Apple on pace to sell record 4.5M Macs this quarter

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Freshmaker View Post


    Well said, Patrick.



    I'd personally love to get an iMac, but am not willing to buy one when I could get the same specs in a PC for several hundred dollars less. Love my iPad and iPhone though!



    There is the lie... You can't get "the same specs" in a PC for several hundred dollars less. In fact, depending on the exact model you are looking at it's pretty tough to find the same specs for even the same price. Apple's displays in the iMac are typically FAR better than what you are going to get from a Dell or HP All-in-One. This means that you are going to have to get a pretty decent system from Dell or HP and then shell out some pretty decent scratch to cover the monitor of similar specs.



    Now if you want to low-ball the display then yeah, you can generally save a couple hundred or more on a PC but that's not really "the same specs" now is it. What you might be looking for is a Mac Mini that you can attach a cheap display to and then you are priced down a lot closer to the PC market. Saying however that you can't get an iMac at a PC price is like saying you can't get a BMW at the price of a Kia. You aren't looking at the same vehicle in terms of performance and specs. Similar yes, but I think human beings share over 90% of their DNA with fruit flies. Are those similar? I think not.
  • Reply 22 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post


    Wow. Just wow.



    What planet do you live on?

    - Mac market share has roughly doubled in the past 5 years.

    - In the market Apple targets (premium machines purchased by people who value quality over price), Apple's market share is huge - some reports say that Apple sells 90% of computers over $1,000.

    - Apple makes something like 1/3 of the entire industry's profits

    - The market share numbers reported (something like 6% globally and 10-11% in the U.S. are based on volume. If you do market share based on dollars, the numbers are dramatically higher.

    - Apple is one of the top 5 vendors in the US and globally. If you include the iPad, they're #1.



    So what possible logic would make them want to cut prices significantly to go after the low-end market where they can't make any money?



    I don't doubt the future is an Apple future. Windows is going to wither and die off.

    thank god.
  • Reply 23 of 44
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Freshmaker View Post


    Well said, Patrick.



    I'd personally love to get an iMac, but am not willing to buy one when I could get the same specs in a PC for several hundred dollars less. Love my iPad and iPhone though!



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by svnipp View Post


    There is the lie... You can't get "the same specs" in a PC for several hundred dollars less. In fact, depending on the exact model you are looking at it's pretty tough to find the same specs for even the same price. Apple's displays in the iMac are typically FAR better than what you are going to get from a Dell or HP All-in-One. This means that you are going to have to get a pretty decent system from Dell or HP and then shell out some pretty decent scratch to cover the monitor of similar specs.



    Now if you want to low-ball the display then yeah, you can generally save a couple hundred or more on a PC but that's not really "the same specs" now is it. What you might be looking for is a Mac Mini that you can attach a cheap display to and then you are priced down a lot closer to the PC market. Saying however that you can't get an iMac at a PC price is like saying you can't get a BMW at the price of a Kia. You aren't looking at the same vehicle in terms of performance and specs. Similar yes, but I think human beings share over 90% of their DNA with fruit flies. Are those similar? I think not.



    I just shake my head at how people accept mediocrity over usability. Put a Mac or iMac next to any other PC and you'll see the difference.



    Whatever "perceived" higher-cost you think Apple has over a bargain-basement PC is completely eliminated by the actual use and productivity gained by using an Apple machine.



    Whether it be XP or the much better Windows7. It's still a mess for the majority of consumers. Period. Truth be told, I make a very modest chunk of change in resolving Windows problems due to both system issues, and consumers not having a clue how to use a PC.



    All folks that I've convinced to get a mac, they have never contacted me again to "fix" a PC problem. They have nothing but rave reviews of switching and in the long run, they saved a lot more money by not having to deal with the problems associated with a "regular" PC.



    Folks here, including with PC fans, do not represent the majority of consumers. You most likely think you can administer your own machine and others. For those that don't have that option, they simply submit to the realities of a PC world, or go Apple, and be happy.



    For the record, I use my iMac and MBA with Windows 7. I have to. I have zero problems with using it and I think my macs run Windows better than a dedicated Windows machine. But then again, I know how to keep it stable. Most don't.



    Apple is still a far better value for the money. But if you're happy with your Kia, more power to you.
  • Reply 24 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by svnipp View Post


    There is the lie... You can't get "the same specs" in a PC for several hundred dollars less. In fact, depending on the exact model you are looking at it's pretty tough to find the same specs for even the same price. Apple's displays in the iMac are typically FAR better than what you are going to get from a Dell or HP All-in-One. This means that you are going to have to get a pretty decent system from Dell or HP and then shell out some pretty decent scratch to cover the monitor of similar specs.



    Now if you want to low-ball the display then yeah, you can generally save a couple hundred or more on a PC but that's not really "the same specs" now is it. What you might be looking for is a Mac Mini that you can attach a cheap display to and then you are priced down a lot closer to the PC market. Saying however that you can't get an iMac at a PC price is like saying you can't get a BMW at the price of a Kia. You aren't looking at the same vehicle in terms of performance and specs. Similar yes, but I think human beings share over 90% of their DNA with fruit flies. Are those similar? I think not.



    i used to believe that pc's were a better bargain too. the Ultrabooks have shown that in fact Apple is the bargain.

    if you want to run a linux distro then sure, get a cheap dell. But why would anyone want a windows machine? its junk.
  • Reply 25 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Freshmaker View Post


    Well said, Patrick.



    I'd personally love to get an iMac, but am not willing to buy one when I could get the same specs in a PC for several hundred dollars less. Love my iPad and iPhone though!



    and what do you do with all those 'specs'? you can't afford a mac mini??
  • Reply 26 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by svnipp View Post


    There is the lie... You can't get "the same specs" in a PC for several hundred dollars less...Similar yes, but I think human beings share over 90% of their DNA with fruit flies. Are those similar? I think not.



    Well put! On another forum I was responding to a poster's claim that Apple only made "Luxury" computers. I pointed out that I do CAD work on my 27" iMac, so I need the power and the big screen. I also needed to replace my portable. My iPad fills the bill admirably at a very affordable price. Finally, my iPhone is my electronic equivalent of a swiss army knife. It's literally indispensible, and an extremely good value.



    In short, Apple isn't succeeding by building luxury items; it's succeeding by redefining the nature of a necessity!
  • Reply 27 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by esummers View Post


    23% Y/Y growth with Apple's current market penetration is impressive.



    Spot on.



    You might add, on a 35-year old product!
  • Reply 28 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by patrickf View Post


    What's the gain to have high volume, low margins?



    The gain is in stock price.



    In the process, becoming the second most valuable company in the world, thereby creating a lot of wealth for people around the world to help put kids through college, retire with greater security, pay for health care, buy homes, take vacations, buy more Apple products, give it to charity, .......
  • Reply 29 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Freshmaker View Post


    Well said, Patrick.



    I'd personally love to get an iMac, but am not willing to buy one when I could get the same specs in a PC for several hundred dollars less. Love my iPad and iPhone though!



    You can get a PC that uses thirteen watts idle and has a case 7 INCHES by 7 INCHES by 1.4 INCHES, has Bluetooth 4.0, Thunderbolt, FireWire 800 and SDXC for hundreds less than a Mac Mini?



    I WANT ONE! Where's the link?
  • Reply 30 of 44
    First, what rate of growth is not abysmal? What rate do you expect? What computer manufacturer can top Apple's "abysmal" rate of computer growth? Silly comment.



    Additionally, one ace that Apple has is the macbook air. From what I've been reading, pc manufacturers can't match the price or specs. And the Air is the direction of laptops. Amazing computers. As laptops move in the Air direction, and Airs get cheaper as the cost of flash memory drops, Apple will reap the benefits.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by patrickf View Post


    Let's face it. Apple's Mac growth has been abysmal. They simply need cheaper machines to capture any marketshare. And maybe they have decided against that.



    I've been buying and using Macs for over 20 years and have bought 5 iphones, 3 MacBook Pros, 3 iPads, and an AppleTV in the last two years, for anyone who thinks I'm trolling, cause only trolls have bad things to say about Apple, right? A troll is someone who can't rationalize that Apple does everything right.



    Okay, I just assume Apple has written off most of the PC market. Which is fine. They just won't have much growth. Only so many people are going to pay for their prices and margins.



    Tim Cook talks about growth, but will it happen? Will a cheaper laptop kill off iPad sales?



  • Reply 31 of 44
    bigpicsbigpics Posts: 1,397member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by patrickf View Post


    Let's face it. Apple's Mac growth has been abysmal. They simply need cheaper machines to capture any marketshare. And maybe they have decided against that.



    I've been buying and using Macs for over 20 years and have bought 5 iphones, 3 MacBook Pros, 3 iPads, and an AppleTV in the last two years...



    Okay, I just assume Apple has written off most of the PC market. Which is fine. They just won't have much growth. Only so many people are going to pay for their prices and margins.



    Tim Cook talks about growth, but will it happen? Will a cheaper laptop kill off iPad sales?



    PC's are never going to recapture tablet share. And PC's ARE going to be a smaller and smaller part of total computing device sales going forward. Remember, you can buy a cheap, light keyboard for your iPad if you want one - otherwise, as apps catch up - the need for PC's in every pot is simply going to keep diminishing. As.....



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by esummers View Post


    23% Y/Y growth with Apple's current market penetration is impressive. Apple doesn't need to undercut to win. With all of the companies getting out of the PC business (or in financial trouble) these days I think they have the winning strategy. IBM and HP are out. Dell and Acer are struggling. Apple doesn't cost that much more yet has an operating system that is attracting switchers. They are building their OS and products in a way that can sustain them as a company.



    ....handwriting on the wall, and add these facts and figures......



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post


    Wow. Just wow.



    What planet do you live on?

    - Mac market share has roughly doubled in the past 5 years.

    - In the market Apple targets (premium machines purchased by people who value quality over price), Apple's market share is huge - some reports say that Apple sells 90% of computers over $1,000.

    - Apple makes something like 1/3 of the entire industry's profits

    - The market share numbers reported (something like 6% globally and 10-11% in the U.S. are based on volume. If you do market share based on dollars, the numbers are dramatically higher.

    - Apple is one of the top 5 vendors in the US and globally. If you include the iPad, they're #1.



    So what possible logic would make them want to cut prices significantly to go after the low-end market where they can't make any money?



    Well, here's Patrick's take on that:



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by patrickf View Post


    It might seem that the growth was significant, but double is not much when you were not selling much to begin with. 2-2.5 million Macs a quarter is nothing. Double that is better. So they came out of obscurity to double their growth. Big deal.



    I know a lot of people who can't afford a Mac. They want one. They can't afford one, so they buy a PC.



    Apple has very high margins. We all know that.



    I was not meaning to criticize. Apple does not want greater market share at the loss of high margins. That is plain and simple. Tim Cook said he wants to grow market share. How can you grow market share when you have 90% of the sales of PCs over $1,000? That's pretty maxed out.



    Compared to all of the PCs sales, Mac sales are low.



    In the end, who really cares? If Apple wants to grow market share, they obviously know how to do it. If they find a way to sell at $700 computer and want to do that, great. If they don't want to do that, fine. Big deal and who cares?



    Nothing maxxed out about Apple's share. If you regard iPads and smart phones as the next primary computing devices of choice for an increasing percentage of the general public (as almost all analysts are starting to do now), Apple's both the quality AND price leader (as they are also in the new "ultra/Air" segment - about which more below - and not to mention Apple's growing share of the PC class market itself - both in the US and around the globe). Double-digit in the US is huge for Apple, especially as their users buy more ancillary software and peripherals than PC buyers.



    Meanwhile, more and more people are finding they simply don't need a "truck," and iPads are selling at considerably less than $700. And again competitors are having huge problems competing against both the device and the growing ecosystem. And iOS and the A processor family are only a few iterations from being able to do nearly anything one can do with most non-maxxed out PC's today.



    Amazon's likely to carve out a nice segment with their upcoming 7" device - which won't have full touch gestures or a camera and lack a few other niceties. Looks like it should be a nice hit, and they're going to make money by making the device a way to sell more and more goods and services through Amazon. But even that's a long way from being an "iPad Killer."



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Freshmaker View Post


    Well said, Patrick.



    I'd personally love to get an iMac, but am not willing to buy one when I could get the same specs in a PC for several hundred dollars less. Love my iPad and iPhone though!



    Except you can't get the same specs - or even very near them - in any MacBook Air-like machine - one of the few, if not the only rapidly growing segments of the PC market. The iMac as an all-in-one is driving most of the growth in its category, and even there, you'll be hard-pressed to really spec out something as together for much less than the Mac.



    Ars Technica had a great article a few days back about why Win PC manufacturers can't deliver Ultrabooks that beat the Airs in price/specs (let alone build/OS/service/intangibles) - they're all set up to throw lots of changing parts together in wide-open flimsy boxes - not precision manufacture the same machine for a year - and there's no way for them to transition easily (or for some at all before they croak).



    Also, if iCloud works as promised (and Apple GETS the web finally), with the growing auto-synchronization between PC/tab/phone/pod/cloud, the synergies should drive relative growth in ALL of these segments.
  • Reply 32 of 44
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Freshmaker View Post


    I'd personally love to get an iMac, but am not willing to buy one when I could get the same specs in a PC for several hundred dollars less. Love my iPad and iPhone though!



    The cheapest iMac is $1199! That's nothing! I guess Macs are not for you.



    Even if I were dirt poor and living on ramen noodles, I wouldn't be caught dead using or buying a PC. I'd just save up my money for a little bit longer and get a Mac.
  • Reply 33 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by patrickf View Post


    It might seem that the growth was significant, but double is not much when you were not selling much to begin with. 2-2.5 million Macs a quarter is nothing. Double that is better. So they came out of obscurity to double their growth. Big deal.



    I know a lot of people who can't afford a Mac. They want one. They can't afford one, so they buy a PC.



    Apple has very high margins. We all know that.



    I was not meaning to criticize. Apple does not want greater market share at the loss of high margins. That is plain and simple. Tim Cook said he wants to grow market share. How can you grow market share when you have 90% of the sales of PCs over $1,000? That's pretty maxed out.



    Compared to all of the PCs sales, Mac sales are low.



    In the end, who really cares? If Apple wants to grow market share, they obviously know how to do it. If they find a way to sell at $700 computer and want to do that, great. If they don't want to do that, fine. Big deal and who cares?



    Apple could, but won't, have 75% of the computer market. What's the gain to have high volume, low margins?



    And these forums are designed to provoke thought and discussion, not to be an Apple love-fest.



    P



    Compared to all the PC sales profits, Apple is high.
  • Reply 34 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by patrickf View Post




    Let's face it. Apple's Mac growth has been abysmal. They simply need cheaper machines to capture any marketshare. And maybe they have decided against that.



    I've been buying and using Macs for over 20 years and have bought 5 iphones, 3 MacBook Pros, 3 iPads, and an AppleTV in the last two years, for anyone who thinks I'm trolling, cause only trolls have bad things to say about Apple, right? A troll is someone who can't rationalize that Apple does everything right.



    Okay, I just assume Apple has written off most of the PC market. Which is fine. They just won't have much growth. Only so many people are going to pay for their prices and margins.



    Tim Cook talks about growth, but will it happen? Will a cheaper laptop kill off iPad sales?



    HP is the largest PC manufacturer in the world... and even they aren't happy. Contrary to popular belief... marketshare is NOT always the best thing.



    There are already laptops cheaper than the iPad... but those laptops hardly make any money for those companies.
  • Reply 35 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Slurpy View Post


    What else is new? Every new quarter for Apple is pretty much a record quarter.



    Not for Macs. On average they are making good gains but Mac numbers do fluctuate. Most recently, it went down from the previous quarter.



    iPad and iPhone is a totally different beast, and where the real action is. But thank goodness Macs will be with us and doing well enough for at least another five years.



    Steve's greatest post-NEXT triumph is in blowing the field wide open with the iPod, iPhone and iPad. Yes, the return of the Mac is phenomenal given where it was in the late 90's and the maxxing out of the PowerPC architecture... But instead of embroiling Apple in a bitter Mac vs PC war he sought to catch the next wave with the iPhone and iPad. Like a talented surfer, he chose which waves to let pass and which to ride.
  • Reply 36 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bigpics View Post


    Also, if iCloud works as promised (and Apple GETS the web finally), with the growing auto-synchronization between PC/tab/phone/pod/cloud, the synergies should drive relative growth in ALL of these segments.



    This is a rare case where "synergy" isn't a horrible cliche. It will take the next five years for Apple to catch up with itself, building upon and around the foundation of iOS and iOS Pro aka OSX. The momentum is tremendous. It should be a good five years in diabolical Western economic times.



    Apple is never perfect, but at least they have a clear direction, unlike so many other large establishments.
  • Reply 37 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by patrickf View Post


    They should have a little bit cheaper laptop. Like $799. They could get 25% more market share and a heartbeat. But that is what I would do and that's just me.



    In the end, who cares.





    Shareholders. You know, the people who actually own the company? Like myself and others on this board.



    Apple tried the low price high margin thing and then tried the license your OS thing and it didn't work out. They have a recipe for increasing revenue and shareholder value. Why try to fix something that isn't broken? People who can't afford an Apple have to buy a PC? Oh well, there's plenty of options for saving up.
  • Reply 38 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by patrickf View Post




    They should have a little bit cheaper laptop. Like $799. They could get 25% more market share and a heartbeat. But that is what I would do and that's just me.



    In the end, who cares.



    Why is marketshare so important to you? That's a horrible thing to chase.



    Like I said earlier... HP is the largest computer manufacturer in the world... with lots of marketshare... and they still aren't happy.



    Would you rather sell tons of cheap things... making hardly any money?



    Or sell slightly more expensive things and actually make profit?
  • Reply 39 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by patrickf View Post


    They should have a little bit cheaper laptop. Like $799. They could get 25% more market share and a heartbeat. But that is what I would do and that's just me.



    That's what Acer did.



    And not so long ago, Acer fired their CEO and founder Stan Shih basically apologized to shareholders for making a bunch of cheap crap that they couldn't be proud of, barely profitable PCs that built marketshare without increasing shareholder value.



    Essentially, Acer conceded that their entire business model was flawed. Chasing after sales volume and marketshare did nothing to make Acer a better company for its employees, its customers, nor its shareholders.
  • Reply 40 of 44
    a) Apple is the only company which has potential to make more money by selling less products than any other company!



    b) 2011 Mac Minis and MacBook Airs deserved such response



    nuff said
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