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More PC buyers will be going Mac in 2007

arstechnica.com — "Intel CPUs and dual-booting Windows are just two reasons more people will be choosing the Mac." I see the general buzz around Macs as a reason for those who've been holding off to finally take the plunge and buy a Mac. And the "halo effect" _does_ exist.

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  • nuclearpenguins, on 10/12/2007, -70/+47I don't think so.
    • Sarki, on 10/12/2007, -29/+37Oh, you can bet on it. Already the increases in Macs sold suggest that this is happening.
    • koregaonpark, on 10/12/2007, -27/+31I can say for a fact that this is happening here in India. More Mac users than ever before.
    • leodavinci, on 10/12/2007, -22/+39I have no doubt that Apple will continue to gain market share. In a lot of ways they have a superior product, especially in usability and stability. The majority of users just want a computer that lets them: get online, view pictures, listen to music, and look at porn : ). Just look at Chapelle :P http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62-I4ChZhY4
    • ThinkBox, on 10/12/2007, -16/+9People are missing the real news here...

      Arstechnica has a time machine!
      • kickasspodcast, on 01/21/2008, -0/+1honestly, maybe one of my fav comments ever.
    • sockpuppets, on 10/12/2007, -35/+22Two mouse buttons would be nice.
    • drakethegreat, on 10/12/2007, -4/+42The interesting thing is that so many people view this as apple winning some sort of epic battle. The reality is that both Apple and Microsoft win because in most cases dual boot on a mac means someone bought Windows at the FULL PRICE. Meaning they made more money then the purchase of a dell. The PC hardware companies tend to make a lot of money too. Who gets screwed the most? AMD :-/
    • lo0ol, on 10/12/2007, -3/+14It's pretty surprising how many Macs they're selling now. For example, the open source project Adium just released some statistics on their usage a few days ago:

      http://www.adiumx.com/sparkle/

      From their stats (which could be slanted some, but it's a good indicator), they're already showing more Intel-based machines than PowerPC. I thought that was pretty interesting since this happened in just a year, plus there are many instances where some really old Macs are still perfectly fine to use (I know a number of fellow students who have three and four year old iBooks that they seem to love just fine still). Interesting numbers to look at, to say the least... 2007 will be even more interesting in terms of total Mac sales.
    • panique, on 10/12/2007, -27/+20Once you go Mac, you never go back.
    • Jimgress, on 10/12/2007, -7/+11market trends in the past year have shown a steady increase in mac sales and there seems to be no sign of this slowing.
      So how is this unlikely? Can't just say it isn't and not offer a reason

      the burden of proof rests with you.


    • TheReport, on 10/12/2007, -17/+11"Two mouse buttons would be nice."

      Tell me you are being sarcastic, please
    • abbott75, on 10/12/2007, -12/+29If they are booting Windows, are they really 'switching'?
    • nixonrichard, on 10/12/2007, -14/+21So, this is not really PC buyers going "Mac" . . . this is PC buyers going PC. Just because Apple started making PCs doesn't change the fact that they are PCs. I have a feeling once people start using the laptop they are going to pick one OS and stick with it. I'm glad that you can now install Windows on a quality piece of laptop hardware (with that cool magnetic power plug), but I don't think this is going to change anything.
    • ths453, on 10/12/2007, -15/+11@sockpuppets then buy a mouse with two buttons or more.
    • JacNet, on 10/12/2007, -46/+22Macs are rubbish, Mac OSX is rubbish.
    • abbott75, on 10/12/2007, -29/+10@JacNet, you going for the most buried comment record?
    • DoubtfulSalmon, on 10/12/2007, -30/+23@panique:

      I went mac about three weeks ago, and I'm about to go back. My new core 2 duo black macbook is going on eBay right after the christmas silliness ends. It's turned out to be the biggest purchasing error I've made in a long time.

      My biggest fear is that all the other folks who went mac, only to go back, will auction theirs on ebay too and cause prices to drop :-/
    • Frankie4Fingers, on 10/12/2007, -20/+20I doubt any business will stake their income on Boot Camp... REALLY... COME ON. This is just more apple fanboy propoganda.
    • Johnnycashak, on 10/12/2007, -22/+6Maybe if Apple finally adds a second mouse button... that's what I am holding out for.
    • JacNet, on 10/12/2007, -19/+9@abbott75

      Actually yours has been buried more than mine.

      Just because you have to use a mac for its 6-year-old-simplicity, doesn't mean that me hating macs is an invalid opinion on digg.
    • illustrick, on 10/12/2007, -15/+10they can have their over priced pc's anyone who knows ANYTHING about computers knows that pc's are cheaper and faster. end of discussion. who wants a white computer? can you say dirt?.....
    • koregaonpark, on 10/12/2007, -20/+14I'm getting so sick of digg. I don't see how what I said is offensive or anything. It's a fact, Macs are getting popular in India. Please, digg me down and help me decide to quit visiting this site.
    • illustrick, on 10/12/2007, -8/+3who cares anyway? most businesses use windows cause, and what runs this country? business. windows isn't going anywhere, and neither is mac, they will always have their yuppy fanboys who swear by them. the fact that apple switched to intel to compete was their biggest mistake, cause now even the windows fanboys can buy apples over-priced hardware and still have their precious windows.
    • blackjack75, on 10/12/2007, -0/+18"Two mouse buttons would be nice."

      Any two or whatever five button mouse will work fine on OSX. Additionaly even the Mighty Mouse Apple sells today has two buttons. You just can't see them but if you click on the right side you get a right click. Note that this feature must be enabled in the preferences (otherwise right=left), since by default the whole OS works with one button if you want it to.
    • MacParrot, on 10/12/2007, -3/+16frankie,
      While I'm sure Apple would love to get a significant stake into supplying business machines, that isn't the market where additional sales are happening. Apple is gaining strength in the home market. This isn't a race, it isn't a contest. The OS wars are over and MS won. I got over the whole Apple must defeat product X a long time ago, and I doubt most Mac users care one way or another anymore.

      There are of course fringe elements that say Mac or DIE! But just ignore them as they don't represent the mainstream Mac user any more than some of the idiot gamers represent mainstream Windows users.

      Here's what's important to me. Apple is profitable. They continue to make hardware and software that I want. Gaining market share points is nice because it means that Apple will continue to be profitable and so on. They aren't going to take over the market. They aren't going to wipe out Windows. They aren't going to gain much on the business side of the market.

      You guys talking about one-button mouse for Macs. C'mon! Say it some more! Anyone with a brain on digg will think you're an idiot. So prove it with 5 year old jokes.
    • vinbob, on 10/12/2007, -11/+12@DoubtfulSalmon
      "I went mac about three weeks ago, and I'm about to go back. My new core 2 duo black macbook is going on eBay right after the christmas silliness ends"

      Errr... why don't you just load a different OS on it?
      You have a choice of ....
      -----MacOS (default, pretty, easy to use, some nice bundled stuff, stable, secure, "just works")
      -----Linux (free, tons of free bundled software, stable, secure, easy to use, "just works", can run lots of Windows software using Wine)
      -----Windows (expensive, insecure (with more vulnerabilities every week), bare OS with no bundled software, ultimately unstable, doesn't "just work" (multiple driver disks required etc.) but does have lots of good (and bad) software available for it).
      -----BSD (Like Linux, tends to be even more stable & secure but less software available)


      Personally I think that these people that change hardware just to change OS are complete mugs.
    • itsnotvalid, on 10/12/2007, -16/+8@vinbob

      Face it. I can't use Mac OS X unless I buy a Apple PC, doesn't it sound too like monopoly?
      For the price I pay for a Intel based Power "Mac" (really Power PC for now...) I could get 2 home brew PCs with quite similar specs. And these days, I could get this kind of PCs even in large scale - my old school bought 40 of their choice after returning 40 Dell PCs. Of course I don't get the same quality services like those Apple users in US, but here where I live even I pay for the Mac PC I don't get the services either. So why would I pay double to use the better OS? Here is no sense at all.

      So without buying a Apple branded PC plus DRM technology to stop fanboys from installing Mac OS X on non-Apple PCs, I can't use Mac OS X with my home brew vanilla PC, built by my hands. Unless you do it in a illegal way, of course.

      Your list is correct for an Apple PC owner, but for the folks outside this luxury circle, I bet your pardon. To convince me using Mac OS X, please let me have a chance to install it on my very same, oh no, similar - PC like yours. And I don't think money is an issue in this matter, since Windows XP to Vista, Mac OS X has 5 releases, and it definitely cost more than Windows XP plus Vista upgrade.

      Hope I get rated down like other anti-monopolists.
    • Burmask, on 10/12/2007, -15/+12Next Year's headlines. 90% People are buying new PC's with Vista installed because they found few appz and games for the Mac.
    • DaffyDuck, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10"If they are booting Windows, are they really 'switching'?"

      Mac is short for Macintosh which is the computer hardware Apple sells so in fact, if more users are going Mac and installing Windows, Apple is still benefiting because Apple makes the bulk of it's profit on the hardware sale.
    • omaryak, on 10/12/2007, -4/+15"Just because you have to use a mac for its 6-year-old-simplicity"
      I used to think "easy-to-use" meant "for stupid people." Now that I own a Mac, I understand it as "hassle-free." Saves time, energy and most importantly, stress.
    • aaarrrggghhh, on 10/12/2007, -19/+23"Once you go Mac, you never go back."

      I've been using macs since 1987 (Mac 128), worked for an apple dealer, became an apple reseller for 10 years and still have a Mac sat under my desk. I now only switch it on to read customer disks, convert a file, recover a hard drive etc, maybe once every 2 months. Windows for me now, OSX and really does nothing (in the real world) I cant do just as well for half the price on a PC. If your main concern is how your user interface looks, well, you need to start working on your computer instead of playing youtube vids and itunes.

      I'm not knocking apples hardware, it has always been excellent, in the late 80's early 90's they built some truly innovative systems, the Mac II ci was amazing compared to PC's of the era, although there have been some poor patches here and there (I agree about the mouse but I've used an intellimouse on mac for years). The fact still remains that theres no REAL reason to chose apple over PC now other than fashion (win 98 was crap btw I would never touch it, we're talking 2000, XP only).

      Anyone who wants to mention the blah blah Vista is gonna be $400 blah blah, if you bought into OSX at the start you could already on your 5th paid for upgrade (you did pay for it didnt you?). All my windows patches have been free!

      I know this will be at -300 in 10 minutes.
    • WiFiHunter4evr, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3I'm planning on buying a Mac Pro and I'm going to run Boot Camp, I want to be able to run Windows and OS. I think there is going to be definite increase in Apple Sales, most of the increase will come after Mac World. Maybe Apple will come out with Black MacBook Pro's. I definitely think that they will come out with a Laptop that is under $1,000.
    • DocWhoWho, on 10/12/2007, -12/+6Nope, silly silly Mac Users.
    • Aggaman, on 10/12/2007, -5/+21Well, the trend is for increased Mac sales. There are probably many reasons.

      1. Apple has been picking up sales among the techie crowd since OS X came out. If you'd frequented mac discussion forums over the past five years, you would have noticed this. However, a lot of users held back because they needed a Windows machine. Now Apple is offering a machine that allows you to run the Mac OS, Windows and Linux all on one machine. It's no wonder that sales are picking up. I'm guessing that a lot of the bootcampers are these people, and not casual users.

      2. Malware. For whatever reason, OS X is for all practical purposes malware free, and has been so for five years. I don't care to speculate about the causes for this, although I have found none of the explanations offered very convincing. Many people are sick of their Windows machines being attacked, and if they hear that Macintosh is "virus free", its probably good enough for them. I don't care if this belief is rational, or if it is idiotic: it is a belief that people have that is driving sales.

      3. The iPod. Everyone knows what an iPod is, and almost everyone knows that Apple makes them. Many people buy them from Apple's own stores, or stores that stock Apple computers. Awareness of Apple is probably higher than it has been since the introduction of the original iMac. Also, many Windows iPod users enjoy using iTunes (so what if they are misguided, they do enjoy it) and are more likely to look at macs if they are used to using Apple software.

      4. Aesthetics. Yes, this is subjective, but so are many things that drive purchasing decisions. In the view of many people, Apple simply produces better looking computers. Appearances matter to people. When Steve Jobs holds up a new MacBook Pro and compares it to some thick monstrosity from another manufacturer, some people will consider this important. Add to this that OS X has simply looked a lot better to many people than Windows for five years now (Vista will close this gap). Look at the CNN Zune clip. A lot of people agree with Soledad O'Brien. So what if other people think she is wrong in her aesthetic preferences? Some people don't agree with me that she's cute. So much the worse for them.

      5. Apple is doing exciting things with online music sales and online movie sales. For better or worse they get more press than other services (probably because the Apple service is simple to use). Microsoft is doing it the hard way by going after the living room through gamers, who are a small segment of the potential market for digital media in the living room.

      There's a lot of positive buzz around Apple these days. How terrible that Apple make products that people want to buy for whatever reason.

      It's not unreasonable to expect more mac sales given the current climate. Apple is never going to be the dominant OS manufacturer, but then again OS X is not the biggest threat to the Windows monopoly. Open Source software and web apps are.
    • DigiRaven, on 10/12/2007, -11/+6tell me why people would want to spend a hell a lot more for a mac? Ive just priced one out and it seems they are still expensive. I can build a pc a lot cheaper.

      Plus isn't directx 10 fueling the next generation of gaming?
    • Chewie67, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6"I don't think so"

      Huh? You must be dense. Read the headline - "More PC Buyers will be going Mac in 2007". It's an easily acheivable target. If 1 more person buys a Mac in 2007 than in 2006, the headline is right.

      Based on sales figures from 2006, it looks like hundreds of thousands more (if not millions more) will be buying Macs. Saying "I don't think so" is just MS fanboy ignorance.
    • Ireland, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5"If they are booting Windows, are they really 'switching'?"
      ..but that's if they are booting Windows? ;)

      p.s. This article isn't about switching, it's about people buying Apple hardware, instead of PC's.
    • twtmc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I still love my Linux PC. Hopefully more people will buy mac and the prices will come down though, because at the moment, thats the only thing stopping me from buying one over another PC. Mac Pro is a quality piece of hardware and I would love to get one for under $2000
    • MacSuxWindozSux, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Thats all fine and dandy... macs are pretty.. and because of market share, less prone to viruses and bugs.

      When upgrading I frequent two options:

      A) Buy a whole new computer and have it be a Mac OR PC, then dual boot.
      B) Buy a 100$ video card, and more ram.

      Would be nice, if I could ever afford it.
    • j0c1f3r, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1who cares.....
  • meski, on 10/12/2007, -12/+17You think?

    Maybe some Mac users will switch to Windows? It's so hard to tell.
    • threepio, on 10/12/2007, -22/+8What would the driving for be to switch to Windows?

      Compatibility of programs and games? With Boot Camp, Parallels and CrossOver that seems unlikely?
      Web standards? Er... Which browser has trouble passing the ACiD tests?
      The stylish, streamlined interface of Vista? Good one!

      Really, I'd love to know why a Mac user would dump OS X for Windows. Put it on a partition or run it virtualized? Sure! Switch machines? I'll pass, thanks.
    • nixonrichard, on 10/12/2007, -5/+22threepio . . . it's the same reason Mac users bought Virtual PC. Just like Wal-Mart, you can hate Windows all you want but sometimes it just really comes in handy.
    • threepio, on 10/12/2007, -10/+8That's not really a reason to switch TO windows though. It's like having a spare tire around - you hope you don't need it but you keep it on hand just in case.
    • zenerdiode, on 10/12/2007, -9/+23doesn't boot camp imply the NEED for windows?

      "Man, Mac is so great! I can run Windows on it now! Yay!"

      Huh?
    • dbr_onix, on 10/12/2007, -4/+10"Web standards? Er... Which browser has trouble passing the ACiD tests?"
      What do web-standards have to do with the Operating System?! Sure IE is probably less compliant than Safari, but that's hardly a reason for changing OS, you could quite easily install Opera if ACiD2 test compliance is all that's important to you in a browser..
      - Ben
    • Yanks2435, on 10/12/2007, -8/+10Threepio: Yeah try gaming on a Macbook or Mac Mini, it will suck. Integrated graphics, which they have, are junk for gaming. If you are going to buy a Macbook Pro or more $ on a Mac Pro just to put Windows on it and game, that is fine... but the majority of people will build a PC for cheaper, and it will probably be better.
    • Boondoggle, on 10/12/2007, -5/+6@Yanks;

      Thats funny about the gaming. Sure a better card will play better. But WoW is multithreaded on my Macbook and it plays really well. Is WoW multithreaded under windows? At all?

      No.


    • Burmask, on 10/12/2007, -10/+7@threepio - are you a bonehead? 99% of the world does not know what the ACID test is. They want appz and games, and Apple's selection sucks. Face the fu*king facts sh^t 4 brains.
    • Aggaman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8He's right. WoW on the macs with integrated graphics is surprisingly good. Of course you aren't going to buy one of these if you are a dedicated gamer, but then again you won't buy a mac if you are a dedicated gamer over everything else (since most games are Windows only).

      Point of fact. WoW is better on the new MacBooks than it is on my 1.5 year old Powerbook (which has a separate graphics card).

      From what I have read, the new Intel integrated graphics setup is far superior to the integrated setups of years past that gave such things a bad name. And this is not unique to Apple. No doubt Dell sells similar Intel based systems that are just as good in this respect.
  • kevinmotel, on 10/12/2007, -5/+6I know I for one will be buying a MBP when they release leopard. but at the same time i wanna build a media system and dual boot between vista and various linux flavors.
    • koregaonpark, on 10/12/2007, -5/+5I have a MBP. I'm dual-booting into Windows and running Ubuntu Edgy in a VMWare Fusion virtual machine.
    • alamandrax, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@ koregaonpark: and vista? didja get the latest RC?
    • Chewie67, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3You can add me to the PC -> Mac list in 2007. I won't be able to make a 100% switch do to my profession (I still need Visual Studio .NET), but my main functions (email, web, etc) will be on the Mac. Hopefully an 8 core Mac pro with Parallels or VMFusion.

      2007 could be a big year for Apple...
  • xtarburst, on 10/12/2007, -8/+16Of course, my new buy will be an iMac.
  • OpCzar, on 10/12/2007, -6/+15Everybody says they want a mac... But when they see all the huge discounts on PC's they are bound to not give in. This is especially true with laptops, 1249 $ for a basic macbook is a lot when you look at all the sub 1 thousand dollar selection out there. Don't get me wrong, the quality/price ratio is there but not the actual price.
    • threepio, on 10/12/2007, -14/+8You know, I can get a great HD TV for $999.

      I can also buy a much better TV for $1999.

      I spent the extra thousand bucks and got what I wanted. Sometimes the bottom line *isn't* the deciding factor in a purchasing decision.
    • ziadoz, on 10/12/2007, -10/+18The extra cash goes on your body's weight in packaging. Seriously there's nothing you can't do on a Macintosh that you can't do on a PC, and for a cheaper cost. So why would the average consumer jump at the chance of being ripped off?
    • threepio, on 10/12/2007, -19/+11Nothing I can't do eh?

      Run any of the iApps?
      Delicious Library?
      Final Cut? Aperture?
      Exposé?

      There are quite a few things I can't do on my PC that I can do on my Mac. And for things that I want to do on my Mac that require a PC - well, I can boot Windows or Linux. Go build your cheapass machine, and service the damn thing yourself - and do me a favour - try to run the above apps on it, let me know how that works out for you.
    • DoubtfulSalmon, on 10/12/2007, -11/+8@threepio: have you never heard of a hackintosh?
    • Gatesophile, on 10/12/2007, -8/+6@threepio

      There's other comparable programs on the PC for most (if not all) programs on the Mac.
    • blackjack75, on 10/12/2007, -6/+11Comparable for sure, but really some really start missing if you have to go back to windows only. Things like GarageBand are so simple and well designed that you can let a 10 year old kid have fun with it, while the windows equivalents are just so complicated (although definitely as powerful).

      As for Final Cut, not there is nothing to replace it. You have comparable sofware of course, just like you could use Gimp instead of PhotoShop, but people don't.
    • Aggaman, on 10/12/2007, -4/+6"There's other comparable programs on the PC for most (if not all) programs on the Mac."

      "Comparable" is a misused word. Show me an integrated suite of applications that do exactly what Apple's iLife does, and which have the same level of integration with each other and ease of use.

      You can't. Such a thing does not yet exist. Even Paul Thurrott, who is a notorious Windows fan, says the same, as have many other reviewers.

      iLife may not be something that everyone wants, but to say that you can do everything on a PC that you can do on a mac is as dishonest as me saying the reverse because you can play video games on a mac. Of course you can play games on a mac, but that's hardly the point.
    • jman8888, on 10/12/2007, -5/+3But Celeron Laptops Suck. Trust me ive used them
    • jman8888, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2errg.. Wrong spot.
    • flipmeat, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4Would you buy a car because it was the cheapest? A house? Clothing? Why would you buy a computer based on price? You say it's a commodity - so is a car. The commodity argument makes no sense.


      You get what you pay for. If you entrust your life and business to a box where each part is from the lowest bidder, well, good luck...
    • ziadoz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2*sigh*

      Why do people pretend the average consumer wants these things? I'm sure everyone is rushing out to go and buy an Apple because they want these "must have" applications. Its just not reflected in actual statistics obviously. The majority of average consumers who are buying Apple's are doing so because one they're total Apple fan boys (brand loyal to the core) or, just like the iPod, they're buying an overpriced fashion symbol.

      "Would you buy a car because it was the cheapest? A house? Clothing? Why would you buy a computer based on price? You say it's a commodity - so is a car. The commodity argument makes no sense.

      You get what you pay for. If you entrust your life and business to a box where each part is from the lowest bidder, well, good luck..."

      Have you even read the stuff your writing? Your comparing an serious purchase like a house or car, to a computer. A car is something, as you yourself put it "you entrust your life" too. It ensures the safety of you and your family. A computer is nothing more than a means to an end for the average consumer. Its certainly not a changing decision (apart from yourself apparently). The sooner people stop living in their online fan boy fantasy worlds and get out into reality and realise not everyone wants others opinions forced down their throats the better. So how about letting people make their choices, and you make your own.
    • mabhatter, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Apple has deftly managed to keep their computers out of the "commodity" market like bread and canned vegetables, by keeping their name "cool" the likes of Rebok, Nike, etc... Walk in to any mall and you'll see stores full of stuff 100% higher priced than it needs to be... but people buy it in droves!!! Because of Microsoft, PC makers compete on pure utility... Microsoft won't let any one maker deviate too far from the "plan" without reigning them in or sabotaging their efforts later.... so the PC market is just a race to the bottom for windows running computers. Modern day consumer PCs are the equivalent of the '80s Ford "Mustang" vehical... they've got the name of a great product and flashy plastic, but under the hood they're re-used economy parts not put together very well. IN short the PC industry is about to suffer the way the Auto industry did.
    • Gatesophile, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2"Would you buy a car because it was the cheapest? A house? Clothing? Why would you buy a computer based on price? You say it's a commodity - so is a car. The commodity argument makes no sense."

      I bought my car because it was in my price range (a low price) AND because it was a good car. I buy cheap clothing (hey, walmart clothes are great. usually a lot more durable than clothes from "real" stores, and a ten dollar shirt is WAY more attractive to me than a twenty dollar shirt of the same kind sold at "real" stores). And people buy a computer based on price because it's what they can afford. Even if you look at just PCs, people buy eMachines all the time (it's sick and sad, I know) because even though they don't have NEARLY the best hardware, or the best reputation, but because they are dirt cheap in the computer world. They know that it will do as a computer, at least for a while, and it's what they can afford.
    • cosmo7, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I work all day in Eclipse (mostly) and Photoshop (occasionally). I get paid about $600 a day and my company bills me out at around twice that. I'm presently using a windows machine. Guess what? My next machine will be a Mac, for reasons that have *nothing* to do with the insignificant differences in price between the two platforms. If you think price is still a big deal then you're in the wrong business.
  • iMoth, on 10/12/2007, -10/+6i'm going to be one of those people.

    imac ftw. :)
  • DirkVanAss, on 10/12/2007, -18/+32Comming new to Apple in '07....


    ....Viruses
    • panique, on 10/12/2007, -17/+5Keep dreamin'
    • ziadoz, on 10/12/2007, -5/+18You meant iViruses, right? Don't forget to market that shizzle. ;)
    • threepio, on 10/12/2007, -8/+4No argument here. You will look a bit thick if that prediction doesn't come true, mind you.
    • Boondoggle, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2He already looks thick for being stupid enough to make predictions like that.
    • waterdrop, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Now that hackers know about Mac OS X and its gaining popularity, they may decide to attack it. And considering those commercials, malware/virus/trojan writers might see those commercials as Apple saying to them, "Come attack my OS, I bet you can't".

  • drjekelmrhyde, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5yeah alot more Macs will sell but a lot more PCs will also cause people are getting 3-4 pcs and or macs for their homes
  • dgblackout, on 10/12/2007, -13/+12i wouldn't be shocked if more people switched over from windows next year.
    apple's already up there with the top manufacturers.

    the prices aren't always higher.
    take a look at the mac pro, it's over $1000 cheaper than the dell equivalent.

    plus, to be honest, the OS is nicer to use.
    there's some sense of community on the net for mac users and people who switch get others to switch as well.
    i got an iMac in may, and it's got to the point where my best friend and my girlfriend have just bought macbooks.

    I'm not saying the notebook line by apple is well priced, but if you're buying a laptop, one of the things I'd consider would be the look of it. you're going to be out with it, and seen with it.
    • aaronm67, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5Whatever you were looking at that said a Macbook pro is $1000 cheaper then the Dell equivalent was pretty skewed data...
    • yabos, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1@aaronm67
      He said Mac Pro not Macbook Pro. Try reading first.
    • aaronm67, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5ok...whatever site said that a Mac pro is $1000 cheaper then an equivalent Dell was giving you seriously skewed data.
    • archer75, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5A mac pro is a workstation machine. I don't know anyone who buys workstations.

      However I can build a Dell system for the home user that is significantly cheaper than a Mac Pro and more powerful too.
  • bigvics, on 10/12/2007, -16/+17Seriously, I know how much Apple fans love their macs and how much hope they have for the company, but realistically what do you guys consider success?
    Even after the huge iPod explosion of the last few years, Apple's market share has been hovering somewhere between 2-5%, depending on which sources you credit.
    I think its pretty clear that it will probably never break %6.
    • drjekelmrhyde, on 10/12/2007, -10/+9I agree but these people will digg you down
    • threepio, on 10/12/2007, -14/+13It's funny - the way people throw around "never".

      You'll never get a man to walk on the moon.
      Oh Colonel, you'll never find the right mix of 11 herbs and spices to make people crave your chicken fortnightly.
      Mobile email? You'll never sell a handheld like that to the people.
      You'll never see IBM fail with OS/2.
      You'll never see Nintendo beat Sega!
      You'll never see Apple with more than 5% market share.

      Never say never indeed.
    • mpatterson1, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6You wanna bet? I actually made some money on bets from people in '97 that told me Apple wouldn't last the next few months.
    • Murdats, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3sure quote only the ones that succeded, isnt hindsight great?

      you will never break the speed of light with only a bucket as a vessel
      you will never fly to the moon on the back of a chicken
      you will never create perpetual energy with a paperclip
      you will never see mac break 10% market share this decade

      I shall say never as much as I want because if you only look at the sucesses you are blind to the 2000 failures that came before it
    • MacSuxWindozSux, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Yeah theres a lot of over zealous people.

      Point is... do whats good for you. If you can afford a brand new laptop and you want to experiment with a Mac. Go ahead.

      Maybe you'll like it and do well. Maybe you'll hate it and cry.
      It's just a brand of computer.

      They will never get a large piece of the market because of how they do business. Apple makes the hardware and software with few other helper companies. Do you really expect the thousands of other business to simply go out of business?

      For us it's win/win. Because the PC side will want to win more and there will be better deals from MS and the 'ilk'.
  • mgnyc11, on 10/12/2007, -8/+8Without a doubt. I am traveling in Australia over the holidays and was at a store yesterday. Their was a line of about 30 people at the Apple section of the store, and 2 people checking out the PC's. I know this is not scientific, but it is obvious that the buzz is around Apple products, even in Australia.
    • verycheeky, on 10/12/2007, -8/+4Most people are switching to macs because yes, they get the job done, email, internet surfing and what else.. heard last week on Leo Laporte the Tech Guy that hackers and malware spyware developers are paid like 7 cents a machine they can infect and take control of to send spam undetected, even more for zombie machines to send out denial-of-service attacks . if the mac base continues to grow and more and more move over to macs, that is where the money is and guess what comes... or are macs totally malware and virus prone? something I have thought about in recent years, anyways.. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!
    • estvir, on 10/12/2007, -6/+5What store ? I think I'm yet to see a store with a 'dedicated' section to Apple products and I've been in basically every popular/common store that sells electronic goods (PCs, etc).

      Also, since we're throwing around anecdotal evidence I'll add in, I've lived in Aus basically all my life and I basically -never- hear anyone talk about Macs outside of a few at University and with some of my geek friends. I'm a geek and if someone I know is buying a new computer chances are they'll talk to me and at most I get asked what is the best hardware to choose (At the moment a nice a nice Core 2 Duo set-up is my recommendation) and if there is some strange occurence where someone mentions Apple they get lost and confused (Even after viewing Apple ads, etc) and just say "I'll get a PC, it works fine."

      Actually, a friend who is starting Uni next year is looking to get a second hand iBook just for basic email and writing. There we go, 1 real example.

      Honestly, your post about 'Macs becoming popular in Australia' is just stupid, baseless and rather silly.
    • Murdats, on 10/12/2007, -6/+4I also live in aus and am wondering what store you are talking about
      digital life? the apple stores?

      also did you consider the line was so long because the apple sales assistant was slow and useless?

      also working as a sales assistant myself, when people ask how to use their mp3 player my first statement is "I assume you use windows" 90% of the time the answer is yes or I think so (usually yes)
  • emmanuelsotelo, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5I will definitely consider a Mac the next time I purchase a new computer.
    Its mainly because they can run Windows.
    Parallels makes it even more appealing.
  • Erkan, on 10/12/2007, -7/+7I wont be getting a workstation that consumes 700 Watts.. so no Mac for me.
  • kdmaster, on 10/12/2007, -21/+2mac are going to take over the cool world (no code nerds will ever use one)
    • threepio, on 10/12/2007, -12/+17I code.

      On a Mac. Welcome to Wrongsville, Population: You.
    • xutopia, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Ugh!! Most great hackers I know are moving to Mac or already there. Youtube was built by Mac fans, Rails is being developed by a lot of Apple enthusiasts and almost everyone I know is moving to Mac.

      Check this out too: http://www.paulgraham.com/mac.html

    • pnrl, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Macs have good Unix compatibility, Objective-C and Cocoa with some pretty geeky libraries (CoreData for example) and implementation of Java that sucks little less than usual, so there's plenty of stuff for geeks on a Mac.
    • Refrag, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I seem to recall that the coder behind Digg likes Macs.
  • nodream, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2OS Wars Volume X: Recognized as the worlds leading soporific.

    Warning: Side effects may include, but are not limited to: headaches, nausea, depression and the uncontrolable urge to jump of tall objects.
  • Kwipper, on 10/12/2007, -10/+9One word to make a mac user shut the hell up....

    Gaming.
    • koregaonpark, on 10/12/2007, -9/+12This is how they'll reply: Boot Camp.
    • Absolute0, on 10/12/2007, -8/+12@koregaonpark

      This is how they'll reply: Crappy frame rates, etc.
    • estvir, on 10/12/2007, -5/+7Yes, and than PC users will reply with bad choice of video cards, lack of being able to upgrade (To the same extent / freedom) and so on.
    • deadbaby, on 10/12/2007, -7/+14I'll give you one word and a number:

      Wii

      360

      Enjoy.
    • Boondoggle, on 10/12/2007, -3/+13I've got news for you gamers. It is YOUR world that revolves around gaming. Not THE world.

    • MrSunshine, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4Kwipper, here's what the productive population shouts back at you:

      Gamerlamer.
    • xutopia, on 10/12/2007, -5/+6Computers are great for gaming but consoles are better. Why spend 740$ to "upgrade" my computer to make it viable for gaming when a 275$ console does the trick?
    • Aggaman, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7I'm a mac user.

      The only game I play a lot on a computer is World of Warcraft. It used to be Civilization. Both of these are available for the mac. I have no interest in other PC games.

      However, I do have an Xbox 360, and I spend half my gaming time on that (it would be more if WoW wasn't like crack, and I wasn't trying to complete my current armor set).

      I'd never owned a console before the 360, and I have to say that I find the console experience much better for most games than playing on a PC/Mac.

      I also want a Wii.
    • goldsmurf, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0Am I the only technically inclined user out there (net engineer/admin) who thinks video games are for (other people's spaztard) kids? Well, I mean I know I'm not, but seriously folks, you playing ***** video games???
    • Cyber_Akuma, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Sorry to say but you are still living in 1980 if you think videogames are just for kids. There are videogames that cannot even be sold to people under the age of 17. If you really are a techie and have a mentality such as this then I wonder just how outdated your degree is.
  • Hegemony, on 10/12/2007, -6/+13I will not use a mac as my primary computer because you cannot build your own. I want to choose all the hardware and put it together. I don't want to pay the Apple hardware markup. If a part craps out I want to be able to order a replacement (maybe even an upgrade) without being raped on the price and be able to fix it myself. I don't want to have to send it off to be fixed and be without a computer for a week. Hell, I'd run OSX if it functioned properly on PC hardware. But I know that's not likely to happen. I may move to Linux next year though... probably have to dual boot windows for games.
    • xutopia, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4I think your reason for not buying a Mac is perfectly valid. I think this is why Windows will lose. The hacker/modder spirit is best served with Gnu/Linux with AIGLX and the people who care only about packaged functionality and best value for your money will most likely go Mac.
    • Nevrast, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2This has no bearing on the general population.
    • ziadoz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I'll never understand how Apple can shift such a locked in computer. Once you buy an Apple, your pretty much tied in to the hardware. Everyone bangs on about how restrictive Windows is, but they aren't stopping anyone from using what hardware they want.
  • mfearby, on 10/12/2007, -13/+4A Mac would be nice if the OS itself could be made less frigging annoying -eg, no right-click rename or F2-equivalent and having the enter key begin renaming a file instead of opening a file/folder, which is just crazy! The dock is nowhere near as usable as the Win9x/XP taskbar; nothing beats that for being able to clearly see what's running, and those dock icons with little black triangles and obscure representations of windows near the trash can when minimised are just unreadable. And an OS that takes more than five minutes to open the Date & Time and just sits there with the spinning coloured wheel is a little hard to respect.

    I had to build a lab of 16 x 20" iMacs recently and started out looking forward to the experience only to be severely let down by the childs-toy that is the OS itself. I mean, having to add "sudo" to the beginning of every terminal command, even though I'm logged in as a user with administrator rights, is just plain ridiculous!
    • dbr_onix, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4Eh? Type "sudo su", besides, it's a good idea, if you accidently leave the machine logged in as the Admin account, someone can't come along, open Terminal.app, type nohup rm -rf /, snigger and wander off. Linux (And similar)'s sudo command works the exact same way. (And I don't really see how sudo makes OS X a childs-toy..)

      I agree with a few points, the Dock isn't as usefull as the Taskbar for multi-applications/many windows, since each application can only have one Dock icon, the Finder mounse navigation *sucks* (or atleast it's very unintuivie, why can't I press Enter to open the selected folder/file? Really - I've searched around and don't know how to open a folder with they keyboard, apart form in colums view)

      There *is* a right-mouse click, either plug in a two button USB mouse, or Ctrl+click, the "little black triangles" next to Dock icons indicate the application is running, and I've never seen the Date & Time thing take more than a second to start.
      - Ben
    • MacParrot, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4I agree that Window's taskbar is easier to use, but if you want to see every single app running along with their open windows, Expose is great. This was one of the best features Apple added for productivity in OS X 10.4
    • Boondoggle, on 10/12/2007, -4/+7no righ-tclick rename, are you kidding? You just click twice on the file name and rename it. EASY.

      from the help:

      "1. Locate the item you want to rename on your desktop or in a Finder window.
      2. Click the item to select it, then click the name. The name is highlighted and you will be able to edit it.
      3. Type the new name and press Return."

      Using sudo is a basic security feature. Why do you think Windows has so many holes?

      You obviously have had DICK experience with Macs, which is fine, but you then found it not to behave exactly like windows, and declared it lame as a result, without bothering to spend even a few minutes to look into how it works.

      So you're an ass.

    • Zorlen, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Command-O will open the selected item(s) in Finder. Simple keyboard command and makes a lot more sense than hitting enter to open an application.
    • Aggaman, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2"The dock is nowhere near as usable as the Win9x/XP taskbar; nothing beats that for being able to clearly see what's running"

      That's unfair. If you want to see clearly what's running, use Exposé. You can't get much clearer than that in most cases. Sure Exposé can sometimes get crowded, but so can the taskbar, and the new Vista response to Exposé (that sideways scrolling tile view) isn't anywhere near as good.
    • PhillyMJS, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Wow, I feel sorry for the people who have to use the Mac lab you set up.

      You clearly didn't have the slightest idea what you were doing, and your ignorance really shines through in your post.

      ~Philly
    • Refrag, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The enter key is for renaming and Apple+o will open a file.
  • n3twrkm4n, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4I don't know about you people with the I need a second mouse button, the mighty mouse that came with my apple has the ability to assign your PC user's right click function to the right side of the mouse... As for root access, why don't you enable the root account and just go that route? I think you people need to research before you go bashing an operating system which you obviously know nothing about.
  • Phych, on 10/12/2007, -7/+20People still don't get it do they?

    First, Apple fanboys that think everything Apple does is flawless need to realize that there are drawbacks and problems in Apple products. May not be as much as Wintels, but they are there...and, no, Apple products sometimes aren't the best choice, iPod included.

    Second, Wintel fanboys just need to quit talking like they know something when the only Apple they touched were the kind you bake in a pie. It's so painfully obvious that there is zero knowledge with any Mac that the comments verge on complete idiocy. If Mac fanatics were the annoying nerds trying to show off how smart they are, Wintel fanatics would be the dumb jocks trying (emphasis on "trying") to show any intelligence.

    Third, I salute those who used their brains and actually read the article; the few that knew that this wasn't a "Apple will kill Wintels zomg lol roflcakes!!!!11elevendy11", but one that merely pointed out that more and more people are switching. Wintel machines still have a huge share of the userbase and Macs won't come close to threatening that fact for some time, however, the increase in people buying Macs is eye opening and something to be aware of.

    Lastly, you really need to be able to use both Mac and Wintel concurrently to see that both platforms are exceptional, and they sometimes even complement each other. The negative of the Mac platform is not being able to use the Wintel platform, and the negative of the Wintel platform is not being able to use the Mac platform. Ask anyone who uses both regularly and they will say the same thing.

    P.S. Flame away!
    • NSResponder, on 10/12/2007, -5/+6I don't think there's really such a thing as a windows fanboy, just people who resent those of us who choose not to share their misery.

      -jcr

    • cquinnd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2 NSResponder,

      You assume everybody who uses the platform has reason to consider the experience a miserable one.

      You also assume that someone has to like (or understand) every aspect of a product in order to be a fanboy for it.

      Phych is right, except maybe for the sports analogy. I would put it more like the high school Golf team (Macs) against the high school Football team (Wintel). Both sports have merits and a popular following, but people on the teams are usually too busy practicing and learning their specialty sport to fully appreciate the other.
    • MacParrot, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Well said I digg up!
    • jacenat, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2"I don't think there's really such a thing as a windows fanboy, just people who resent those of us who choose not to share their misery."
      i have done so much with my win-rig you can never even dream doing with any mac and not even under linux.
      plus, i was able to ALWAYS upgrade/fix it myself, saving me alot money AND giving me new experience with hardware, software and related issues.

      some party of my pc are over 5 years old, while others are younger than 3 months and this thing keeps on growing. yet i played almost all games released 2006 with decent quality and framerates.
      this is something you just can't beat with any mac or linux machine (although i am damn glad i finally decided to dual boot linux my machine ... coding is a tad more convenient under linux).

      so you might as well call me an windows advocate (at least if you still count win2k as a windows), because i believe in the absolute "noob freedom" this combination offers you. you can make work almost everything in notime with no prior knowledge on a windows rig, something private consumers will ALWAYS look for.
    • Boondoggle, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5@cqnnid:

      Not really. Mac users are MUCH MUCH MUCH more likely to have realworld, hands-on experience with Windows. Most Mac users I know use Windows all day at work, myself included. Of course now I can do it on my Macbook either with Parallels or with RCD.

      The windows user / preferrer that has spent enough quality time with a Mac to learn enough about the platform and comment intelligently is RARE.

      Like "Macs suck, you have to open a file to rename it, that is crazy!!!!" Just read above, someone charged with setting up a lab of Macs made similar comments.
  • stockjones, on 10/12/2007, -4/+4license OSX or just settle for no 2 or less. Apple OSX is nice, and its obvious Vista has copied a lot of look from OSX, but there is a bigger picture as to why PC's with windows is so dominant. Windows is dominant in the enterprise and business. Windows is dominant for PC games. PC hardware is easily accessible and available for anyone to install for themselves. This may not seem like lot but it makes a big difference. A lot of people get introduced to computer use through work. A lot of kids get introduced to computers either to play games or through school and most schools these days have windows PC workstations (because that is whats most commonly used in business).

    You want to see IT folks or businesses consider OSX? license the OS. Let them put it on their own hardware etc. That would really put some pressure on windows. Provide better on site support not the genius bar. But hey it will never happen. Actually if linux keeps improving and supports more commercial applications it may have a better chance.
    • clyde2801, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I'd say give away the older versions of osx with no tech support, such as 10.2 or 10.3. Let everyone put it on their computer. Sell them the new versions or new macs when people want to upgrade...
    • NSResponder, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4" Vista has copied a lot of look from OSX"

      Well, sort of.. Vista would be a better product if they'd made it *more* like the Mac, but ultimately they're just putting lipstick on a pig.

      -jcr

    • chadseld, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Apple is perfectly happy being #2. Still, they can double their market share and still be #2.
    • Kwipper, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I have to agree. If I was able to *legally* put OSX on PC hardware instead of Mac hardware, I would make the switch to apple's OS. Of course this would be after they get some drivers for the millions of PC hardware out there. Then show that their OS is more efficient at processing data (epically for gaming) than Windows.
    • avihappy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Apple almost died when they licensed the Mac OS!

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_clone
  • paulstringer, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1"Two mouse buttons would be nice."

    An optical mouse with 4 buttons + a scroll ball would be nice
    • n3twrkm4n, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8The mighty mouse has 4 buttons and a 360* scroll ball
    • Phych, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0you can plug in any usb mouse i believe.

      mighty mouse may have 4 buttons, but the buttons are solid state and cannot be pressed at the same time (eg. right and left mouse buttons cannot be pressed at same time), which is a little annoying in certain applications and games.
    • blackjack75, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Maybe someone should mention that any freaking mouse will work fine...
    • mtheoryx83, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I am a Mac user and I use an external Microsoft 4-button optical USB wireless mouse with 3-function scroll wheel (scroll up/down, left/right, click to change apps). Works perfectly.

      Additionally, I use a Microsoft keyboard on my Mac...and all the hotkey media functions work seamlessly. Even I can admit a superior product, even from Mac's main competitor.

      I have never found a better keyboard and mouse from any manufacturer, especially Apple, than this combo to use with my Mac. Bravo to Microsoft; in the Input department, they are Top Notch.
    • Aggaman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I use a Logitech G7 wireless mouse for gaming, and the Mighty Mouse otherwise. I think the MM is unfairly stigmatized, but it's a lot nicer than most mice that you get bundled with a new machine. Compare the MM to some of the horrible default Dell mice and you'll see what I mean.

      I didn't actually mind the old one button mouse. I really loved the old Apple Pro Optical Mouse. It was comfortable and fun to use.

      Complaining about Macs having a one button mouse was a bit silly really. OS X is different, but the Classic Mac OS was designed to be used with a one button mouse, so it wasn't much of a problem.

      Mind you, Apple designed the original Macintosh to be used with one hand on the mouse and the other on the keyboard. I guess that made them no good for porn. Is this the reason for Apple's marketshare decline in the 90s, coincidental with the rise of internet fueled masturbation? :)
  • HideoKojima, on 10/12/2007, -11/+2HAHAHAHAHAH the crapple fanatics are delusional.
    • clyde2801, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8Enjoy your malware, moron.

      -Delusional Mac User
  • JoeSlingo, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2It would really be nice to see more people learn something about the technology they are investing in. One of the biggest problems with technology these days is ignorance and that isn't something you can change by giving someone a mac. How many people can actually tell you why they bought a mac other than "it's cool" or "its not all f#cked up like windows"? I've never heard anyone mention the multitasking felt more fluid, the filesystem was more stable, or that they liked the idea of a secured root account (on os x at least). You might say yeah i don't need to know all that, but the equivalence would be your car running out of gas and not having any idea why it wont start.
  • deadbaby, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11Instructions on how to ignore the Apple category:

    1) Create a digg account or login to your existing account.

    2) Click on Profile

    3) Click on "Manage topics"

    4) Uncheck "Apple"

    5) Stop trolling.
    • blackjack75, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7Where is the stop trolling link? I can't seem to find it?
    • mpatterson1, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2From these forums, I bet most trolls think that the apple mighty mouse still only has one button? For people that think that their opinions are so informed, they don't seem to know s**t.
    • molochi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1It doesn't work. I still see the Apple advertisements in my rss feed and on my Google homepage. I spent that small amount of effort to remove Apple stories from my Digg experience, but my eyeballs are still seeing them. Apparently, that means it's OK for me to foist my independent, unpaid opinion upon you.

      Not that I would mind Apple news mind you. But digg front page stories on Apple are mostly about how great life would be if I just bought one. I get sick of that.

      My personal opinion is that many of the people posting responses to the Mac section of Digg are either paid to do so, or they're wackos.

      So I saw this, "More PC buyers will be going Mac in 2007" and I thought, " Gee, I hope so. It would be a shame if no one bought a Mac in 2007."
  • capture, on 10/12/2007, -5/+0i think untill apple lower the price of a mac they arnt going to get lots of people switching over
    • mpatterson1, on 10/12/2007, -4/+4I think a $599 mini is a low price for a decent computer. I'm sure you didn't know they had macs for that low before you made your post, right?
    • nixfu, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Yeah because being the same or cheaper than Leveneo, HP etc.. already isnt enough?!
    • mabhatter, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1there's not really any mainstream PCs sold for less than the $599 price point on the shelves. Most of the $399 "deals" are just lower prices on obsolete crap. The Mini is throughly updated... They run Core Duo procesors!!! Even at the slower clock speed of the mini, that's FASTER than most of the high end P4 line and any Celeron/M processor out there!!! (as well as most of AMDs stuff) Combine with properly matched video, ram, and network options and it's not a "cheap" computer at all. There are worse value computers on the shelves at every box store. The mini is not CHEAP... but it is a value.
  • linkerjpatrick, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9I'm not a mac "fanboy" I use OSX, Windows and Linux. After buying my Macbook Pro a few months ago I converted my Windows XP Dell 8200 to a Linux testing server running Fedora Core. I use both OSX and Windows to test web development projects. Yes, I bought a copy of Windows to run on the MacBook Pro but I estimate I'm in the OSX environment using OSX applications about 95% of the time. My wife got an Intel iMac earlier this year and the MacBook Pro is the best purchase I have ever made on any computer thus far.
  • NSResponder, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2In a related story:

    http://www.theonion.com/content/node/38603

    -jcr

  • Rain-X, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1It's because the baby boomers are getting old and don't want to "think" about how to work a pc and go with a more friendly mac solution.
  • UKsHaDoW, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL Mac's are for noobz0rs!!!11!!11oneoneoneones. Can't game lOllolrofl

    Some words for people like that.

    Step outside!
  • chrispr, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3I wasn't sure until I saw the "Buy a PC, buy a Mac" commercials. Now I'm definitely switching.
    • Aggaman, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Oh come on. If you digg this guy down, you have no sense of humour.
  • 2shae, on 10/12/2007, -4/+5"If they are booting Windows, are they really 'switching'?"

    No, but Apple is getting payed = D


    Anyway I do believe that this story is true. I also gonna be a switcher by Jan. 07
    • Boondoggle, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6booting windows is a security blanket. It allows apple to answer the question "Will I be able to use the apps I already have?" with a YES.

      The reality is that most users won't boot into windows that much once they start using the Mac
  • 23r17i05o42n, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7Suck it Dell.
    • avihappy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Yeah, the only reason I picked up my MacBook Pro was becuase of the horrendus service from Alienware (a Dell subsidiary). I'm lovin' my MacBook Pro!
  • elgato65, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I live in Argentina and the pricing situation is very different. Apple has no official store, only a couple of representatives with the exact same pricing scheme. A mid range MacBook that Apple sells for $1299 costs $2450 here. That's a huge difference, over a thousand dollars, even worse when you consider that the local exchange rate is 3 to 1 to U$ dollars. Also, this price is for a Core Duo, not a Core 2 Duo.

  • misfit410, on 10/12/2007, -5/+3I wish people were more informed about hardwares value- then we would see if they truely would pay
    $2500 for $500 worth of parts.
    • DontSayFanboy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I don't know where you've been, but these days a computer is alot more than the sum of it's parts.
    • jman8888, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2So 2 Xeons FB-Dimms And A 7300 Is All 500$

      OMFG... ID HIT DAT
    • Gottschalk, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2A computer is more than the sum of its parts. If its running Mac OS right?
  • Iccanui, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Dont forget. Apple is indeed a hardware company. OSX is great, but if they are selling the hardware then they are winning.
  • johan123, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0I Couldn't agree more with this article... I know this is the reasons why I will buy the next gen. MacBook anyways... :)

    Happy Holidays everyone!
  • Veight, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8Once I started bringing my Macbook to work, everyone changed their tune about them. Two people have bought them already and several more have expressed interested with a couple insisting that their next computers will be Macs. These are all IT nerds mind you.

    I can definitely see them doing well next year. I think once nerds actually see new Macs, and not just base their opinion off of old stereotypes, they stop hating on them pretty quick.

    I'm selling off my PC desktop in the very near future and waiting until late '07 or early '08 to get a new one. If Apple puts a DX10 video card in the iMac or at least enough driver support to get one with a Mac Pro next year, it's over for me.
  • bl4cklight, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4I'm a convert. I was PC for the last 10 years
    ...went back to mac with a sweet macbook pro weeks ago.
    I was lured to OSX by iTunes on Windows, and repulsed from PC by all little hardware troubles I had in those years. The UNIX aspect of OSX is very important to me... no more linux dual boot and configuration headaches.

    Oh man that new laptop is slick.
    Bootcamp is nice to have too, for casual VC++2005 development I need to do. Apple did a great job of providing correct drivers, even though the laptop seems a bit handicaped in windows (screen brightness not configurable, battery life less long, etc.). But, the trackpad is fine (second click and scrolling with two fingers)
  • Desslok, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3I wouldn't mind buying a Mac, but they're too damned expensive, always have been. Lower the price and I'll have both a PC and a Mac on my desk hanging out, just like in the commercials (except PC will be cooler because he has all the games).
    • Veight, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1My Macbook was over $100 cheaper than an equally specced HP. They might not have cheap laptops but they're not really that expensive comparatively.

      iMacs, on the other hand...
  • pabster, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Damn Mac fanatics :=)

    I do see more buyers going for the Mac in 2007, but not an earthshaking increase.

    The fact that a Mac with Parallels can now be your all-in-one box (Mac/Windows) certainly makes it appealing.

    But remember, gamers will never go Mac.
    • Gottschalk, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1Yes, it is very appealing to pay more for hardware and then turn around and have to buy another OS to get the same functionality as a PC running Windows.

      And when can I upgrade my Mac mobo off newegg?
  • Lynn, on 10/12/2007, -7/+3The same thing was said last year and the Mac Market Share is still at 2.7%.
  • markthegoth, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5i switched this weekend, sick of having to keep tuning and playing about with my computer, its a cliche but macs just work
    • Gottschalk, on 10/12/2007, -5/+3I don't know what the hell you people are doing to Windows PCs that are causing all these problems.

      Considering that I can buy all the necessary components and assemble a working rig that kicks ass at low cost I can't help but wonder why you can't run XP without effort?

      If you are using a Mac than I seriously doubt you are running applications and hardware that would cause serious issues. Seriously, how do you people trash your PCs with emails to Grandma?

      If XP is too technical for you it is time to give up on life.
  • replica, on 10/12/2007, -6/+7The iPod halo effect will increase Mac market share. Nothing happened.
    The Mac Mini will increase Mac market share. Nothing happened.
    The switch to Intel will increase Mac market share. Nothing happened.
    • zioxide, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2While the first two may not have changed the Mac's market share, the switch to Intel chips definitely has.
    • Lynn, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The Mac share is still 2.7%. Nothing changed.
  • ylikone, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I would buy a mac. If only I could shake my obsessive use of Linux on computers I build myself.
  • wout, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Offcourse more macs will get sold!
    The systems offered by Apple are very nice, people get the chance to try the Mac OSX platform and if they dislike it they can easily use MS Windows on their new machines...
    I prefer OSX though :)
  • RealHyperX, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I love macs, I have two now. I just got one for my wife. Love the stability. But when it came time to buy a new computer for my uncle, I bought him a windows machine. $500 included a 15 inch LCD and 1 gig of ram with a 100 gig hard drive. I wish I could buy him a Mac, but I didnt want to spend more than $500. (the 500 also included a free printer after some BS rebate).
  • bleutuna, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3There are only two reasons to own a Mac over a PC, besides PREFERENCE:

    1) You don't know what you're doing on your computer, and you need an operating system that doesn't have to be maintained. For MOST of us that read DIGG, this doesn't apply to you. We update our PCs regularly. We have a virus scan, probably windows defender, and a firewall thrown in. Our ***** is safe and clean and runs well. But my mom? She can mess up a fresh install of windows in about a month. Have 20 different toolbars and background apps running, destroying her ability to use the system. For her, I've recommended a MAC for the next PC she gets, because it would be extremely difficult for her to mess it up like she has XP.

    2) Final Cut Pro. FCP is an amazing piece of software that apple should sell a PC version of. They are walking a line of trying to keep something that is popular on Mac only to increase Mac sales, but they could increase revenue and potentially become the new industry standard for editing if they'd only make a PC version of FCP. And, considering it's running fine on Intel-Based Macs, I don't think it would be that difficult for the company to do.

    Whatever happened to the OSX on a PC project? For some reason, it just vanished. Tons of people dual boot XP onto a Mac, but why aren't people dual booting OSX onto a PC? I'd love something like BootCamp or similar for the PC, that would allow me to use FCP.
    • Gottschalk, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3All computers must be maintained. This myth that Mac OS is immune to threats is going to be bad, bad news when malware becomes a problem. Seriously is a virus scan that hard to do?

      Are we just admitting that Mac is for the computer illiterates out there?
    • bleutuna, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Gottschalk: Not for me. But apparently, for my 50+ year old mother, it's impossible. I set up her machine to be as automated as it could be, but I fear that in just a few short weeks I'll get the call, "QUENT! MY COMPUTER'S BROKEN =( "
    • Gottschalk, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1I didn't mean to imply you specifically.

      I'm not saying no one should buy a Mac but I really worry when young people are using Macs because I feel like those people should learn the necessary skills.

      Like I have said before about the girl CS major that always need help with her MBP.
    • pabster, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Don't forget Aperture.

      Really anyone who does audio/video for a living rather than fun knows the value of a Mac over a PC.
    • NSResponder, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1" You don't know what you're doing on your computer,"

      Or, you DO know what you're doing, and you'd rather not waste time on the routine maintenance that Windows requires.

      -jcr

  • chadseld, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I work in a Java development house. Our software is only 'supported' on Windows, RedHat Linux, and Solaris, but it will run on Mac OS X. Recently, Macs are starting to show up on a lot of peoples desks. Right now they are showing up on the desks of the high-end 'guru' developers, but the change in the last few months has been noticeable.
  • Gottschalk, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2You people are ignoring the obvious. Everyone complains about malware, again it really is not an issue if you are not an idiot.

    But what happens when Mac's market share becomes significant and the malware death beam starts to focus on Apple products? I think you'll see the biggest ***** of pants in history.
    • Chewie67, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2"it really is not an issue if you are not an idiot."

      That's bull. Fully patches Windows XP installs are still vulnerable to some viruses and trojans. Sure, you can be smart and not visit questionable web sites or preview HTML email, but not matter how safe you try to be, you can still get infected -- no matter who you are.

      That's just not the case on the Mac -- at least not so far.
    • Gottschalk, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1So Mac OS is invulnerable to all known malware and potential malware?

      Saying that something is not a material problem doesn't mean there is no problem. But if you are getting jacked running XP then you are, most likely, doing something wrong.

      And if you are really worried about security just use a virtual environment.
    • ziadoz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Windows, with a good free anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall is fine. I wish people would stop spouting about all the vulnerabilities that aren't used anyway.
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