Apple corporate laptop sales set to increase despite Windows 7 debut

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
Apple laptop sales hit a new high in planned corporate sales in November, despite the release of Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system, a new survey has found.



ChangeWave's latest corporate IT spending survey shows that 10 percent of companies plan to buy a Mac-branded laptop in the first quarter of 2010. That's a new high for Apple, up from the 9 percent total hit in August.



"To date, Windows 7 does not appear to be hurting Apple?s corporate Mac sales," the study said. "Rather, planned Mac buying has hit a new high in the latest survey."



In addition, 7 percent of respondents said they intend to buy a Mac desktop in the first quarter of 2010. That share has been static for most of 2009.



Interestingly, Mac desktop sales did not budge in the corporate world despite the introduction of the new iMac and business-oriented Mac mini server in October. In overall sales, the iMac was the top-selling desktop in October, and it, along with the new Mac minis, helped Apple's overall desktop sales to increase 74 percent year over year.



The corporate study came from the ChangeWave Alliance Research Network, a group of 25,000 business, technology and medical professionals who are said to work in leading companies of select industries. It surveyed a total of 1,753 corporate buyers.







Overall, the survey found a projected uptick in IT sales for the first quarter of 2010. 73 percent of respondents said they plan to buy a laptop to start the year, while 69 percent will invest in new desktops. Those levels are the highest they have been since February 2008.



Nearly one in five upgraders (19 percent) are doing so because of the release of Windows 7. Microsoft's latest operating system debuted in October, and was met with positive reviews. Apple beat Microsoft to market with the launch of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard in August, which earned its own accolades as well.



The survey also found high user satisfaction with Windows 7. More than a third -- 37 percent -- said their company is very satisfied with the product, while 56 percent said they are somewhat satisfied. Only 4 percent were somewhat unsatisfied, and 3 percent very unsatisfied with Windows 7.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 65
    Only actual sales numbers will give an insight of how Apple is doing against the PC market. Surveys can't be trusted or relied upon.
  • Reply 2 of 65
    djrumpydjrumpy Posts: 1,116member
    Our own company matches this foray into everything Mac to a tee. We've opened up our infrastructure to iPhones, and we're looking at expanding support for Mac's in general.



    Looks to be another good year for Apple.
  • Reply 3 of 65
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    I have to use 7 as well as Mac and my impression of 7 is it isn't as bad as XP and far better than Vista ... not exactly anything to get excited about for sure. On the other hand listening to recent switchers rave about their new Macs is. There will be an exponential growth of Macs I am sure simply due to word of mouth by switchers. They are by far Apple's greatest sales asset.
  • Reply 4 of 65
    Quote:

    Interestingly, Mac desktop sales did not budge in the corporate world despite the introduction of the new iMac and business-oriented Mac mini server in October. In overall sales, the iMac was the top-selling desktop in October, and it, along with the new Mac minis, helped Apple's overall desktop sales to increase 74 percent year over year.





    First off, the iMac is not a business oriented computer. It's a 'all in one' / 'all can fail at once' type device that has no place in the general business market when cheaper and part replaceable towers are easily available from PC vendors. One can't even swap out the hard drive in iMac's! Stupid!!!





    Second the Mac Mini server is a hobbyist device, it's a MacBook in a desktop form factor. It's not a server in the sense of a rack mounted server. ANY Mac can be a server for that matter.



    I suspect since the Intel switch that Apple's X-Server sales have fallen off a cliff and headed for extinction, so they are trying to do something, explore the hobbyist market I guess, the X-RAID is already GONE!



    Enterprise buy servers based upon the processors and other hardware features for the price, not for the OS they are going to slap on it later. Since Intel based servers can be had from nearly anyone, they don't need Apple's, and they certainly don't need Apple's OS X controlling the hardware blinking lights and other candy features if they intend to run Linux, Unix or something else.



    When Apple had the powerful PPC X-Servers and Pro Towers, they did sell like hotcakes and even made the third largest supercomputer in the world at VirginaTech. Now Apple has been bitch slapped into the consumer market for good, the processor wars are over.





    The increase in MacMini and iMac's went to consumers by far. This article is part propaganda, certainly misinformation.



    The truth comes out in the last lines:



    Quote:

    The survey also found high user satisfaction with Windows 7. More than a third -- 37 percent -- said their company is very satisfied with the product, while 56 percent said they are somewhat satisfied. Only 4 percent were somewhat unsatisfied, and 3 percent very unsatisfied with Windows 7.



    So that's a combined 37+56= 93% for Windows 7 and a 7% for something other than Windows 7.



    I said long ago that all Microsoft has to do is make their OS better and more secure and OS X will hit the toilet.



    Sure Windows 7 still needs anti-virus, but unless a flood of malware errupts and people begin to curse Microsoft again, it's going to crown out OS X in market share eventually.



    I think Apple is banking on a new OS X UI for all future devices, a iPhone OS UI for iTablets and iTablet/hybid desktops.



    Apple can do better in the business market for desktops if they give them what they already know, a expandable below $1000 priced tower.
  • Reply 5 of 65
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post


    I have to use 7 as well as Mac and my impression of 7 is it isn't as bad as XP and far better than Vista ... not exactly anything to get excited about for sure. On the other hand listening to recent switchers rave about their new Macs is. There will be an exponential growth of Macs I am sure simply due to word of mouth by switchers. They are by far Apple's greatest sales asset.



    An exponential growth? Seriously?
  • Reply 6 of 65
    dreyfus2dreyfus2 Posts: 1,072member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MacTripper View Post


    First off, the iMac is not a business oriented computer. It's a 'all in one' / 'all can fail at once' type device that has no place in the general business market when cheaper and part replaceable towers are easily available from PC vendors. One can't even swap out the hard drive in iMac's! Stupid!!!



    I do not know a single IT department in any big company (and I am a consultant for several) that is doing repairs. They call their service provider and could not care less if they have to open a tower or an all-in-one. Actually I know two huge corporations that buy all-in-ones almost exclusively (not Apple though) except for positions where workstations are required. We were using G5 iMacs almost exclusively throughout the company in 2005-2006. Unfortunately we had to replace most of them with Minis as glossy screens violate labour regulations here.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MacTripper View Post


    The truth comes out in the last lines:



    So that's a combined 37+56= 93% for Windows 7 and a 7% for something other than Windows 7.



    Strange logic. People can only be satisfied with one product? They were asked if they are satisfied with Windows 7, not if they think it is better than operating system XYZ. Maybe the 56% percent only "somewhat satisfied" are completely satisfied with OS X or Solaris or Linux?





    Apple's biggest problem in the corporate space is not products or OS. It is support and parts. In a lot of places there are no service providers that guarantee 24/7/365 coverage and/or acceptable response times. Quite a few who did stepped back from supporting Apple, because Apple let them down with spare part delivery and they were taking the blame by the client. Having waited 4 months for one spare Cinema Display power cord myself, I don't blame them. Improving that area would require serious investments, which might not be justified at this point.
  • Reply 7 of 65
    mactelmactel Posts: 1,275member
    Corporate America probably feels slighted by the migration from XP to Windows 7. It is a wipe and install move. With Office on the Mac and no CALs necessary plus Exchange integration corporations must see Apple as a good alternative. Plus the machines can be dual booted with bootcamp.
  • Reply 8 of 65
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MacTripper View Post


    First off, the iMac is not a business oriented computer. It's a 'all in one' / 'all can fail at once' type device that has no place in the general business market when cheaper and part replaceable towers are easily available from PC vendors. One can't even swap out the hard drive in iMac's! Stupid!!!



    Second the Mac Mini server is a hobbyist device, it's a MacBook in a desktop form factor. It's not a server in the sense of a rack mounted server. ANY Mac can be a server for that matter.



    I suspect since the Intel switch that Apple's X-Server sales have fallen off a cliff and headed for extinction, so they are trying to do something, explore the hobbyist market I guess, the X-RAID is already GONE!



    Enterprise buy servers based upon the processors and other hardware features for the price, not for the OS they are going to slap on it later. Since Intel based servers can be had from nearly anyone, they don't need Apple's, and they certainly don't need Apple's OS X controlling the hardware blinking lights and other candy features if they intend to run Linux, Unix or something else.



    When Apple had the powerful PPC X-Servers and Pro Towers, they did sell like hotcakes and even made the third largest supercomputer in the world at VirginaTech. Now Apple has been bitch slapped into the consumer market for good, the processor wars are over.



    The increase in MacMini and iMac's went to consumers by far. This article is part propaganda, certainly misinformation.



    The truth comes out in the last lines:



    So that's a combined 37+56= 93% for Windows 7 and a 7% for something other than Windows 7.



    I said long ago that all Microsoft has to do is make their OS better and more secure and OS X will hit the toilet.



    Sure Windows 7 still needs anti-virus, but unless a flood of malware errupts and people begin to curse Microsoft again, it's going to crown out OS X in market share eventually.



    I think Apple is banking on a new OS X UI for all future devices, a iPhone OS UI for iTablets and iTablet/hybid desktops.



    Apple can do better in the business market for desktops if they give them what they already know, a expandable below $1000 priced tower.



    You are getting utterly boring with your continuing bull. Give us a rest.
  • Reply 9 of 65
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MacTripper View Post


    First off, the iMac is not a business oriented computer. It's a 'all in one' / 'all can fail at once' type device that has no place in the general business market when cheaper and part replaceable towers are easily available from PC vendors. One can't even swap out the hard drive in iMac's! Stupid!!!



    . . .



    Second the Mac Mini server is a hobbyist device, it's a MacBook in a desktop form factor. It's not a server in the sense of a rack mounted server. ANY Mac can be a server for that matter.

    I said long ago that all Microsoft has to do is make their OS better and more secure and OS X will hit the toilet.



    Sure Windows 7 still needs anti-virus, but unless a flood of malware errupts and people begin to curse Microsoft again, it's going to crown out OS X in market share eventually.



    I think Apple is banking on a new OS X UI for all future devices, a iPhone OS UI for iTablets and iTablet/hybid desktops.



    MacTripper, really?



    It's pretty obvious that you're not the biggest fan of Apple, but why would you hope for the future success of a company (Micro$oft) that has brought you nothing but a substandard, virus susceptible OS for years - and limited your choice of other products (and the growth of other options through non-competitive business practices)? Why be a fan of, or loyal to, a company that forces you into its monopoly structure, only to be met with substandard products?



    Why is it that people are so afraid of trying a new OS? It's not like the learning curve is that steep. Fundamentally, both Apple and MS OSs are very similar. The difference comes in the degree to which one gets you what you want / need out of your computer or device.



    I switched to Apple products a few years ago out of simple frustration with MS products. I wanted something that would work without continuous user tweaking, patching, virus protecting, etc. I found what I wanted with Apple products... rock solid computing, interoperability between devices, data potability, and NO viruses!



    If you're too lazy or too scared to attempt to learn a different OS, then that's one thing. But why must people who are either too lazy or afraid to investigate something new, continuously defend their current substandard choice in computing OSs / devices?



    It's seriously like a form of Stockholm Syndrome! Some companies (name intentionally left out) are like an evil family member who beat or molested you... yet here you are, later in life, making excuses for them. Some people (or companies) are just no good. Just because you have had a relationship with them, doesn't mean you can't wise up at some point and move on. Ok, so that's a little extreme, and no, I was never beat or molested, but you see what I'm getting at. Why take the abuse; in the form of continual sub-standard product releases?



    The same cannot be said for Apple enthusiasts. A lot of us "made the switch" and are Apple's biggest critics when products or services don't meet expectations. Unlike Micro$oft zombie loyalists, Apple loyalists made a switch at least once and will do it again when or if something better than Apple and it's ecosystem of products comes along. We are not loyalist out of laziness or fear of making a change, we are loyalist because we've found a better option that actually works as needed!



    Ok, done venting. Hope I wasn't too harsh or don't get banned for my "politically insensitive" comparisons.
  • Reply 10 of 65
    aizmovaizmov Posts: 989member
    If Apple manages to turn iWork into the next Office, it could put an end to the Windows-Office monopoly. Needs a Windows version first.
  • Reply 11 of 65
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Abster2core View Post


    You are getting utterly boring with your continuing bull. Give us a rest.



    Congratulations, you will now be ignored.



    I'm only making discussion, if you don't like what I have to discuss and can't debate intelligently the ignore feature is yours to exploit as well.



    See ya!





    Opps, your already on my ignore list...guess I will sign in first from now on.
  • Reply 12 of 65
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by RyanPartin View Post


    MacTripper, really?



    It's pretty obvious that you're not the biggest fan of Apple, but why would you hope for the future success of a company (Micro$oft) that has brought you nothing but a substandard, virus susceptible OS for years - and limited your choice of other products (and the growth of other options through non-competitive business practices)? Why be a fan of, or loyal to, a company that forces you into its monopoly structure, only to be met with substandard products?





    Isn't it obvious? The only people who are die-hard Windows and Microsoft fans are clearly not users, but IT professionals who've built careers on developing for and supporting the crappy Windows ecosystem. With numerous case studies showing that companies have drastically reduced the size of their IT/support departments by switching to Macs, is it surprising to learn that IT/support people love Microsoft and hate Apple?



    Any time you see someone foaming at the mouth in defense of Microsoft, just do a little research into their professional background and business relationships and it won't take long to find a dependency on Microsoft for their livelihood.



    Apple does not and should not target the corporate market because this is a market driven not by actual users but by pencil pushing administrators easily deluded by misleading spec sheets and white papers, which are Microsoft's forte. This is an arena where a low up front cost always trumps total cost of ownership. If Apple began catering to the corporate market it wouldn't be long before they were pressured to abandon everything they stand for and cave in to the lowest common denominator business model embraced by companies like Dell and HP, known for their substandard products.
  • Reply 13 of 65
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by RyanPartin View Post


    MacTripper, really?



    It's pretty obvious that you're not the biggest fan of Apple, but why would you hope for the future success of a company (Micro$oft) that has brought you nothing but a substandard, virus susceptible OS for years - and limited your choice of other products (and the growth of other options through non-competitive business practices)? Why be a fan of, or loyal to, a company that forces you into its monopoly structure, only to be met with substandard products?



    I'm Apple's biggest fan, from the first 512k days. I've met just about all the top Apple brass one time or another over the many years.



    Apple knows, as well as I know, that OS X reigns as a supreme OS ONLY as long as Windows is crap. Windows 7 so far isn't crap and that is bad news for OS X and Mac's.



    People tend to side with a OS that "everyone else uses" and it's hard for them to change.





    Quote:

    Why is it that people are so afraid of trying a new OS? It's not like the learning curve is that steep. Fundamentally, both Apple and MS OSs are very similar. The difference comes in the degree to which one gets you what you want / need out of your computer or device.



    I use OS X, Vista, XP, Win 7, Chrome and Ubuntu all at the same time in Fusion. You can thank Apple for making me OS neutral, I used to only use OS X because it was the only thing that ran on Mac's.



    Quote:

    I switched to Apple products a few years ago out of simple frustration with MS products. I wanted something that would work without continuous user tweaking, patching, virus protecting, etc. I found what I wanted with Apple products... rock solid computing, interoperability between devices, data potability, and NO viruses!



    Good for you. Ubuntu doesn't get viruses neither for that matter.



    Microsoft can make that little change to make their OS so it's just as secure as Unix, Linux or OS X. It's called file permissions. Then it may be secure enough to nearly erase the reason for getting a Mac for security.



    Microsoft moves, but it moves slowly and clumsy, eventually stumbling in the right direction. It eventually erodes all the reasons one would need a Mac over a Windows PC.



    I actually hope Windows 7 becomes the virus laden POS it deserves to be, just to keep Mac sales and adoption strong.





    Quote:

    ...and are Apple's biggest critics when products or services don't meet expectations. Unlike Micro$oft zombie loyalists, Apple loyalists made a switch at least once and will do it again when or if something better than Apple and it's ecosystem of products comes along. We are not loyalist out of laziness or fear of making a change, we are loyalist because we've found a better option that actually works as needed!



    That's my reasoning. I use the best product available and that has been OS X or either System x for many years.



    My thoughts are that the reasons for getting a Mac are now dwindling, provided if Windows 7 has fixed the glaring permissions issue and other security problems that plague it.



    One used to get a Mac for the desktop publishing software, it's security, it's better looks and more reliable hardware. Those reasons are falling by the wayside more and more.



    If Windows 7 is nearly virus free, then there really isn't much reason not to use it.
  • Reply 14 of 65
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by freediverx View Post


    Isn't it obvious? The only people who are die-hard Windows and Microsoft fans are clearly not users, but IT professionals who've built careers on developing for and supporting the crappy Windows ecosystem. With numerous case studies showing that companies have drastically reduced the size of their IT/support departments by switching to Macs, is it surprising to learn that IT/support people love Microsoft and hate Apple?



    . . .




    freediverx, couldn't agree more.



    This is an argument I've made many times over myself. Just didn't include it in my post because I was taking the Stockholm Syndrome angle, which sadly enough, I believe accounts for most of the remaining MS loyalists.
  • Reply 15 of 65
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    So we're seeing more interest in Macs in business settings but that does equate to better market share in the enterprise sector. For all we know the interest could be for only a handful of Macs for creating, distributing and maintaining enterprise iPhone apps in-house.



    My gut feeling with the release of Win7 and so many companies that have held off installing Vista and having sufficient time to test Win7 and ready in-house apps is that Mac marketshare and installed base will drop for the first couple quarters ofthe Win7 release.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MacTripper View Post


    Congratulations, you will now be ignored.



    I'm only making discussion, if you don't like what I have to discuss and can't debate intelligently the ignore feature is yours to exploit as well.



    It's hard your judge your validity at times. You post long thought out posts using good grammar and structure but you miss or brush over other things that make it hard to take you serious.



    Case in point, I'm very happy with Windows 7 but I'm more happy with 10.6. From a change from WinXP or Vista to Win7 I'm more happy about the improvement than I am from 10.5 to 10.6, but that is relative and does not mean that 10.6 was a bad release in any way.
  • Reply 16 of 65
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dreyfus2 View Post


    I do not know a single IT department in any big company (and I am a consultant for several) that is doing repairs. They call their service provider and could not care less if they have to open a tower or an all-in-one. Actually I know two huge corporations that buy all-in-ones almost exclusively (not Apple though) except for positions where workstations are required. We were using G5 iMacs almost exclusively throughout the company in 2005-2006. Unfortunately we had to replace most of them with Minis as glossy screens violate labour regulations here.



    A lot of IT departments I know can at least switch out the hard drive, it's a faster way to get the machine back into service after a hosed Windows. It's not a repair mind you, just switching a component, like a keyboard or monitor. Apple allows it too in their open towers if a hard drive dies and they just send you a new one to self install.



    And it's too bad about the glossy screens, there are anti-glare filters online you know. Don't know how well they work, I still cling to my 15" matte MBP.









    Quote:

    Strange logic. People can only be satisfied with one product? They were asked if they are satisfied with Windows 7, not if they think it is better than operating system XYZ. Maybe the 56% percent only "somewhat satisfied" are completely satisfied with OS X or Solaris or Linux?



    "Somewhat satisfied" is satisfied, and certainly satisfied enough not to undergo a OS change.





    Quote:

    Apple's biggest problem in the corporate space is not products or OS. It is support and parts. In a lot of places there are no service providers that guarantee 24/7/365 coverage and/or acceptable response times. Quite a few who did stepped back from supporting Apple, because Apple let them down with spare part delivery and they were taking the blame by the client. Having waited 4 months for one spare Cinema Display power cord myself, I don't blame them. Improving that area would require serious investments, which might not be justified at this point.





    I agree Apple could do a lot more in the business space as far as sales and service goes, but when the first Apple Stores started to appear, Apple killed off it's corporate sales or something.



    So people who set up to sales and service of Apple products, making their own companies, got shafted by Apple and have been gone since.
  • Reply 17 of 65
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dreyfus2 View Post


    Apple's biggest problem in the corporate space is not products or OS. It is support and parts. In a lot of places there are no service providers that guarantee 24/7/365 coverage and/or acceptable response times. Quite a few who did stepped back from supporting Apple, because Apple let them down with spare part delivery and they were taking the blame by the client. Having waited 4 months for one spare Cinema Display power cord myself, I don't blame them. Improving that area would require serious investments, which might not be justified at this point.



    In my opinion, and I work for a very large corporate enterprise (had been in IT, now in Information Security) Apple has several roadblocks in larger corporations. 1) Most obviously, price. Windows-based laptops and desktops can be purchased/leased in the neighborhood of $400-500, and these are well equipped. Higher end "engineering workstations" cost only about $100 more. 2) Embedded base of applications are Windows-only, these include OTC and numerous custom apps. The cost to a corporation to move to Apple-compatible apps, or to add those apps to the mix would be incredible. 3) As someone noted earlier, many (most?) large companies outsource their hardware/software/helpdesk support. Support for an additional desktop OS would add considerable cost, as would support of the unique hardware. To say nothing of the additional training costs to migrate. Also as someone noted, parts availability could be a major issue, we require sufficient stock on-hand, ranging from motherboards to harddrive. If that's a non-issue for Apple, good.



    None of this is to say that Apple products can't be used in niche areas within my company. They already are, but compared to Windows-based workstations they are less than 1% and i don't see that changing appreciably.
  • Reply 18 of 65
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    It's hard your judge your validity at times. You post long thought out posts using good grammar and structure but you miss or brush over other things that make it hard to take you serious.





    Why are you taking anything people post serious for?





    Quote:

    Case in point, I'm very happy with Windows 7 but I'm more happy with 10.6. From a change from WinXP or Vista to Win7 I'm more happy about the improvement than I am from 10.5 to 10.6, but that is relative and does not mean that 10.6 was a bad release in any way.





    In other words your saying I ramble?



    If it's too much for you, you know what to do.
  • Reply 19 of 65
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MacTripper View Post


    Perhaps it's because your always looking for troll or something, which I'm not.



    If I thought you were trolling I wouldn’t have written what I wrote. I don’t think you were looking at the stats objectively. If you want to “thinking outside the box” then see that to like one OS does not mean disliking another.



    Also, interestingly to me, an increase in sales for one product can often mean an increase in sales for a competing product. We’ve seen it with the Blackberry gaining in the smartphone market segment, not just because of discounts, but seemingly because the iPhone has made that market segment popular to the average customer. It appears that Windows 7 spurring of PC sales may also be increasing Mac sales to a degree. If there is a name for this I do not know what it is: my imagination?



    Quote:

    In other words your saying I ramble?



    Hardly. That was an example of how I think both are a success in several ways. I surely can’t call anyone a rambler on here. I so try to be as succinct as Addabox but I often fall short… very short.



    Quote:

    If we were all the same, we would be Nazi's or something.



    :cough: Godwin’s Law :cough:
  • Reply 20 of 65
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    If I thought you were trolling I wouldn?t have written what I wrote. I don?t think you were looking at the stats objectively. If you want to ?thinking outside the box? then see that to like one OS does not mean disliking another.



    right.



    Quote:

    Also, interestingly to me, an increase in sales for one product can often mean an increase in sales for a competing product. We?ve seen it with the Blackberry gaining in the smartphone market segment, not just because of discounts, but seemingly because the iPhone has made that market segment popular to the average customer. It appears that Windows 7 spurring of PC sales may also be increasing Mac sales to a degree. If there is a name for this I do not know what it is: my imagination?





    Market awareness. The advertising brings attention to market, just not the brand.



    I wonder how much PC companies sales have increased from Apple's "Get a Mac" campaign?





    Could it be that Apple and their seemingly high prices (or lets say lack of cheap versions) actually caused the surge in netbooks sales?



    People could have took one look at the $1000+ price tag for a MacBook and ran for the $400 netbooks instead.



    I don't see much advertising for netbooks working for Apple.





    Quote:

    :cough: Godwin?s Law :cough:





    Haha! Just Wiki-ed that one. Learn a new thing everyday.



    There really is no stone left unturned is there?







    Got to go, friends and family are here. Enjoy your weekend.



    For those who got ignored, put on a happy face. Debate is good, speculation is good, but attacks, name calling and trolling is not appreciated by anyone.
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