Apple has been kicking butt with ipod sales but their pc sales have been going down hill.
Does anyone have any ideas on how to solve this?
Actually the sales have been static. Apple's notebook line is increasing but desktops have been largely lackluster. This is to be expected because notebooks today are fairly full featured and it's really hard to beat the portability of a iBook/Powerbook.
I think the only way that the desktop lines increase dramatically is for Apple to have an all at war to get the Macs out the graphics/marketing depts and onto the desktops of the everyday clients. iPods won't do that directly but indirectly their profits will eventually allow Apple to finance such and excursion.
Apple is ready..infused with cash and ready to let Tiger take the OS Helm, they now have the bedrock that they need. The only question is when will they do it?
Apple has been kicking butt with ipod sales but their pc sales have been going down hill.
Does anyone have any ideas on how to solve this?
um theres nothing to solve. look at their stock and quarterly earnings reports. do you have any idea how happy any businessman would be to put up numbers like that???? who cares if theyre selling a lot of ipods. apple is what we call a business, and the goal of most businesses is to make money. so, i'm pretty sure apple knows what the hell they're doing.
I'm not sure the computer sales figures are as bad as you make them out to be. My girlfriend and I both bought Macs recently, her 20" iMac took 2 weeks to arrive, and my G5 tower still isn't here (ordered a month ago). I realize that much of the delay is due to problems at IBM with the G5s, but if people weren't buying, there'd be plenty of macs to go around. Whenever they feel like getting around to updating the powerbooks I'm sure that the sales figures will go up for the portables again. Not to mention the people who are probably waiting for Tiger.
And anyway, like someone above me mentioned... why fret when the stock is doing as well as it is, when you have literally no debt, and cash in the bank?
I'm not sure the computer sales figures are as bad as you make them out to be. My girlfriend and I both bought Macs recently, her 20" iMac took 2 weeks to arrive, and my G5 tower still isn't here (ordered a month ago). I realize that much of the delay is due to problems at IBM with the G5s, but if people weren't buying, there'd be plenty of macs to go around.
Since the original imac, they haven't had any significant increase in desktop sales. Apple has had long delivery times for as long as I can remember. At other companies this is called poor execution, but I've heard Apple spin it as overwhelming demand. How is it overwhelming, if it's the been same for 5 years?
Apple has been kicking butt with ipod sales but their pc sales have been going down hill.
Does anyone have any ideas on how to solve this?
Latest figures is that PC sales will increase in 05 but not as fast as previous years 10 % vs 13% in 04
although absolute numbers are not supplied if you go to Amazon.com and check out computer best sellers it is a real eye opener as Macs (desktop and to a degree notebooks) dominate!! IMO Jan sales reporting is going to be a big surprise
Since the original imac, they haven't had any significant increase in desktop sales. Apple has had long delivery times for as long as I can remember. At other companies this is called poor execution, but I've heard Apple spin it as overwhelming demand. How is it overwhelming, if it's the been same for 5 years?
Why is this so hard to fathom for some of you? Look at the shipment of laptops in this same 5 year span. Notice a trend. Steve jobs wasn't lying when he said years ago that desktops would eventually give way to portables.
I keep seeing people point at the desktop sales and say "what's wrong with Apple" Desktops were "never" poised to make a huge jump. The only reason why I want a desktop is because of Final Cut Pro and Logic 7. If I was the "typical" user I'd be looking iBook/Powerbook right now myself..and I HATE typing on laptops.
It seems to me that for the last few years, Apple as always had problems with getting a good amount of fast processors for its computers. Does anyone think that if IBM were able to feed Apple with as many processors as they like at the speed they want, then Apple's market share could start to grow again?
Why is this so hard to fathom for some of you? Look at the shipment of laptops in this same 5 year span. Notice a trend. Steve jobs wasn't lying when he said years ago that desktops would eventually give way to portables.
I keep seeing people point at the desktop sales and say "what's wrong with Apple" Desktops were "never" poised to make a huge jump. The only reason why I want a desktop is because of Final Cut Pro and Logic 7. If I was the "typical" user I'd be looking iBook/Powerbook right now myself..and I HATE typing on laptops.
First of all, Steve never said desktops would eventually give way to portables. He did, however, note the that laptop sales are coming to comprise a larger percentage of total sales.
You are correct that laptops are increasingly important when considering total units moved. Yet stagnating desktop sales is a troublesome figure.
Laptops will never even come close to replacing what we currently call 'desktop' computers. Ergonomics is the paramount criteria for some consumers. No matter how appealing portability is, it is easily trumped by ergonomics, especially with elderly users.
Also note that many users will sacrifice all portability in exchange for a machine with a better price/performance ratio.
Desktops are an important baramoter of Apple's viability in the OS/hardware market. No matter how you slice it, stagnant desktop sales is bad for Apple. It isn't all gloom and doom though, the iPod's success is benneficial to the Mac platform.
First of all, Steve never said desktops would eventually give way to portables. He did, however, note the that laptop sales are coming to comprise a larger percentage of total sales.
Semantics. You just refuted my point with the same point paraphrased the way you like it. I think we basically mean the same.
Quote:
You are correct that laptops are increasingly important when considering total units moved. Yet stagnating desktop sales is a troublesome figure.
Indeed. Apple's desktop line will not grow unless they can leave the perception that "Mac are good for graphics" behind and become a platform that a business can entrust in throughout.
Quote:
Also note that many users will sacrifice all portability in exchange for a machine with a better price/performance ratio.
That's every desktop on the planet. I can't think of one laptop that offers a better price/performance ratio when compared to an equivalent desktop. Desktops are commodity "bolt'em together" products. However laptops meet a certain "value" component in portability that is worth more to some people. I do think laptops will eventually outstrip desktops by a wide margin. Everything is moving to thinner..lighter..smaller.
Desktops are indeed vital but they are the last thing you want to base your arguement about Apple's health on. You will literally miss "half the picture". I guestimate that Apple will have a 3:1 laptop/desktop ratio in sales within 5 years.
Desktops will still be important but decreasingly so.
Desktops are indeed vital but they are the last thing you want to base your arguement about Apple's health on. You will literally miss "half the picture". I guestimate that Apple will have a 3:1 laptop/desktop ratio in sales within 5 years.
Well of course desktops aren't the only indicator. I'm not sure what you're arguing against.
It seems that everyone here recognizes a shift in Apple's revenue stream. Thus, we can't ignore stagnent desktop sales and still have a meaningful discussion of Apple's future prospects.
But feel free to vent against the non-enlightened desktop proponents if it helps...
Apple has been kicking butt with ipod sales but their pc sales have been going down hill.
Does anyone have any ideas on how to solve this?
yes it is called good supply chain management. If computers aren't available, people can't buy them and if people can't buy computers sales will go down hill. Very simple, very straight forward, but somehow Apple doesn't seem to understand this.
Comments
Originally posted by MCSSJ
Apple has been kicking butt with ipod sales but their pc sales have been going down hill.
Does anyone have any ideas on how to solve this?
Actually the sales have been static. Apple's notebook line is increasing but desktops have been largely lackluster. This is to be expected because notebooks today are fairly full featured and it's really hard to beat the portability of a iBook/Powerbook.
I think the only way that the desktop lines increase dramatically is for Apple to have an all at war to get the Macs out the graphics/marketing depts and onto the desktops of the everyday clients. iPods won't do that directly but indirectly their profits will eventually allow Apple to finance such and excursion.
Apple is ready..infused with cash and ready to let Tiger take the OS Helm, they now have the bedrock that they need. The only question is when will they do it?
Originally posted by MCSSJ
Apple has been kicking butt with ipod sales but their pc sales have been going down hill.
Does anyone have any ideas on how to solve this?
um theres nothing to solve. look at their stock and quarterly earnings reports. do you have any idea how happy any businessman would be to put up numbers like that???? who cares if theyre selling a lot of ipods. apple is what we call a business, and the goal of most businesses is to make money. so, i'm pretty sure apple knows what the hell they're doing.
And anyway, like someone above me mentioned... why fret when the stock is doing as well as it is, when you have literally no debt, and cash in the bank?
-Ender
Originally posted by Ender
I'm not sure the computer sales figures are as bad as you make them out to be. My girlfriend and I both bought Macs recently, her 20" iMac took 2 weeks to arrive, and my G5 tower still isn't here (ordered a month ago). I realize that much of the delay is due to problems at IBM with the G5s, but if people weren't buying, there'd be plenty of macs to go around.
Since the original imac, they haven't had any significant increase in desktop sales. Apple has had long delivery times for as long as I can remember. At other companies this is called poor execution, but I've heard Apple spin it as overwhelming demand. How is it overwhelming, if it's the been same for 5 years?
Originally posted by MCSSJ
Apple has been kicking butt with ipod sales but their pc sales have been going down hill.
Does anyone have any ideas on how to solve this?
Latest figures is that PC sales will increase in 05 but not as fast as previous years 10 % vs 13% in 04
although absolute numbers are not supplied if you go to Amazon.com and check out computer best sellers it is a real eye opener as Macs (desktop and to a degree notebooks) dominate!! IMO Jan sales reporting is going to be a big surprise
Dell is not included
Since the original imac, they haven't had any significant increase in desktop sales. Apple has had long delivery times for as long as I can remember. At other companies this is called poor execution, but I've heard Apple spin it as overwhelming demand. How is it overwhelming, if it's the been same for 5 years?
Why is this so hard to fathom for some of you? Look at the shipment of laptops in this same 5 year span. Notice a trend. Steve jobs wasn't lying when he said years ago that desktops would eventually give way to portables.
I keep seeing people point at the desktop sales and say "what's wrong with Apple" Desktops were "never" poised to make a huge jump. The only reason why I want a desktop is because of Final Cut Pro and Logic 7. If I was the "typical" user I'd be looking iBook/Powerbook right now myself..and I HATE typing on laptops.
Originally posted by hmurchison
Why is this so hard to fathom for some of you? Look at the shipment of laptops in this same 5 year span. Notice a trend. Steve jobs wasn't lying when he said years ago that desktops would eventually give way to portables.
I keep seeing people point at the desktop sales and say "what's wrong with Apple" Desktops were "never" poised to make a huge jump. The only reason why I want a desktop is because of Final Cut Pro and Logic 7. If I was the "typical" user I'd be looking iBook/Powerbook right now myself..and I HATE typing on laptops.
First of all, Steve never said desktops would eventually give way to portables. He did, however, note the that laptop sales are coming to comprise a larger percentage of total sales.
You are correct that laptops are increasingly important when considering total units moved. Yet stagnating desktop sales is a troublesome figure.
Laptops will never even come close to replacing what we currently call 'desktop' computers. Ergonomics is the paramount criteria for some consumers. No matter how appealing portability is, it is easily trumped by ergonomics, especially with elderly users.
Also note that many users will sacrifice all portability in exchange for a machine with a better price/performance ratio.
Desktops are an important baramoter of Apple's viability in the OS/hardware market. No matter how you slice it, stagnant desktop sales is bad for Apple. It isn't all gloom and doom though, the iPod's success is benneficial to the Mac platform.
First of all, Steve never said desktops would eventually give way to portables. He did, however, note the that laptop sales are coming to comprise a larger percentage of total sales.
Semantics. You just refuted my point with the same point paraphrased the way you like it. I think we basically mean the same.
You are correct that laptops are increasingly important when considering total units moved. Yet stagnating desktop sales is a troublesome figure.
Indeed. Apple's desktop line will not grow unless they can leave the perception that "Mac are good for graphics" behind and become a platform that a business can entrust in throughout.
Also note that many users will sacrifice all portability in exchange for a machine with a better price/performance ratio.
That's every desktop on the planet. I can't think of one laptop that offers a better price/performance ratio when compared to an equivalent desktop. Desktops are commodity "bolt'em together" products. However laptops meet a certain "value" component in portability that is worth more to some people. I do think laptops will eventually outstrip desktops by a wide margin. Everything is moving to thinner..lighter..smaller.
Desktops are indeed vital but they are the last thing you want to base your arguement about Apple's health on. You will literally miss "half the picture". I guestimate that Apple will have a 3:1 laptop/desktop ratio in sales within 5 years.
Desktops will still be important but decreasingly so.
Originally posted by hmurchison
Desktops are indeed vital but they are the last thing you want to base your arguement about Apple's health on. You will literally miss "half the picture". I guestimate that Apple will have a 3:1 laptop/desktop ratio in sales within 5 years.
Well of course desktops aren't the only indicator. I'm not sure what you're arguing against.
It seems that everyone here recognizes a shift in Apple's revenue stream. Thus, we can't ignore stagnent desktop sales and still have a meaningful discussion of Apple's future prospects.
But feel free to vent against the non-enlightened desktop proponents if it helps...
Originally posted by MCSSJ
Apple has been kicking butt with ipod sales but their pc sales have been going down hill.
Does anyone have any ideas on how to solve this?
yes it is called good supply chain management. If computers aren't available, people can't buy them and if people can't buy computers sales will go down hill. Very simple, very straight forward, but somehow Apple doesn't seem to understand this.