U.S. Tablet Sales Led by iPad in 2013 as Chromebooks Overtake MacBooks

[newagemac]

It is really sad that there isn't a single PC OEM that can figure out the 5-6 simple rules used by Apple to build a good computer, and scale that down to $300-$800 territory. It is easily doable, but nobody is doing it.
No nonsensical touchscreen, just a good trackpad, good keyboard, decent screen, generous battery and pure SSD. It should be easy to build a $400 laptop with these rules, less powerful hardware than the Macbook Air but still plenty powerful for the common user.
But no, nobody understands it. So the PC industry deserves this.

No, it's not easy to do. Especially for the PC OEMs precisely because they don't make the OS. For example, the "good trackpad" and "generous battery" that you mentioned. It's not as easy as just sticking some hardware in a frame. It takes a combination of software and hardware to achieve the results Apple gets. Apple owns both the hardware and software development so they can do things no other PC OEM can do because of their business model.

That's why Microsoft and Google are desperately trying to do the business model that Apple has mastered. I'm still trying to figure out what took people so long to figure out that is what enables Apple to do what they do. Apple has a built in advantage over others. That strive to "control" everything and every component that goes into making their products is the reason why they can put out devices with amazing battery life at impossibly small sizes, trackpads that the competition still can't match, a smooth transition to 64 bit mobile devices long before anyone else could pull it off and without people even realizing it was happening, and the sheer power of Final Cut Pro X on the new Mac Pro.

It's all about designing your hardware to match your software and vice versa. Something only Apple can do.

 

[viacavour]

Deflection is your best friend. Or lack of reading comprehension. Either way - I won't be furthering a conversation with you.

Many things in life can't be deduced from an armchair, no matter how smart you think you are, or how many definitions you can memorize/regurgitate.

Go work in channel sales for a few years, and work with or as an data analyst and see where the real-life gaps are.


Even in corporate meetings, some seasoned executives qualify their presentations with "If you believe in these numbers".

Common sense is your best friend as well as data analysis that you understand thoroughly from the sources of the data collection, the mechanisms to the math.

 

[horsebattery]

Many things in life can't be deduced from an armchair, no matter how smart you think you are, or how many definitions you can memorize/regurgitate.

Go work in channel sales for a few years, and work with or as an data analyst and see where the real-life gaps are.


Even in corporate meetings, some seasoned executives qualify their presentations with "If you believe in these numbers".

Common sense is your best friend as well as data analysis that you understand thoroughly from the sources of the data collection, the mechanisms to the math.

You're swimming in anecdotal evidence. How is it that you still cannot understand what it means?

Here's one for you: At least 3 people seem to agree that your reading comprehension is spotty. That must mean we're correct on something, no?

 

[90ForLifer]

I've had my MacBook Pro for three years. Before this I only used Windows PC systems. I had never spent upwards of $1,500.00 on a computer before purchasing my MacBook Pro.

It was by far the best computer purchase I've ever made. I've never had a full system crash in three years. I use it every day and play my favorite games on it and do everything work related as well. There is no way is consider a Chromebook as a replacement.

The Chromebook could be a supplemental device like the iPad is for me. Since I have an iPad, though, why would I consider a Chromebook?

Bottom line for me : The Mac line of computers can do everything I need to do and used to do on Windows. It is the best and most reliable solution and also saved money and headaches in the long run.

 

[viacavour]

You're swimming in anecdotal evidence. How is it that you still cannot understand what it means?

Here's one for you: At least 3 people seem to agree that your reading comprehension is spotty. That must mean we're correct on something, no?

Ah, you too. There is only one datapoint here you know. ;-)
A datapoint that is also flawed.

Many people here also use their consumer experience to reason about enterprise sales.

 

[samcraig]

Many things in life can't be deduced from an armchair, no matter how smart you think you are, or how many definitions you can memorize/regurgitate.

Go work in channel sales for a few years, and work with or as an data analyst and see where the real-life gaps are.

Here's something to consider. You wrote many things in life can't be deduced from an armchair.

Then you suggest I go work in channel sales for a few years, and so on.

You have no idea what I do what what my experience is.

This is why I'm not engaging you further. You simply don't get that you are deflecting and in my (and other people's opinions apparently) perhaps have reading comprehension issues on this particular thread.

It's ok to admit when something is just your opinion and not an actual fact. There's nothing wrong with having an opinion.

 

[horsebattery]

Ah, you too. There is only one datapoint here you know. ;-)
A datapoint that is also flawed.

Many people here also use their consumer experience to reason about enterprise sales.

I feel like I'm taking to Horse_ebooks.

 

[N64]

Really? I don't even know anyone who bought a Chromebook. At least there's the survey for Los Angeles citizens.

They're pointless anyway because you can just buy a cheap Windows laptop and have Windows.

 

[UKgaryb]

I do believe computers have become overkill for a large segment of internet users; e.g. the people who Facebook and browse the web...

However I am concerned around the moral issues around people putting their kids into an advertising companies grasp. Personally a 7 year old shouldn't have their sole sold to a advertising company like google.

As someone stated before, google reserve the rights to modify / republish / take for their own use anything you share with google. Seems a bit dodgy to me, my company explicitly prohibit google drive / docs due to this reason, lots of legal issues.

But chrome books aren't targeted at business users, for home use browing the web, they are the next netbook and will probably go the way of netbooks in a year or two.

 

[viacavour]

Here's something to consider. You wrote many things in life can't be deduced from an armchair.

Then you suggest I go work in channel sales for a few years, and so on.

You have no idea what I do what what my experience is.

This is why I'm not engaging you further. You simply don't get that you are deflecting and in my (and other people's opinions apparently) perhaps have reading comprehension issues on this particular thread.

It's ok to admit when something is just your opinion and not an actual fact. There's nothing wrong with having an opinion.

I can tell from your posts that you don't have deep channel sales experience.

 

[silentbob007]

I don't get it. I work at a university and I see a LOT of people with laptops... and I can only recall one Chromebook, ever. Mac laptops are extremely popular, both with students and with faculty - I'd guess it's about 50% of the laptops I see are Macs. Maybe it's different as we're a technical department (EE) that's right next to the CSE department - so those are the students and faculty I tend to see.

As a side note - a quarter or so of our faculty really like the Surface. iPads and Android tablets are neck in neck, but both are definitely in second place.

This is fairly representative of what I see at my University ... But think about the market ... a large sample is people who don't have to pay for their own equipment ... some students are having them bought by parents/relatives and done faculty are having them purchased by departments or through grant monies.

Our faculty are also high on the Surface, but then again, many think the epitome of mobile tech in the classroom is being able to walk around the room and control/annotate full PowerPoint (which is just sad).

 

[N64]

Aren't the ChromeOS notebooks that are selling like crazy the ones that cost under $300??

Uh, yeah. Nobody in the right mind buys a Pixel.

 

[samcraig]

I can tell from your posts that you don't have deep channel sales experience.

Oh really LOL - ok.

 

[N64]

I think anyone using google services for anything sensitive are insane given that Section 11.1 of Google's terms of service says that "you give Google a worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or through the Service for the sole purpose of enabling Google to provide you with the Service in accordance with its Privacy Policy"

I'm not sure what "in accordance with its Privacy Policy" means. Is that a restriction on what data they can take (that is, only things covered in their privacy policy)? I never knew Google had the right to publicly display your Google documents.

 

[samcraig]

I'm not sure what "in accordance with its Privacy Policy" means. Is that a restriction on what data they can take (that is, only things covered in their privacy policy)? I never knew Google had the right to publicly display your Google documents.

It's called spreading FUD. Quite frankly - since data is Google's main source of business to date, it's against their best interest to have it exploited.

 

[AnalyzeThis]

This is fairly representative of what I see at my University ... But think about the market ... a large sample is people who don't have to pay for their own equipment ... some students are having them bought by parents/relatives and done faculty are having them purchased by departments or through grant monies.

Our faculty are also high on the Surface, but then again, many think the epitome of mobile tech in the classroom is being able to walk around the room and control/annotate full PowerPoint (which is just sad).

I can assure you - students in universities does not represent even 1% of population. You are part of pretty much nothing - a drop in the ocean.

 

[N64]

The article should remind us that most models of Chromebooks cost $199, which is more than 5 times cheaper than the cheapest MacBook Air ($999).

You mean ⅕ the price. 5 times cheaper would be negative dollars.

 

[horsebattery]

I'm not sure what "in accordance with its Privacy Policy" means. Is that a restriction on what data they can take (that is, only things covered in their privacy policy)? I never knew Google had the right to publicly display your Google documents.

Google Docs is not covered under the same one - they do not publicly display them unless you openly share your documents.

 

[N64]

It's called spreading FUD. Quite frankly - since data is Google's main source of business to date, it's against their best interest to have it exploited.

Google's spreading it then. I just found their "policies and principles" they kept trying to make us read a couple of years ago and bothered to read it because the other guy's quote seemed suspect. It says kind of the same thing:

When you upload or otherwise submit content to our Services, you give Google (and those we work with) a worldwide license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works (such as those resulting from translations, adaptations or other changes we make so that your content works better with our Services), communicate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute such content. The rights you grant in this license are for the limited purpose of operating, promoting, and improving our Services, and to develop new ones. This license continues even if you stop using our Services (for example, for a business listing you have added to Google Maps). Some Services may offer you ways to access and remove content that has been provided to that Service. Also, in some of our Services, there are terms or settings that narrow the scope of our use of the content submitted in those Services. Make sure you have the necessary rights to grant us this license for any content that you submit to our Services.

That's ridiculous. I hope it doesn't mean what I think it means.

 

[AnalyzeThis]

I do believe computers have become overkill for a large segment of internet users; e.g. the people who Facebook and browse the web...

As someone stated before, google reserve the rights to modify / republish / take for their own use anything you share with google. Seems a bit dodgy to me, my company explicitly prohibit google drive / docs due to this reason, lots of legal issues.

I think you are "reading it wrong" (like in "holding it wrong"). The clause you referring to is content you published using their services, meaning the content you made "publicly accessible/available". You private content is yours and NSA of course (like any other document you might think is yours) as long as you keep it that way. If you do release then it is the same for any document you release to the public, not specific to Google in any way really.

 

[samcraig]

Google's spreading it then. I just found their "policies and principles" they kept trying to make us read a couple of years ago and bothered to read it because the other guy's quote seemed suspect. It says kind of the same thing:



That's ridiculous. I hope it doesn't mean what I think it means.

It doesn't.

 

[avanpelt]

Chromebooks represented roughly 10% of the US commercial channel market from January to November of 2013.

It might help if I knew what "commercial channel" meant. Which retailers does that include? Or which does it exclude?

Otherwise... they're saying 1 out of every 10 desktops, laptops, Android tablets, iPads, etc... was a Chromebook.

Really? That seems high.


EDIT: EbookReader provided the above link that said "commercial channel" was businesses, schools, government and other organizations.

This chart does NOT represent the general consumer market. Those are the numbers I'm interested in.

The last part of your post makes sense to me because I can't think of a single time I've seen a Chromebook out in the wild. Meanwhile, I see a newer MacBook Pro or Air every time I turn around.

 

[Renzatic]

That's ridiculous. I hope it doesn't mean what I think it means.

That's a standard "cover our asses" clause. Almost every company currently operating has a few hinky bits in their EULAs, but know that if they were to enforce them, there'd be a huge public backlash against them, and it probably wouldn't stand up on its own merits when it eventually goes to courts.

They're there for the contingencies, not because Google plans on stealing and publishing the book you've been writing and storing on their servers, and wants to give themselves the rights to do it.

 

[N64]

The last part of your post makes sense to me because I can't think of a single time I've seen a Chromebook out in the wild. Meanwhile, I see a newer MacBook Pro or Air every time I turn around.

The article is about sales, not market share, so that can happen.

 

[sseaton1971]

Schools are probably the biggest buyer of Chromebooks... especially the cheapest models. That certainly would skew the numbers. I am guessing the average Joe is not buying these devices for home use. In my experience, the cheapest Chromebooks (Samsung Series 3) are very poorly built, and there seems to be problems with WiFi connectivity. Maybe the Intel-powered Chromebooks are better, but I have not had experience with them. Anyway, Once schools (and others) use these devices for one or two years, it will be interesting to see if the sales numbers are sustainable and if the devices hold up to wear and tear, etc.

That said, I hope Apple has a plan in place to deal with schools buying Chromebooks in droves. I expect them to lose a lot of MacBook and even iPad sales next year. I hope they don't create a device that is pretty much dependent on the Internet. Maybe they could have an iPad type of device with a real keyboard that can run OS X. I know some are speculating that could be what Apple has in mind with the alleged iPad Pro. The price mould have to be in the $500 to $600 range, though, to compete with the low prices of Chromebooks.