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100 Comments
- cmilki, on 10/12/2007, -9/+27I have a feeling I'll get dugg down for this. But since Apple has low market share even a small point growth is regarded as a large percentage "growth".
Hopefully Macs will have 10% of the market by 2010. (I want the market share static at 10%, not increase. I don't want Macs to be an increased target :) ) - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -9/+24I'm all for more competition in this industry, and I really do like Apple. However, 31% of 3% of the market is only a 0.93% market share increase. At this rate, if things stay consistent, it will take over 50 years for Apple to gain 50% of the market... just wanted to put things into perspective.
- reedreeder, on 10/12/2007, -9/+23The problem is, this war isn't one of OS's as much as it is one of hardware. The success of windows and the restricted hardware access to Mac OS has led hundreds of hardware companies to manufacture for windows. For that reason, Apple may never be fully able to catch up.
- iluvatar, on 10/12/2007, -8/+20@Ireland
Based on what measurements? I think OSX is an extremely usable piece of software, but that's just one man's view point. You can't measure subjective assessments. If anything, the mere fact that OSX doesn't work exactly like windows would make it less enjoyable to use because its behavior doesn't follow what the average person would expect, making it unintuitive by definition. So while OSX sure does seem easier to use to a Mac user, you still have to allow for a period of adjustment before other people see it the same way.
And speaking of enjoyable, I sure do enjoy playing the latest video games on my computer. (Not trying to be an *****, just trying to point out that everyone has a different definition of enjoyable) - Neiby, on 10/12/2007, -8/+19"The problem is, this war isn't one of OS's as much as it is one of hardware. "
Precisely. What happens if my Windows PC gets out of date (like it is right now)? I buy some upgrades and keep on trucking. What happens if a Mac product gets out of date? You toss the whole thing and start over. As far as I know, you can't upgrade motherboards, processors, video cards, etc. That's one of the things that makes PCs so nice for people who like to tweak them.
Can you do that sort of thing with Macs? (Be kind. I don't know that much about Apple products yet.) - desired, on 10/12/2007, -8/+18Apple's market share is bound to rise, yes, but for a different reason: because it's so small to start with.
- simX, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9I'm sorry, but clearly you are quite ignorant. The iPod plays MP3s, WAVs, AIFFs, and unprotected AACs all just fine. I mean, the term "MP3 player" implies that the iPod can play MP3s. If you want to download protected AAC files from the iTunes Store, that's your choice.
Or, you could get a ***** clue and continue to buy CDs, rip them, and transfer them to your iPod.
*sigh* Can we kill this lame-ass notion that the iPod only plays stuff from the iTunes Store? - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -7/+14"and both were talking about how they had read Mac was the wave of the future. "
Sounds like you were watching a TV ad, because real people don't say "wave of the future.". :) - Ireland, on 10/12/2007, -32/+39I'm not trying to start a flame war here, as I think lots of different OS's can co-exist, but Apple's marketshare is bound to be on the rise, seen as their OS and computers are easier and more enjoyable to use, right?
- Jammerdelray, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6I agree with this:
I'm all for more competition in this industry, and I really do like Apple. However, 31% of 3% of the market is only a 0.93% market share increase - Enterprise8875, on 10/12/2007, -5/+10"Can you do that sort of thing with Macs? (Be kind. I don't know that much about Apple products yet.)"
Yes you can if you get the Mac Pro(the tower). The other Macs(iMac, Mac mini etc.) are all integrated and custom so only a limited number of things can be upgraded(RAM, processor etc.). - abusivemale, on 10/12/2007, -6/+11@axel2k, your math is borked.. it would take under 11 years for this to happen at this rate.
- desired, on 10/12/2007, -5/+10> all the IBM POS cash registers are counted as DOS machines...
> Apple has a much larger than 5% share of home computer market
So I have a choice between numbers from a blog or from an anonymous dude on digg called 4ndr31d... Tough choice. - bedouin, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6For the rundown of what's been upgraded though, the CPU has been replaced (I could have even gone dual CPU without changing the logic board), the graphics card has been upgraded, I added a DVD+/-RW, added an SATA card with accompanying 10k Raptor, added USB 2.0, added a TV card/DVR, added a Sweet Multiport (adds memory card reader, two firewire ports, and one USB port to the front bay), and have a couple IDE drives inside, not counting all my FW drives. There might be some other things I forgot about. I'm pushing dual displays on it, one an Apple LCD the other a Dell widescreen.
This machine is approaching the five year mark and should run Leopard with no hassles, giving it probably seven years of useful desktop life in the end. And even at that point, Debian hasn't quit making 68k ports of Linux, so I doubt PPC will be gone in two years, so it will likely be relinquished to server duties.
Plus, if I wanted to be like you PC folks I could do all kinds of goofy case mods and attempt to tweak my fans to total silence. Not to mention working on the PowerMac G4s was a dream due to its fold out case design. - outpostbabu, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4That's because people are out and about using them to make photo books and write emails. Real work doesn't take place at Starbucks nor on a mac, it happens on servers and desktops running Windows and other alternative operating systems. That could all change now that macs are just PCs like everybody else. The advantage I hear all over the place now is "But! But! My mac CAN run Windows... TOO!". Wow! Welcome to the club. The rest of us having run Windows for the last 16 years.
- n00bst3r, on 10/12/2007, -4/+7Well considering that Apple and Dell both use the same hardware, are you saying that Apple uses crap hardware? Also if you are saying that Dell makes an inferior product on the low-end consider this: An Mac Mini costs $600. For that much on a Dell I can get a Dual Core AMD processor, 160 gb HD, Dedicated graphics, and two gigs of RAM, plus it comes with a keyboard and mouse. I don't see any evidence that makes your uncredited claim true.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -9/+12Wow keep reaching for that star, apple fanboys. Keep reaching.
- greymarketbrain, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6@ jimmygoon
agreed
not sure what makes someone a zealot - n00bst3r, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@kidney
So are you telling me that Intel has two plants where that produce Processors: one that is state of the art that has an address in the heavens and produces better processors that go only to Apple, and an inferior plant where the silicon is inscribed by chisel and hammer in a third world country that goes to Dell? You sir, are a dumbass. Do you even understand how processors, or memory chips, or anything is produced?
Lets talk about processors for a second. All processors come off the same wafer. They are then tested and go through QC. The highest quality samples are packaged as the highest end models of the line and then it goes down the line.
So please, kidney, enlighten me as to how Apple gets better processors than Dell. Or better hard drives than Dell. Or better anything than Dell. Please save your breath if you are going to talk about "logic boards" vs motherboards. Either way both suck ***** next to MSI or ASUS products. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Market share means little as it fluctuates with sales because of the way it's calculated, the installed base however is how many people own an use Apple products without consideration for when it was purchased.
- f0dder, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5This is a blog spam with a catchy headline.
Someone create a blog and put "Microsoft files for bankruptcy!!",
make some chart and surrround it with ads. - smitting, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6Thing is on older mac hardware, they all run the new stuff, just slower. I still have my Powerbook G4 around, because it's great for surfing the web, checking email, listening to iTunes... everything but running Windows (I use my intel imac for work for Microsoft .Net development).
When I sold my Powerbook G3, which I bought when it was 3 years old, I got 90% of what I paid for it 3 years later. I've also grown to like external firewire/usb devices. Easy to install, easy to move to another computer, and they all combined take less deskspace than PCs did by themselves a few years ago.
Only downer on is that windows games that require directx and hardware acceleration run slowly under Parallels, so you have to reboot to play those games (I play games on consoles so I don't care). Any games that use software rendering run great. A friend of mine installed 3D Studio Max under parallels... we were surprised to see it work at all, but were very surprised to see it working faster than anything we had seen. - DucksofAnaheim, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5Worldwide it has been stuck at 2-2.2% and expected to DROP after Vista is released.
- krinthekuz, on 09/16/2008, -2/+5zealots are people who typically throw away rationality and ignore legitimate arguments
linux zealots often are way too gung ho about the command line. windows zealots wrongfully claim that everything is too hard on other systems and everything is incompatible. mac zealots don't acknowledge that you can have a secure windows box, and you can have a gorgeous linux box.
zealots everywhere! now you can bury me. - boelder, on 10/12/2007, -7/+10I use a two button wireless mouse on my Mac... from Microsoft... It seems to work better than their OS.
- DucksofAnaheim, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4And worldwide it is stuck at 2%...and Gartner says they will lose share along with Linux when VISTA ships ;)
RDF(Reality Distortion Field) is the idea that Steve Jobs is able to convince people to believe almost anything with a skillful mix of charm, charisma, slight exaggeration, and clever marketing - bedouin, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4"Yes you can if you get the Mac Pro(the tower). The other Macs(iMac, Mac mini etc.) are all integrated and custom so only a limited number of things can be upgraded(RAM, processor etc.)."
That's only true to a certain extent. Basically, in the Mini and iMac the only thing you *can't* replace is the graphics chip. Everything else (hard drive, CPU, optical drive) can be replaced pretty easily. I can speak of first hand experience disassembling a friend's mini. Once you're inside everything is accessible, and getting inside is pretty damn easy.
I won't speak on the ease of upgrading the iMac, but I know take apart guides exist. - sigginike90, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4What the hell is the deal with saying niche so ***** often...
- fraggle35, on 10/12/2007, -4/+7Apple will ***** it up, they always do.
- rickcarson, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4"not sure what makes someone a zealot"
A zealot is someone that will go into a pro-Apple thread and post negative stuff about Apple
A zealot is someone that will go into a pro-Windows thread and post negative stuff about Windows
A zealot is someone that will go into a pro-Linux thread and post negative stuff about Linux.
A zealot is someone that will go into a pro-Dell thread and post negative stuff about Dell.
------
What _doesn't_ make someone a zealot is posting nice stuff about a product in a thread which is pro that product.
Compare Flag564 and Ireland.
Ireland goes into the occasional pro-Apple thread and posts about how s/he likes something that Apple has done. But that doesn't make him a zealot, because he is 'keeping it in the family' as it were. Preaching to the choir if you prefer. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Flag564 on the other hand, goes into pro-Apple threads, and bashes Apple. We can call that being a troll, we can call it being a zealot.
A zealot can also be a troll (and vice versa).
I think if we wanted to draw a fine distinction between the trolls and the zealots, a troll might say "windows sux" in a pro-Windows thread. Whereas a zealot would say "haha, Apple is cheaper than Dell, bite me Dell fanboys!" In a pro-Dell thread. The difference is that the troll is saying:
"Your favourite product sucks. You suck. Your Momma sucks. Your little dog sucks too."
Whereas the zealot is holding up a different product as an allegedly better alternative.
Another way of looking at it would be that for the zealot "You're so vain I bet you think this song is about you" is always true.
___
Now, I admit in the past I've been guilty of more than one of the above.
But once I realised what was happening on Digg. I've tried to modify my own behaviour. If someone likes Dell or Linux or Windows, well good for them, I won't go piss in their porridge, and I hope they will refrain from pissing in mine.
And also, when I see pro-Apple comments in other threads which aren't about Apple, I Digg them down.
I don't want the Windows users getting pissed off, and coming into the Apple threads and ruining them. For starters, there are a lot more of them, than there are of us!!! :D - xxdesmus, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5Steve Jobs is a cocky arrogant prick. I'd love to see him get hit by a bus.
- Denver80203, on 10/12/2007, -7/+9if they went from .1% to .2% they would be screaming about their raging 100% grown spurt.
- leopardhunter, on 02/18/2009, -0/+2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_new_features_in_Windows_Vista
- bedouin, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4"Can you do that sort of thing with Macs? (Be kind. I don't know that much about Apple products yet.)"
Yes, the only stock part in my PowerMac is the logic board and case. I've had it since 2002 and when I still had my 1.5ghz PowerBook, which was not even months old, it was able to perform equal to it. - DucksofAnaheim, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2If you're some kid that listens to noise instead of music, and you think that overpriced overhyped products are "cool", get an iPod.
However, if you like to listen to serious music, want a choice of music vendors and file formats, and want something that works with Microsoft Windows without installing some weird "iTunes" software, consider one of the Samsung "SamPod" digital music players.
I used to use an iPod but abandoned it for several reasons, the most important of which were lack of choice, and thier proprietary "AAC" file format.
The YH-925 works with Microsoft Windows Media Player 10, giving you access to 7 different music store providers. More important is the support for WMA files, which to my trained musical ears sounds better. All compression schemes rely on psychoacoustic trickery to remove data that our brains aren't likely to notice. Maybe Apple's AAC sounds fine if you listen to hip-hop "music" with nothing but "thump thump" and "sss sss" (not to mention disgusting lyrics about drugs, prostitutes, and violence). But people who like to listen to music find AAC's artifacts annoying. WMA tends to work better for serious music. - jeffgtr, on 10/12/2007, -10/+12This is totally anecdotal but maybe it's a predictor of things to come. I know of two people who swore they would never own a Mac who have purchased a Macbook in the last month and have fallen in love with OSX. Yesterday I was in the gym and overheard a conversation where they were discussing which computer to buy and both were talking about how they had read Mac was the wave of the future. It just seems that the buzz is much more pronounced than it was last year. It will be interesting to see how the release of vista will impact mac sales. I have this feeling it's going to push more and more people to the mac side.
- xutopia, on 10/12/2007, -5/+7Anecdotal evidence seems the same around me. Most people come to me for computer advice especially when about to purchase a new computer. They all know I'm an avid Mac/Linux user and just want someone to convince them that Macs are where it's at.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -5/+7Guess what...the Zuhne ALREADY had abouthte same market share as Apple's OS and browser's market share.
So...if it is gREAT for Apple to have this, it must be OUTSTANDING for the Zune to have achieved it after just a month.
If the Zune is a failure, than Apple, which have a HEAD START on Microsofot in the OS war and came in the browser war at the same time...is the worst failure in business history. - RunLikeTheWind, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3@jeffgtr:
"don't you find it interesting that you hardly ever hear of a windows user talking about how much better their platform is than a Mac."
Most Windows, Mac, and Linux users chose their machine based on what they want to do, and instead of bragging about it they just happily use it. But a small share of Mac purchasers are attracted to the marketing and minority market share and think their choice of a system makes them edgy and hip, and feel the need to let eveyone know what a superior choice they've made. You don't get that phoenomenon as much from Windows users because Windows hasn't been marketed as an image, they're just buying a computer. - fboosman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1axel2k: "However, 31% of 3% of the market is only a 0.93% market share increase. At this rate, if things stay consistent, it will take over 50 years for Apple to gain 50% of the market."
This is incorrect on multiple counts. First, the article states that Apple's current market share is 5.39%, not 3%. Second, if Apple were to maintain that market share growth rate, they would be at 46.75% within eight years, and at 61.24% within nine years.
I'm not saying this is going to happen. I don't see Apple getting to 50% market share. But they don't need to. Think how visible the Mac is, how vibrant the Mac market is these days, and that's with only a 5.39% market share. What if they just doubled that? At their current rate of growth, they'll do so sometime in the middle of 2009. That's a realistic goal for them, and if I were at Apple, I'd be licking my chops at the prospect. - firemillen2, on 10/12/2007, -9/+10Did any of you even read the article?
Needham and Co.'s analyst Charles Wolf estimates that by 2016 Apple will have 8.6% of the market. It's a straight projection, however, remember that market adoption of products works in similar way to viral spreads, with exponential 'tipping points' where products 'take off.' It may be more of a case that Mac will either still be in 4-5% area, or it climbs significantly higher.
BY 2016, APPLE MIGHT HAVE 8.6% MARKETSHARE?? AND YOU IFANBOYS ARE HAPPY? IN TEN ***** YEARS, APPLE MIGHT HAVE 8% MARKETSHARE? IN 10 ***** YEARS, THE WHOLE TECH INDUSTRY WILL BE BEYOND WHAT WE RECGONIZE NOW.
THIS ARTICLE IS ***** STUPID. - coolbru, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3> And the Zune's market share has dropped since it was released.
Thats kind of hard. At launch it had 0% market share. It's hard to go down from there. I guess you could argue that it's stayed at 0% but taken cash from other markets in order to try and rise. - superalamar, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1the reasons to buy an apple are many, but there are drawbacks obviously. Still, as a creative type, I would prefer to own one...you can do some cool things with one, and the interface is a bit less cluttered than windows. That said, I think OS X took some steps sideways and backwards when it comes to interface and OS design. I enjoy the OS quite a bit, but OS 7 had a more consistent interface, even if it didn't have all the bells and whistles....
If I had the money I would certainly have a Mac, if only for the ability to run whatever OS I damn well please.
Credit the market growth to the new ads..... - n00bst3r, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Oh, I forgot, the distributer makes all the difference in the quality of hardware, thanks for reminding me.
- n00bst3r, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Also, correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that there is a little known product that uses Toshiba drives, called the iPod. Have you heard of it?
Also Dell make their own Moatherboards, which closely follow Intel's reference as well, after all, being the largest buyer of something does have its perks. I'm pretty sure that Intel's relationship with Dell is much stronger than their relationship to Apple, afterall without Dell, Intel wouldn't be much. The same cannot be said about Apple. - artman, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I've own three Apple computers (two iMacs and the one current eMac I use now) over an 8 year period and with each one I have paid less for each replacement. Also, each one has run or has been usable for a longer time than the other. Finally, the last two I owned I sold to friends who have repaired/upgraded them and are still using them. So I think the path of upgrading or the method of it is totally different than on the Windows PC side.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -4/+5spam
- NewChar, on 10/12/2007, -6/+7You can right click by tapping the touchpad with two fingers. Not as good as a 'real' 2nd mouse button, but it sort of works.
- KidneyPi, on 10/12/2007, -7/+8n00bst3r:
No, they don't use the same hardware. Apple uses first tier hardware. Dell uses third tier hardware. They may do the same thing in the same way, but first tier is more reliable. As one of thousands of PC technicians and one of maybe 15 Mac technicians in all of Ohio and West Virginia, I see a lot more Dell than anything else that needs repaired. HP is closing in on Dell, but Dell still has the lowest hardware quality.
Apple has had some QC problems lately, though. Most of the Apples that I have had to do major repairs on were new. If it works out of the box, though, it is more likely to work in the long run. With Dell, if it works out of the box, great, but what about next week? - MacParrot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@bedoiun
You said,
"For the rundown of what's been upgraded though, the CPU has been replaced (I could have even gone dual CPU without changing the logic board), the graphics card has been upgraded, I added a DVD+/-RW, added an SATA card with accompanying 10k Raptor, added USB 2.0, added a TV card/DVR, added a Sweet Multiport (adds memory card reader, two firewire ports, and one USB port to the front bay), and have a couple IDE drives inside, not counting all my FW drives.This machine is approaching the five year mark and should run Leopard with no hassles, giving it probably seven years of useful desktop life in the end. Not to mention working on the PowerMac G4s was a dream due to its fold out case design."
I have a 933 QuickSilver Tower that is one sweetly designed tower. Everything easily assessable. I've done some of what you did except on the cheap. I didn't add a SATA card, just used the existing IDE channels to put in 2 250g drives. The IDE channel that the original SuperDrive is in had an extra connector, so I put another one in that empty slot. That IDE channel isn't as fast as what's on the main buss, but it's only used for backup and as a scratch drive, so no biggie. Picked it up on eBay in late 2002 for $1600 (new they were around $2600 as I recall and even used at that time were going for close to 2K). Now 4 years later, it's still going strong. Mostly used for FCE (especially LiveType) and for some audio editing.
Yes, I'm rambling. The point is that for most people, Macs typically last longer. The price premium we pay (I fully admit that Macs are usually more expensive) balances out with rock solid hardware and software that requires little in the way of maintenance. Your mileage may vary. -
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