Sometimes that growth recedes it is the nature of any business. However if you look at Apples AIRs they are just starting to gain the capabilities to encourage wider market acceptance. The 2011 rev has hit the tipping point of acceptability. When the Ivy Bridge AIRs arrive I suspect that sales will just accelerate. Rapidly.
Outside of the AIRs I do see trouble for Apples desktop lineup. There the line is stagnet and is suffering from neglect. This is an internal problem for Apple, Acer can take credit but it is undeserved.
In any event I think this thread highlights why Apple insists on tight lips. Public statements can be twisted and bent in creative ways if you don't have product to backup those claims.
The competition announces -- Apple delivers!
...or as my momma taught me -- pay attention to what people do... not what they say!
From what I can see in the Best Buy flyer in front of me, ultrabooks are barely cheaper than MBA. BUT, I think Apple need to be carefull here. They need to block them by matching there prices the same they do with the iPad.
Apple should make sure the price gap doesnt gets too big for equal specs and design because they WILL lose sales. With the volume discount Apple has, Apple should be able to match prices.
Do these executives actually use their own products? Have they ever really used Apple's?
I watched one of the idiots from RIM gush over his crappy playbook in a demo. Yet I noticed he did a number of deliberate things to make sure it worked correctly. While he was all over the multitasking, he also made sure to close videos and not keep them running in the background. They picked a 7" screen not because it was best, but because their crap couldn't perform on a 10". Only he was allowed to touch the playbook that week, obviously because it looked ok, but watching is not the same as using.
Don't even get me started on the HP guys.
So now we have Wang. He can't clone an Air or iPad and even come near the same price point. So he has to cheapen it up. People aren't buying Apple's gear because there are no cheaper alternatives. There have always been cheaper alternatives and always will be. They will get their %
Thing is, Apple is now hitting a lot of price points with very high quality products. People are learning about the quality, user experience, and stability. They like it and are looking for more.
You can now get quality Apple products from $50 (iPhone 3GS) to $3000+ Wow! for decades you could get much under 2k and fairly low end stuff at 1K. The Airs are unbelievable for the price point. To think we were buying plastic computers for that just a few years ago!
From what I can see in the Best Buy flyer in front of me, ultrabooks are barely cheaper than MBA. BUT, I think Apple need to be carefull here. They need to block them by matching there prices the same they do with the iPad.
Apple should make sure the price gap doesnt gets too big for equal specs and design because they WILL lose sales. With the volume discount Apple has, Apple should be able to match prices.
I do not believe that Apple, necessarily, has to match prices...
Here's a scenario, that a salesman should love:
Two competing products that, essentially, do the same thing.
Product X has all these features and sells for $949.
Product A has fewer features, but sells for more -- $999.
Salesman to customer: "Ask yourself why?"
(and be prepared to supply the answer, if the customer cannot)... Ka-Ching!
From what I can see in the Best Buy flyer in front of me, ultrabooks are barely cheaper than MBA. BUT, I think Apple need to be carefull here. They need to block them by matching there prices the same they do with the iPad.
What? When did Apple match anyone's price with the iPad? Apple released the iPad at $499 and up when there was nothing else out there. The iPad is still $499 and up (although you can get the older model for a discount). So where is the price-matching?
Quote:
Originally Posted by herbapou
Apple should make sure the price gap doesnt gets too big for equal specs and design because they WILL lose sales. With the volume discount Apple has, Apple should be able to match prices.
That would be a disaster. As soon as you get into a price war, the winner is the one with no overhead. Apple's R&D and spectacular tech support would keep them from winning a race to the bottom.
Rather, Apple's focus has always been to offer a superior experience and then charge a fair price for it. If the competitor is cheaper, Apple has to convince consumers that the experience is worth the money. That strategy is absolutely working wrt the iPhone and iPad. Even though there are much less expensive alternatives, both of them are still the best selling products in their respective market.
"[Wang] expects Apple platform growth will start weakening in the next two years and the major driver will be replaced by rapid growth of Wintel,"
Revised for honesty ...
"[Wang] GUESSES Apple platform growth MIGHT start weakening in the next SEVERAL years and A MINOR driver will be replaced by SLUGGISH growth of Wintel HOPING TO CATCH UP WITH THE APPLE JUGGERNAUT"
Acer is great at putting cheap, crappy hardware on the market that people buy simply because it's at the costco and walmart price structure, AND a huge percentage of end users have no idea what the difference is between crap and quality. Acer will survive, but will not compete with apple any more than Kia competes with Audi.
My thought, too. It sounds like wishful thinking rather than an informed prediction. If the ultra books drop in price they will sell shedloads and Acer will make very little money. I don't think Apple will be affected.
Thus, inspite of Apple's superior software/hardware platform, the status quo in 7 years time is similar to what we see with desktops. There's my prophecy, folks. Send me $5 bucks in 5 years time if I'm right. (Oh, I'm an Apple fan, with a purchase record of over 15 Macs, several iPods, and two iPhones - and currently have 5 working Macs.
I might agree with this, but you've missed that, since losing the "PC War", Apple has become the worlds largest consumer of semiconductors and has the highest return on R&D in big business. We're already seeing hints of monopsony and competitors are having difficulty competing on price. Apple is now large enough that vertical integration doesn't lose volume efficiencies.
Also note that Apple is overturning the status quo in computers, as the Mac is gaining market share. Perhaps that war isn't as over as we thought?
Jobs was a great leader but there has always been a very creative team at Apple. Not all of Jobs ideas were his. Its possible Apple will be more creative now that more ideas will get through. Only time will tell.
QUOTE=caelitus;2008222]It's funny how all these companies are talking about Apple all the time. They, in part, created the hype for Apple.
I wonder why there is no company say "our products will sell because it's great and it's innovative, no matter how our competitors are doing". Probably they are really not innovating.
That leads me to fear now that an operations guy is in charge of Apple instead of an innovative, creative product guy. I fear that even Apple will lose its creative ability and stop innovating. Then we are really entering 1984. Hopefully I am wrong. Prove me wrong, Tim.[/QUOTE]
What? When did Apple match anyone's price with the iPad? Apple released the iPad at $499 and up when there was nothing else out there. The iPad is still $499 and up (although you can get the older model for a discount). So where is the price-matching?
The point is the competition is only able to sell at -50$ of Apple prices with comparable specs. The ipad is still doing well because at similar prices people go with Apple. The competition cant compete because with tablets they MUST have a good design, somethiing they are not used to do.
The same applies to the ultraportable, those require a good design. Apple should be able to offer something at similar prices. If competition figured out a way to beat Apple prices by more than 10%, then customers are going to go for windows machine in volume, just like the PC market. Apple need to be aggressive on prices if they want to keep that market.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta
That would be a disaster. As soon as you get into a price war, the winner is the one with no overhead. Apple's R&D and spectacular tech support would keep them from winning a race to the bottom.
Apple may have R&D expenses, but they also have so much cash flow the interest alone can pay for R&D and some. And Apple also have better prices for components because of there high volume. they should be able to still turn a profit when others are selling at cost.
Comments
Wang by name. Wang by nature.
Wang?... Wong!
Sometimes that growth recedes it is the nature of any business. However if you look at Apples AIRs they are just starting to gain the capabilities to encourage wider market acceptance. The 2011 rev has hit the tipping point of acceptability. When the Ivy Bridge AIRs arrive I suspect that sales will just accelerate. Rapidly.
Outside of the AIRs I do see trouble for Apples desktop lineup. There the line is stagnet and is suffering from neglect. This is an internal problem for Apple, Acer can take credit but it is undeserved.
In any event I think this thread highlights why Apple insists on tight lips. Public statements can be twisted and bent in creative ways if you don't have product to backup those claims.
The competition announces -- Apple delivers!
...or as my momma taught me -- pay attention to what people do... not what they say!
Apple should make sure the price gap doesnt gets too big for equal specs and design because they WILL lose sales. With the volume discount Apple has, Apple should be able to match prices.
Two things:
1) does anyone really believe in a Windows resurgence any more? Or are they, as I suspect, completely irrelevant?
2) even if this happens, would Apple care? If they take 50% of the market's profit, who cares about numbers?
In november, windows did had market share growth while Mac OS X lost some...
I watched one of the idiots from RIM gush over his crappy playbook in a demo. Yet I noticed he did a number of deliberate things to make sure it worked correctly. While he was all over the multitasking, he also made sure to close videos and not keep them running in the background. They picked a 7" screen not because it was best, but because their crap couldn't perform on a 10". Only he was allowed to touch the playbook that week, obviously because it looked ok, but watching is not the same as using.
Don't even get me started on the HP guys.
So now we have Wang. He can't clone an Air or iPad and even come near the same price point. So he has to cheapen it up. People aren't buying Apple's gear because there are no cheaper alternatives. There have always been cheaper alternatives and always will be. They will get their %
Thing is, Apple is now hitting a lot of price points with very high quality products. People are learning about the quality, user experience, and stability. They like it and are looking for more.
You can now get quality Apple products from $50 (iPhone 3GS) to $3000+ Wow! for decades you could get much under 2k and fairly low end stuff at 1K. The Airs are unbelievable for the price point. To think we were buying plastic computers for that just a few years ago!
From what I can see in the Best Buy flyer in front of me, ultrabooks are barely cheaper than MBA. BUT, I think Apple need to be carefull here. They need to block them by matching there prices the same they do with the iPad.
Apple should make sure the price gap doesnt gets too big for equal specs and design because they WILL lose sales. With the volume discount Apple has, Apple should be able to match prices.
I do not believe that Apple, necessarily, has to match prices...
Here's a scenario, that a salesman should love:
Two competing products that, essentially, do the same thing.
Product X has all these features and sells for $949.
Product A has fewer features, but sells for more -- $999.
Salesman to customer: "Ask yourself why?"
(and be prepared to supply the answer, if the customer cannot)... Ka-Ching!
From what I can see in the Best Buy flyer in front of me, ultrabooks are barely cheaper than MBA. BUT, I think Apple need to be carefull here. They need to block them by matching there prices the same they do with the iPad.
What? When did Apple match anyone's price with the iPad? Apple released the iPad at $499 and up when there was nothing else out there. The iPad is still $499 and up (although you can get the older model for a discount). So where is the price-matching?
Apple should make sure the price gap doesnt gets too big for equal specs and design because they WILL lose sales. With the volume discount Apple has, Apple should be able to match prices.
That would be a disaster. As soon as you get into a price war, the winner is the one with no overhead. Apple's R&D and spectacular tech support would keep them from winning a race to the bottom.
Rather, Apple's focus has always been to offer a superior experience and then charge a fair price for it. If the competitor is cheaper, Apple has to convince consumers that the experience is worth the money. That strategy is absolutely working wrt the iPhone and iPad. Even though there are much less expensive alternatives, both of them are still the best selling products in their respective market.
Revised for honesty ...
"[Wang] GUESSES Apple platform growth MIGHT start weakening in the next SEVERAL years and A MINOR driver will be replaced by SLUGGISH growth of Wintel HOPING TO CATCH UP WITH THE APPLE JUGGERNAUT"
Mr Wang speaks.
I too have a PhD in Wishful Thinking.
My thought, too. It sounds like wishful thinking rather than an informed prediction. If the ultra books drop in price they will sell shedloads and Acer will make very little money. I don't think Apple will be affected.
He wished upon a star!
Then when that didn't work he took some LSD.
I am not a member of the grammar police nor a psychoanalyst...
...but it is obvious, even to me, that what is needed is to exchange stiff Apples for a stiff Wang..
Ah, there's the joke!
Thus, inspite of Apple's superior software/hardware platform, the status quo in 7 years time is similar to what we see with desktops. There's my prophecy, folks. Send me $5 bucks in 5 years time if I'm right. (Oh, I'm an Apple fan, with a purchase record of over 15 Macs, several iPods, and two iPhones - and currently have 5 working Macs.
I might agree with this, but you've missed that, since losing the "PC War", Apple has become the worlds largest consumer of semiconductors and has the highest return on R&D in big business. We're already seeing hints of monopsony and competitors are having difficulty competing on price. Apple is now large enough that vertical integration doesn't lose volume efficiencies.
Also note that Apple is overturning the status quo in computers, as the Mac is gaining market share. Perhaps that war isn't as over as we thought?
http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/23/a...out-20-percen/
QUOTE=caelitus;2008222]It's funny how all these companies are talking about Apple all the time. They, in part, created the hype for Apple.
I wonder why there is no company say "our products will sell because it's great and it's innovative, no matter how our competitors are doing". Probably they are really not innovating.
That leads me to fear now that an operations guy is in charge of Apple instead of an innovative, creative product guy. I fear that even Apple will lose its creative ability and stop innovating. Then we are really entering 1984. Hopefully I am wrong. Prove me wrong, Tim.[/QUOTE]
What? When did Apple match anyone's price with the iPad? Apple released the iPad at $499 and up when there was nothing else out there. The iPad is still $499 and up (although you can get the older model for a discount). So where is the price-matching?
The point is the competition is only able to sell at -50$ of Apple prices with comparable specs. The ipad is still doing well because at similar prices people go with Apple. The competition cant compete because with tablets they MUST have a good design, somethiing they are not used to do.
The same applies to the ultraportable, those require a good design. Apple should be able to offer something at similar prices. If competition figured out a way to beat Apple prices by more than 10%, then customers are going to go for windows machine in volume, just like the PC market. Apple need to be aggressive on prices if they want to keep that market.
That would be a disaster. As soon as you get into a price war, the winner is the one with no overhead. Apple's R&D and spectacular tech support would keep them from winning a race to the bottom.
Apple may have R&D expenses, but they also have so much cash flow the interest alone can pay for R&D and some. And Apple also have better prices for components because of there high volume. they should be able to still turn a profit when others are selling at cost.