How Apple could grow mindshare EXPONENTIALLY
Right now Apple has some cool stuff in iPhoto, iTunes and iPod, and iMovie. But realistically, how many Macs are these going to sell? With only 27 stores, not too many. Let's be generous and say Apple could sell 150,000 more Macs this year to Wintel users just because of these apps. 250,000 would be extremely generous and would be about an 0.2% marketshare.
Here's a risky but bold idea to make Apple a HOUSEHOLD NAME and part of mainstream computing. Give away Windows version of iTunes, iMovie, and iPhoto, and sell a version of iPod for Windows which I'm sure they plan to anyway.
Now you might say that Apple is giving away its whole digital hub advantage. But think about how much mindshare and press Apple would get. If iTunes is the coolest and easiest to use jukebox think about 50 MILLION Wintel users using it. Think about 20 MILLION Wintel users using iPhoto because their friends said it was the best choice.
Analysts have said that Apple could sell four times as many iPods if they released it for Windows. Let's take a guess they make $75 profit for each iPod or will soon. I figure that's about $100 million extra profit. They could also come out with an Apple branded camera. iPhoto could have some really cool features added that only work with Apple's camera. And maybe they could do the same thing with an Apple video camera and iMovie.
They would give up a modest amount of immediate sales but the press would be tremendous. They would be in all the PC magazines and the mainstream press. They would win over journalists who had previously been Macphobic. iPod would be hotter than the Rubik's cube. They could become a mainstream brand like Sony. And they would break down the image of Apple as an outsider.
The nag screen to all three apps could be something like "Only Apple makes it this easy. Experience the Mac advantage at an Apple Store near you. " AOL won the battle with Microsoft a few years ago because they went to the extreme to get mindshare by putting CDs everywhere. Apple could do the same to promote itself.
Here's a risky but bold idea to make Apple a HOUSEHOLD NAME and part of mainstream computing. Give away Windows version of iTunes, iMovie, and iPhoto, and sell a version of iPod for Windows which I'm sure they plan to anyway.
Now you might say that Apple is giving away its whole digital hub advantage. But think about how much mindshare and press Apple would get. If iTunes is the coolest and easiest to use jukebox think about 50 MILLION Wintel users using it. Think about 20 MILLION Wintel users using iPhoto because their friends said it was the best choice.
Analysts have said that Apple could sell four times as many iPods if they released it for Windows. Let's take a guess they make $75 profit for each iPod or will soon. I figure that's about $100 million extra profit. They could also come out with an Apple branded camera. iPhoto could have some really cool features added that only work with Apple's camera. And maybe they could do the same thing with an Apple video camera and iMovie.
They would give up a modest amount of immediate sales but the press would be tremendous. They would be in all the PC magazines and the mainstream press. They would win over journalists who had previously been Macphobic. iPod would be hotter than the Rubik's cube. They could become a mainstream brand like Sony. And they would break down the image of Apple as an outsider.
The nag screen to all three apps could be something like "Only Apple makes it this easy. Experience the Mac advantage at an Apple Store near you. " AOL won the battle with Microsoft a few years ago because they went to the extreme to get mindshare by putting CDs everywhere. Apple could do the same to promote itself.
Comments
Case in point. My sister-in-law has family in Egypt. I recently bought our family's first digital camera and she was so excited about how easy it was to make a web page of the photos using iTools (this was before iPhoto) and sending the link to her family so they could see my niece's birthday pictures that same night. The last time I was at home, she was playing with their recently purchased digital camera and I showed her iPhoto. She was floored. It's now even easier to do the thing that made her fall in love with a digital camera. She asked, "Is this program only on an iMac (meaning a Mac)?" And I said yes. She said, "so there's better software for Macs?" And I said yes (bending the truth a little, but thought the irony of the situation allowed it
the new digital hub, only from Apple,
30 days ease of use on a Wintel machine, forever and a day ease of use on a Mac...Apple, giving you a reason to switch....
g
--Mike
They have to get their asses raped in China. Huge market, few computers. A cheap computer in that market, with a healthy dollop of piracy on both the hardware and software fronts and they could find themselves with a lot of new users in a very short time. Perhaps they could license their hardware technology for exclusive Chinese market production (as some of the car makers do) Something outdated enough to offer no real threat to sales outside of China. Something cheap enough to get a lot of users on X and on the net. The Chinese produce the things and sell them, Apple licenses them a MoBo and OSX. The Chinese will abuse the license, but who cares. As time goes by, and they increase in affluence, Apple starts revising its relationship till eventually they're selling full-fledged (Apple produced) Macs to a very large installed base.
China. It's the only tech/internet frontier still out there with a big enough potential market and enough of a prospect for wealth to give somebody *exponential growth* in the next 10-20 years.
<strong>There is only one way.
They have to get their asses raped in China. Huge market, few computers. A cheap computer in that market, with a healthy dollop of piracy on both the hardware and software fronts and they could find themselves with a lot of new users in a very short time. Perhaps they could license their hardware technology for exclusive Chinese market production (as some of the car makers do) Something outdated enough to offer no real threat to sales outside of China. Something cheap enough to get a lot of users on X and on the net. The Chinese produce the things and sell them, Apple licenses them a MoBo and OSX. The Chinese will abuse the license, but who cares. As time goes by, and they increase in affluence, Apple starts revising its relationship till eventually they're selling full-fledged (Apple produced) Macs to a very large installed base.
China. It's the only tech/internet frontier still out there with a big enough potential market and enough of a prospect for wealth to give somebody *exponential growth* in the next 10-20 years.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Regarding China, Micro$oft Bill Gates always said, "You sell one copy and there goes the market". China does not respect intellectual property, they *want* to be the economic engine of the future and they have all of SE Asia and Japan worried. I doubt that their entry into the WTC will really change anything besides the 1 off event of steam rollers running over pirated cd's, watches, dvd's etc. Multiple Napster by 1 BILLION people and you have China.
Even the damage to developers is minimized since there'll be little cross talk from a Chinese language app made for a (slow/old) system to western language stuff running on 'state of the art' hardware. If they come up with anything especially fast/efficient, well, then that represents an opportunity to bring good code to a western market that'll pay for it.
Apple makes money on the deal, and PC users who like iPhoto, iTunes, iMovie, Quicktime Pro and iDVD have ~$200.00 worth of reasons to switch to the Mac. And they would all of course work better and be better integrated on the Macintosh.
That is the only way I would see Apple being able to port them to the PC, and even that is not too likely.
<strong>From the number estimates to the general concept, dumbest thing I have heard since "Apple should license clones."</strong><hr></blockquote>
Are you speaking of my post or MATSU's? <img src="confused.gif" border="0">
<strong>depending on how easy vs hard it would be to port iTunes, iPhoto and iMovies to windows (maybe not iMovies...too big)....apple could make it 30 day demo software (like MS is doing with Office v.X)....after thirty days the software goes away and says....
the new digital hub, only from Apple,
30 days ease of use on a Wintel machine, forever and a day ease of use on a Mac...Apple, giving you a reason to switch....
g</strong><hr></blockquote>
I was thinking that too. I think that Apple really should think about doing that, at least get Windows users to try it out and see if it's worth getting a Mac.
How many Macs do you think an Apple Store sells a day? Multiple that by approximately the number of days in a year, and then the number stores...and special events that drive up sales. Now what about the addition of Amazon.com as an Apple online reseller? Don't count out significant gains, especially if PC sales in comparison fall flat. Marketshare isn't vs a set value, it's vs the rest of the industry.
[quote]Give away Windows version of iTunes, iMovie, and iPhoto, and sell a version of iPod for Windows which I'm sure they plan to anyway.<hr></blockquote>
The iPod bit is so blatantly obvious. "A version" of the iPod? it would be the exact same iPod, my friend.
[quote]If iTunes is the coolest and easiest to use jukebox think about 50 MILLION Wintel users using it. Think about 20 MILLION Wintel users using iPhoto because their friends said it was the best choice.<hr></blockquote>
The Apple brand-name is a stigma in the Windows world. See QuickTime. iTunes and iPhoto are free...it would be a blunder to offer these to users without necessitating a switchover.
[quote]Analysts have said that Apple could sell four times as many iPods if they released it for Windows. Let's take a guess they make $75 profit for each iPod or will soon. I figure that's about $100 million extra profit. They could also come out with an Apple branded camera. iPhoto could have some really cool features added that only work with Apple's camera. And maybe they could do the same thing with an Apple video camera and iMovie.<hr></blockquote>
I bet you Apple makes less than $75 for each iPod. Sure, they could add basic Windows compatible drivers for the iPod, and a yet-unreleased iCam, but it would have to be severely crippled...That's fine.
[quote]They would give up a modest amount of immediate sales but the press would be tremendous. They would be in all the PC magazines and the mainstream press. They would win over journalists who had previously been Macphobic. iPod would be hotter than the Rubik's cube. They could become a mainstream brand like Sony. And they would break down the image of Apple as an outsider.<hr></blockquote>
tremendous press alright...
"Apple develops Windows versions of software in desperation."
"No reason to buy Apple hardware."
Appl *is* a mainstream brand like Sony. You ask people to name some computer companies and Apple will be on that list.
[quote]The nag screen to all three apps could be something like "Only Apple makes it this easy. Experience the Mac advantage at an Apple Store near you. " AOL won the battle with Microsoft a few years ago because they went to the extreme to get mindshare by putting CDs everywhere. Apple could do the same to promote itself.<hr></blockquote>
Nag screens drive people to hack or patch software, not buy it. People will associate Apple with nagware. That is not good. Slow but steady won't win this race, but it won't keep Apple left in the dust. Gateway and other PC companies tried to burst onto the scene, and look what happened. Apple needs to take things in stride...
Slow and steady, but influential.
Or strip them down, include nice Mac only features, etc for the Mac versions.
Come on, they did it to us! Let's give it right back (like having to pay over $200 for some half assed video card).
Lots of market space there -0 it's an excellent MP3 player. You could sell it in music stores.
<strong>Getting your new computer on the cover of Time magazine is a good start at getting people to stand up and take some notice..er sit down and take notice.
Yeah, but not quite enough.
Exactly.
Stay with windows
Drop $50-100,
get all the significant software unique to mac's,
keep your machine, peripherals, and software,
go merrily on your way.
Switch platforms
Drop $800,
get the slowest old imac,
buy new software & some new peripherals,
probably buy virtualPC and use for a while at least,
learn a new OS, where to buy software, does your company's software work with a mac, etc.
Now you're back up to speed.
Hell for the same price they could buy a digital camcorder and dvd burner. What do you think most people will do?
Apple could port the iPod, which would be a very good idea, and that would get an Apple product into the hands of people which would otherwise not look at a Mac. The Apple Stores are also a very good way to increase Marketshare. Yet again, someone who would not see a Mac would see it in their local mall and may purchase one.
Another thing is that many PC users may not buy a Mac because they fall into the Mhz Myth. Apple can simply address this problem by stating what the Power PC's equivalence is to the P4. For example, Apple can state on all their products and force Comp USA, etc to have a sign that reads, "867 Mhz Power PC G4 (equivalent to a 1.7 Ghz P4)" If a PC user saw this, they may think twice about buying a Mac. Apple also needs to address this in some sort of advertisement as they sort of did with the famous "Snail Ad."
Other than that, I think that Apple is heading in the right direction for increasing their marketshare. :cool: