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Mac: 66% market share?

insanely-great.com — Moreover, they've earned a 14% share of retail computer sales with a single, long-in-the-tooth offering...

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  • rickcarson, on 05/19/2008, -6/+8The problem with this analysis is that it divides the market up into two portions - under and over $1000. Now looking at the Apple line-up, everything is over $1000 except the mini. So if perhaps they fiddled with the numbers a bit, e.g. looked at under and over $1500, then they might get a completely different result.

    Anyway, lets ascribe some magical significance to the $1000 figure. Lets also say that in that particular space, people are very price sensitive. So to get a little bit more money out of them, we'll have to do a bit of work. I imagine that in that market segment, a lot of people are buying under powered computers, that come bundled with a low quality printer and screen (for instance). They'll be buying big clunky desktops, with celerons inside. Is the mini going to compete in that market, when it may cost the same as the bundled deal which comes with monitor, keyboard and mouse?

    I would say that the mini is going to be competitive if you want a small footprint machine... but for real desk saving no clutter goodness, you need to jump up to the iMac with wireless keyboard and mouse. So for those people who care about the minis main advantage there will be significant pressure to step up to the iMac. The people who want to shove the mini in cupboards in their kitchen, or install it in their car - awesome though that is - are not your typical mainstream consumers.

    I think also the initial sub-$500 price point might have been significant. A lot of IT people might have thought "yeah, I've got the monitor etc already, and I've been wanting to try this out for a while" and would stump up the cash. So if we ascribe magical significance to the $1000 price point, why not the $500 price point? However, when the mini was introduced, that was a big deal, because not many computers were going for under $500. Nowdays, when you can get a _laptop_ for say $200... their $600 starting price is going to be less attractive.

    Also, the mini hasn't been updated in a long long loooong time.

    It seems like it wouldn't be that big a step to merge the Apple TV and mini together, like chocolate and peanut butter... so maybe there's something good down the track for it, but will it sell? Who knows?
    • pjpark, on 05/19/2008, -1/+2Another market for the Mini: people switching from a PC who already have a keyboard and monitor. When I finally decided to get a Mac, I grabbed a Mini, plugged in the monitor, and was up and running in no time. Interestingly, when I use Boot Camp, the Mac is smart enough to pair my Apple wireless keyboard in Vista (I've used the Apple Bluetooth keyboards for years with my PCs).

      Desktop clutter/footprint is not really that big of a deal--people have printers, cameras, scanners, etc. that clutter up the work area anyway. The appeal of the Mini is that it is a simple little box that you just plug in and go. If I didn't already have a monitor and keyboard, then I would have gone with the iMac.
  • rebotfc, on 05/19/2008, -0/+7Take note, this is only retail sales and not mail order / web based sales. Obviously once you factor in Dell etc things become a lot different.

    That said, it is truly remarkable the success Apple has with it's retail stores across its entire product range. What this shows is that there is a huge growth potential in the Mac platform.
    • MacParrot, on 05/19/2008, -1/+3Yeah this does seem a little far-fetched. So basically the author took a segment of a segment and declared Apple the winner. With Apple sales legitimately rising, I'm not sure why stories like this come out. Just report the numbers of web and retail sales for the business and home markets. Apple's doing just fine without made up statistics.
  • AlwaysAwake, on 05/19/2008, -10/+7Watching my friends struggle with their cheaper Windows based computers, I'm never sorry I have a Mac
  • foxhaze, on 05/19/2008, -15/+9Every day I see a Mac user like the one above me, I'm glad to own a computer that kicks his ass.

    66% of the market doesn't make Mac any less *****.
    • colincornaby, on 05/19/2008, -4/+1Everytime I see a comment like yours, I'm glad I own a Mac that kicks your computers ass.
    • Wailord, on 05/19/2008, -0/+1Dugg by a Mac user.
  • troydoogle7, on 05/19/2008, -3/+3I am really tired of these screwed statistics to make out that apples are way more popular than they are. Apple is still less than 1% of the worldwide market.

    I am waiting for the next article which will no doubt be something like "Apple captures 99% of the fruit branded computer market......."
    • rebotfc, on 05/19/2008, -1/+2I agree stats are generally *****, but you have to take this statistic for what it is. Domination in retail above $1000. The margins for higher priced goods are going to be better hence more profitable.

      The real question is, why is Apple retail working so well? Why aren't other vendors copying their strategy?
  • javaroast, on 05/19/2008, -2/+1Lies, damned lies, and statistics
  • StanleyKoolPrik, on 05/19/2008, -4/+466%? Never.

    I'd say only 10% - 15% of the population, tops, are trendy assholes with delusions of uniqueness. So Apple's potential market share is limited to that, 10% - 15%.
  • lunchbox20, on 05/19/2008, -1/+3I see more and more MacBooks around conferences here in Vancouver - even Windows programs run on the Mac so I'm not surprised that Mac is gaining popularity fast. I think some people don't get a mac because they are so expensive otherwise it could get higher. I think iPod and iPhone and the i'm a mac commercials have also helped its image. Not just for elementary schools and graphic designers anymore!!
  • jtbndy, on 05/19/2008, -1/+3This just goes to show how "statistics" can be made to prove anything.

    It is not surprising to see this figure. For one, its retail only. Not many people buy computers from retail outlets. I don't know of anyone who has purchased a computer from a retail store like Circuit City or Best Buy. Like a user above said, factor in internet sales and Apples "market share" drops dramatically.

    Another thing this stat highlights are Apples overpricing of their computers. When you crack open the Best Buy add, all you see are computers that retail for sub $1000. Almost all, if not all, of Apples computers are priced $1k+.... so again, its not surprising to see this figure at 66%.

    Apple fanboys will try to relish these stats, but the bottom line is that Apple does not hold any significant market share in the overall broad base of personal computers.
  • larsalan, on 05/19/2008, -2/+2The statistic is obviously bull****. What people seem to think is that it's Mac vs. Pc. When it's really more like Mac vs. Dell vs. lenovo vs. toshiba vs. Asus vs. HP vs. Sony vs. Acer vs. Compaq vs. Everex vs. Fujitsu ... So, If Apple has even a 7% market share then great for them. This stat is obviously flawed, I'm just sayin'
  • Kingoftherings, on 05/19/2008, -0/+3Lets not even consider Linux, which is gaining much more than Mac is. While Mac is having meager 20% increases, Linux is having whopping 100% increases.
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