Mac Ping!
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Posted on 06/08/2010 12:56:25 AM PDT by Swordmaker
Geoffrey wrote in a comment on Friday’s article: “I’m not a Microsoft (MSFT) fanboy by any means, but I don’t see them disappearing or losing significant maketshare.”
I agree that Microsoft isn’t going to disappear, but I think it will begin losing PC market share faster as the tide that’s seen Apple’s (AAPL) growing share among individuals moves to companies. The corporate preference for PCs has long been the argument in favor of Microsoft’s continued dominance.
As the owner of a small company myself, I can tell you that the cost argument doesn’t hold up anymore when viewed in terms of return on investment (ROI). Now more than one year into our wholesale change from PCs to Macs, we’ve gone from wasting 15% of our time chasing down missing drivers and other daily Windows hassles to a year without one single problem. Not one! I didn’t know that was possible in the world of computing prior to switching to Macs.
I can count on one hand the times we’ve restarted the machines, and all of those were shutting them down for travel. The machines are no slower today than when we bought them, unlike our PCs which began establishing their obsolescence almost the day we took them out of their boxes. I’ve heard from people who’ve used Macs much longer than I that the machines are fine five and even 10 years after buying them. I’m one year into my own testing of that. So far, so good.
Now that the Internet has erased the compatibility issue, I think more companies will look into ROI on their capital equipment purchases and conclude that switching to Macs is a smarter way to go. It not only makes for a better work environment, which in itself is worth a lot, but it might also cost less in hard dollar terms. Apple could help that trend by providing more aggressive pricing for bulk corporate purchases, but I don’t know if they’re planning to do that.
Anyway, the hard-dollar difference isn’t that great anymore, judging by my experience. The last notebook PC I bought cost me $2,200. My MacBook Pro cost me $2,800 a year ago, and it sports far better hardware behind far more elegant software. The PC notebook’s self-destruction was mostly finished after two years, a record fast degradation in my experience and the straw that broke the PC camel’s back for me and sent me to the Mac racehorse. One year into my Mac experience, Apple has me for life.
Is $600 too much more to pay for that much more computer? I don’t think so. A few years more and it won’t be more expensive at all when broken into dollars per year. That last self-immolating PC notebook of mine cost me $1,100 per year. If my Mac gives me at least three years it will have cost me just $933 per year. If it gives me five years, it will have cost me just $560 per year. Meanwhile, as the dollar difference fades, the improvement in user experience has been like upgrading from a bicycle to a Benz.
The ROI argument in favor of Apple seems compelling to companies. As they migrate more of their custom applications online, it seems that more companies will join individuals in realizing that there’s no longer a need to suffer through PC headaches, no longer a cost barrier, and lots of productivity waiting to be unlocked. That should boost Apple’s market share inside corporations.
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
The iPhone 4G is probably everything I’d have wanted in a phone.
Any insider info on if it’s going to be available sans contract in the US or any foreign market?
I guess this guy has never heard of any Operating Systems besides Microsoft or Apple.
Ah, if only Bush2000 could be here to see this...but he hasn’t posted since early 2006.
Pity.
It can be purchased without contract for $599 for the 16GB or $699 for the 32GB models...
Are you suggesting the 1% market share commanded on desktops and far smaller in notebooks by the Linux OS might have any impact in the Corporate world?
Ah, yes, I do miss him... but we have his spiritual descendant, DennisW, here to carry his torch for him...
I actually think he may have bought a Mac... and couldn't bear to admit it... so he has been lurking ever since. Or changed his handle and has resurfaced as a full fledged Mac Fan... :^)>
The more I see such discussions the more I don’t understand them. They’re apple (no pun) and orange comparisons.
Microsoft owns most of the frosting on the cake: OS and a few applications.
Apple owns the biggest chunk of cake outright: OS, desktop computers, notebook computers, pocket computers, now tablet computers, major accessories, many applications, music content, video content, etc.
Whatever the comparison is, those with their money where there mouth is say Apple’s role in the market is worth more (market capitalization).
Microsoft owns most of the frosting on the cake: OS and a few applications. Apple owns the biggest chunk of cake outright: OS, desktop computers, notebook computers, pocket computers, now tablet computers, major accessories, many applications, music content, video content, etc.
Whatever the comparison is, those with their money where there mouth is say Apple’s role in the market is worth more (market capitalization).
IMHO the market cap of AAPL is more to do with iPhone and so forth than with conventional computers, which AAPL apparently thinks isn't a big enough market.
“ROI argument in favor of Apple”
lol. this sounds like an Apple shill.
The 4G looks very nice although I wish the weight was reduced by 40-50%.
Still waiting to see the mythical open source Exchange killer.
Pity.
Or the brass buzzard...
Parallels my experience in home, business and technical usage. Except in my case my high-end Lenovo ThinkPad laptops cost more than my MacBook Pros... and after three years the ThinkPads have been ready for the recycling bin, with cracked cases and broken hardware. The Macs just keep going and going and going.
Nah, he's too whiffy. Consider this:
"One year into my Mac experience, Apple has me for life."That's a 14-yr old girl in the first throes of romance, not a businessperson with experience regarding computers. He may know stocks, but with regard to computers, he's a...
Fanboy.
(BTW, this comment was submitted from my MacBook. I generally like Apple's products, but sometimes the fanbois are an embarrassment to real computer folks.)
User search is a great way to connect with old friends. You might be surprised.
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