I’m no Apple fanboi, but I do love Apple’s products. I bought my first Mac in January this year. I love using it for editing photos and actually dragged it with me to Catalyst this year so I could use it to edit photos on the fly.
It didn’t surprise me when I read this:
U.S. computer sales were pretty disappointing during the past three months, unless you’re talking about Macs.
According to the Quarterly PC Tracker Survey released by IDC today, Apple shipped 1.99 million Macs in the U.S. during the third quarter of 2010. That’s good for 10.6 percent of the 18.9 million PCs shipped in the U.S., putting Apple’s share at its highest in the U.S. in the company’s history, according to IDC.
Wham.
The piece goes on to speculate why Apple is doing so well:
So why is Apple doing so well selling computers now? IDC analyst David Daoud says the iPad may actually be one of the reasons.
“It is very possible that the iPad’s marketing right now is impacting [Apple’s Mac] business as a halo effect, just like we saw several years ago with the iPod,” he said. “The momentum went on with the iPhone, now it appears the iPad is playing a similar role, stimulating sales across its product line.”
I certainly think sales of the iPad has played a part. However, I am inclined to believe that Apple’s new pricing structure is what has opened the floodgates. Personally, the cost of a Mac is what kept me from buying for so long.
However, when the new line of iMac’s and Macbook Pro’s were released in late 2009, the pricing was too good to pass up. Despite improvements in design and under the hood specs, they were less expensive than the models released a year earlier.
Do you own a Mac? If not, what has held you back? If you’re planning on buying are going to go with a desktop or notebook solution?
Oh, and if you didn’t know, Apple is nearly #1 on the S&P500. Go figure.
Shawn says
10% is still pretty pathetic for a company that gets so much press.
I just can’t bring myself to throw down so much money when I can get the same functionality from a PC with a free OS (Ubuntu being my flavor of choice these days).
Honestly, I paid $600 for my laptop that could go toe to toe with the Macbook Pro 13inch for $1,200. Half price… and I don’t have to pay for more software to get really productive.
I know a lot of folks really like them but I’d rather send more of my money to missionaries and organizations like Food for the Hungry (www.fh.org) that can use that to feed hungry kids.
Kevin says
Word. Couldn’t agree more.
Sales across the product lines shouldn’t be a surprise when you look at Apple’s business model. When you are closed and you only cooperate with your own products, it makes people buy the iEverything which isn’t an accident. Once you drink the iKoolaid, you only get one flavor though so I hope you really like it. This isn’t good for the customer, it’s only good for Apple. I’m still curious why this doesn’t make people mad, even if they do like their iToys. I think Apple products are good. But I like to be flexible and not locked in especially as time passes when trends inevitably change, but maybe I’m just getting old-fashioned. Additionally, as I’ve researched more into how things work with businesses like Apple, I avoid their products for ethical reasons.
Kevin
http://opensourcechurch.com
ps. I always find it funny that all Apple praise posts are always prefixed with the “not a fanboi” slogan like it matters. Nobody likes to be a fanboi, but somebody has to be somewhere even though no one likes to admit it. If you like Apple products, just let that repressed inner fanboi out in the open…it’s OK to admit it (or just don’t say anything and let people wonder…). 😉
JayCaruso says
Well, it often matters because many times, the moment one writes something positive about an Apple product, those who may not be impressed with them accuse the other of being a fanboi. I am quite happy with my Android phone and I think Microsoft did an excellent job with Windows 7. But I also think Apple makes excellent products.
And I can say this: As a photographer, I have yet to be introduced to a solution that fits my needs better than my iMac.
I have that, and I sponsor a child through Compassion International.
Kevin says
Well, it often matters because many times, the moment one writes something positive about an Apple product, those who may not be impressed with them accuse the other of being a fanboi
Um. Let me rephrase. Being a fanboi or not does matter. Your perception of whether you are a fanboi or not doesn’t matter. This is because:
1) It’s the content of your post that makes you a fanboi or not. I think the way things are said and how much of Apple’s marketing material gets parroted is a pretty good indication (i.e. Wham! is the name of an 80’s band, not a useful comment and Apple’s place in the S&P 500 doesn’t make much difference because if it did we’d all have been gaga for Microsoft for the last 2 decades)
2) Whether you like or own other products don’t cancel out your fanboi-ness; it just matters whether you give Apple a blank check to awesomeness (i.e. “I’m no Apple fanboi, but I do love Apple’s products” is basically a contradiction in terms and from the rest of your post, it sounds like if they were cheaper you’d have no other option than fanboi-ness)
If I were guessing from what I’ve read I’d probably put you as a pre-fanboi. It seems like you want to be, but you can’t bring yourself to come out of the closet out of other convictions. Like HIV is to AIDS, your fanboi-ness seems to be lurking at the surface ready to strike but you do everything you can to keep it at bay so it doesn’t become the full onset disease. Part of this dichotomy may just be because it seems so natural to like Apple’s always awesome products. But does a fanboi choose to be fanboi or was he born that way? It’s a pretty slippery slope…
Now, I may be very wrong about that and if I am, I just suggest you write about Apple with a different tone and attitude that doesn’t suggest so much flaming fanboi-ness instead of trying to get a free pass by telling us that you aren’t. That’s really the gist of it.
Kevin
http://opensourcechurch.com
JayCaruso says
Whoa. You’re certainly reading quite a bit into my proclivities towards Apple products based upon one particular blog entry.
1. This is not the Wall Street Journal or Investors Business Daily. The use of a word like ‘Wham!’ is merely used for editorial effect, nothing more so I think you’re reading too much into it.
2. With our current economy and GDP being so lousy (with more people paying off debt and saving, rather than spending), the fact that Apple has risen to number 2 on the S&P 500 in terms of market capitalization is pretty remarkable.
3. For the longest time, it was Bill Gates and Microsoft all the time. How many times did we read about Bill Gates being the richest person in the world?
4. Saying I am not a fanboi but that I love Apple’s products is not a contradiction in terms. A fanboi is somebody that is hopelessly devoted to a product or company and believes said company can do no wrong. In addition, anything else not made by said company is considered inferior. If I was a fanboi, I would have made the switch years ago to AT&T to get an iPhone. If I was a fanboi, I wouldn’t sing the praises of the job Microsoft did with Windows 7, I’d be bashing it. If I was a fanboi, I wouldn’t have PC products in my house including a notebook with XP/Ubuntu dual boot, etc. But whatever. If you want to call me a fanboi, go ahead. It’s not something I’m going to get worked up over. But I think I made my case.
5. It’s just a blog post man.
Kevin says
I’m not worked up over it either. I’m just letting you know how you come across whether you want to or not.
1. I would appreciate knowing how my readers view my posts whether they read too much into it or not, so I could be more careful next time and maybe do things differently so I didn’t cause confusion (and a whole comments discussion about it)
2. It is remarkable from a business sense, but has nothing to with their products; lots of big companies have crappy products and lots of small companies have great products
3. But did you hear Microsoft Windows is the best thing ever and all their products were awesome? Probably not.
4. No offense, you can make your case if you want, but if I were you and not a fanboi, I would just change the tone of my blog posts about Apple. That’s all I’m saying. You probably aren’t a fanboi, but if that’s the case, taking the tone of a non-fanboi goes much further than saying “I am not a fanboi”.
5. Yes, but it’s your blog post. People will perceive your attitude through your post. I’m just letting you know how you are perceived. I’m probably perceived as a jerk from my comments, but I’m not going to say…”even though this sounds like I’m being a jerk, I’m really a nice guy but my comments are going to make me look like a jerk even though I’m not”. If my comments come across as jerky, I’m probably just a jerk. 😉
Kevin
http://opensourcechurch.com
Adam in Columbus says
Your last sentence is the truest one typed….
Kevin says
Let me know when the irony hits you… 😉
Kevin
http://opensourcechurch.com
Adam in Columbus says
Thanks for letting us know how you are holy and love to give money away. Makes your point so much more valid.
Jimmy King says
My primary machine is a MacBook. It’s a great machine, but if it hadn’t been given to me by my wife (my fiancée at the time) I’d probably still be using my HP. The only reason for me to use any other operating system is when I have to for work. The biggest downside to having this mac has definitely been how rusty I’m getting with Windows.
It would be nice to have a desktop machine for my home, and an iMac would fit perfectly into the environment, but the price is really keeping that from happening. I’ll just have to keep my eyes open for a good deal.
Adam Lehman says
What is truly impressive about Apple as a business is that while they only munch up 10% of the product market share, they account for about 35% of the revenue share. (those numbers are used from the last time i checked, not most recent…)
Shawn says
I’m not sure how that signifies that they’re impressive. To me it just says what everybody already knows… they’re expensive. about 2.5 times more expensive by those numbers.
I could learn to like using a Mac. I just can’t get past that pricetag – cheap-o that I am. 🙂
Kevin says
There’s really only a few reasons why people explain that Apple is doing so well:
1) Steve Jobs is a genius
2) Apple products are amazing in design and function (see #1)
3) Apple’s marketing department is second to none (see #1)
4) There are a lot of stupid people in the world (the corollary of which is there are only a few truly smart people in the world that take advantage of all the stupid people…see #1)
The iPad correlation is just a variation on the above. Although I don’t follow Mac close enough to be sure, my guess is the price drops or more related to the rise in volume because of their broader appeal (and therefore better price per unit and more leverage in pricing negotiation with their suppliers) than any good will or even need to expand their customer base. Apple’s business model is not about commodity…it’s about a premium product at a premium price for a premium image and experience (which they succeed at most of the time).
I qualify as a “Apple hater” for many reasons so I’m not one to comment on their great design and function. My perception is that while they are generally good devices, they aren’t really that much different than at least some of their competitors. The view that they are so awesome for me leans heavily to #3 and #4 above.
I guess the question I want to ask to people dropping their change on overpriced, pretty projects is what are the real use-cases that make them so much better to charge that much more? Or…did you just buy Apple because you heard they were so awesome and that much better? Most of the stuff I hear about why my friends buy Apple (whether they are fanboi’s or not) has more to do with looks and image than it does about function.
Kevin
http://opensourcechurch.com