Mac when their old computer does everything they want? Probably not.....and that is the trend in computer sales.

Actually you misunderstand what *I* am saying. What I think is absurd is this notion that tablets will "replace" desktops/laptops. I get what your'e saying, and that's probably true, though, by five years, most computers (even Macs) become too frustrating.

P.S. I use Mint. But that's not the point. My good friend uses Excel to do this budgeting and tracking his own way. The whole world doesn't want to use Mint.

P.P.S. And let's face it, Pages and Numbers don't hold a candle to Word and Excel. Who is going to create their resume on Pages? Who prints and sends resume's through the mail anymore? You email them. Ever worked with a recruiting agency? They want your resume in Word format 99% of the time (sometimes they will accept a PDF) but they sure as hell will not take your resume in pages format.

 

[Poisonivy326]

Anyone remember that anecdote in the Isaacson bio where Steve Jobs told the whole company: "Why aren't people buying Macs anymore? Because they SUCK!!!"

 

[Rad99004]

Apple hasn't been updating the Mac line enough. It's as simple as that. If they want more sales, they need to do something.

Like add touch to the laptops and keyboard/mouse support to the iPad.

Its so funny to see people at Bestbuy and in the Apple store try to touch the laptop screens and nothing happens.