Mac sales fall, windows PCs up 7%

[UnderOpenSky]

Just a question re: Netbooks - is the XP version the same "vanilla" installed in Desktops, or are those tweaked to fit netbooks?

Same version from what I can tell, but they will be bringing out a version of 7 to run on such machines.

 

[Silva]

Vanilla XP

Same version from what I can tell, but they will be bringing out a version of 7 to run on such machines.

Thanks. That kind of surprises me - I would have expected the manufacturers would trim it down a bit, particularly on those obscure services. On the other hand, it explains why it works better on some stuff - I've tried to configure one of those wireless USB dongles on an Linpus Aspire One, and just couldn't do it permanently.

 

[Idaho]

Netbooks have certainly boosted Windows XP sales by a massive factor and shunted Asus into the big boy league.

I've never owned anything by the current #1 HP, but they shift PCs galore in the States.

I always seem to end up with a Dell for some reason.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

I think XP on the original 2 gig Eee 701 was a bit much, but more recent netbooks have the space to handle it fine. There's no great need to trim it.

 

[editor]

Mac sales still falling, PC sales continue to go up. Apple are still raking in the moolah.

According to the NPD Group, Apple’s market share where Mac computers are concerned continued its downward trend in May. Mac sales were down 3 percent YoY in May, while overall PC sales were up a substantial 12 percent. The NPD Group also noted that iPod sales were down a whopping 18 percent YoY last month.

http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2009/06/16/mac-market-share-drops-in-may-apple-revenue-share-up/

 

[Crispy]

They need to get a cheap laptop out there, pronto.
Not neccesarily a 'netbook' because of the physical compromises that involves (keyboard, screen). The fact that there are no 'modern' models in the 'macbook' product line suggests to me that such a machine is not far off.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

alternatively they could release an updated version of an already extremely popular product to immense consumer demand

OH LOOK

They do not need to make a netbook at all. "Analysts" say year after year after year "oooh look at this hand-picked stats, Apple are going down, they need to release cheaper computers" - doesn't seem to be the case.

 

[Crispy]

Well quite, apple are in no trouble while ipods and iphones continue to sell well, but if they care about their computer business, they should try and respond to the market a little bit.

 

[editor]

I've been banging on about Apple putting out some kind of lower cost netbook for ages. People tend to stick with the OS they start off with, and Apple's upmarket pricing is losing them an awful lot of potential long-term customers - especially as the recession continues and people look for value.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Their computer business is fine, and they don't follow the market; that's part of the strategy.

 

[Piers Gibbon]

oh pleeeease can I have a (lower) cost. smalll and LIGHT mac netbooky thing...please mac

 

[Crispy]

Maybe they're waiting for Snow Leopard so they can get better performance out of cheaper parts?

 

[editor]

This is quite interesting. Net stats firm Net Applications changed the way it measured market share to take into account geographical variations and as a result has completely reshuffled their global OS rankings. Windows soars upwards, Apple takes a large shunt downwards, while Linux enjoys a mighty hike:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-10303614-92.html

Here's a UK viewpoint:

Now that always struck me as a bit strange, sitting here in olde England. Having a cup of tea in Starbucks I see plenty of laptops running Windows, but not nearly as many Macs as I'd expect if those figures were accurate. One in 10 of the machines in the place? Not a chance!

Seems I'm not alone in noticing that Macs are most notable in many parts of the world by their non-presence: Since most Mac buyers are — apparently — in North America, and since much of the data that Net Applications uses comes from North America, Net Applications has changed the way it measures market share to take into account geographical variations. It turns out that Apple's actual market share has been greatly exaggerated.

The revised figures are a catastrophe for Apple. For the company's fanboys and girls, it's a case of red faces all round. Far from breaking into double digits, Apple's market share estimate has been slashed by more than 50 percent to well under 5 percent of the operating system market. Windows has shot up from the high 80s to over 93 percent of the market; Linux gets a heartening 18 percent boost, putting it safely over the 1 percent mark, with OS X firmly back in its sights.

Now, of course, one can discuss Net Applications' methodology endlessly and question the credibility of any organization that has to revise its figures by as much as 50 percent. But that's all rather missing the important point.

The point is that America's purchasing patterns aren't necessarily the same as the rest of the world's. Here's another example of this phenomenon: It may seem like everybody loves — and has — an iPhone, but worldwide, its share is just 2 percent of the phone market. It's much more accurate to say that everyone actually loves a Nokia. Crazy, but true.

http://www.serverwatch.com/columns/article.php/3833076/article.htm

 

[wordie]

I hated the oh-so-smug Apple adverts that just seemed to reinforce the stereotypes that some people have of some Mac users.

As a long term Mac user I have to agree with the Ed here. And I very much admire the "I'm a PC" campaign for the reasons already identified. A neat way of combating the Mac marketing steamroller, which allows PC users to believe their not such unstylish geeks as Apple would have the world believe.

But then again, regardless of whether it's Mac or PC, it's all dubious manipulation.

 

[winjer]

This is quite interesting. Net stats firm Net Applications changed the way it measured market share to take into account geographical variations and as a result has completely reshuffled their global OS rankings. Windows soars upwards, Apple takes a large shunt downwards, while Linux enjoys a mighty hike.

And shows Apple marketshare steadily growing:
http://marketshare.hitslink.com/os-...&qpdt=1&qpct=4&qptimeframe=M&qpsp=103&qpnp=25