Posted on 01/27/2011 3:34:13 AM PST by Swordmaker
THE MAKER OF SHINY TOYS, Apple is starting to see sales of its Macintosh computers stunted by the Ipad.
Market analysts Asymco produced not only evidence that Ipad sales grew massively in the fourth quarter of 2010 but also that a worrying trend is emerging for Apple, in that the sales growth of its Mac computers is falling. Even though its figures suggest otherwise, Asymco claimed that Ipads are in fact not cannibalising Mac sales.
Further data presented by Asymco show that Apple is flogging fewer Ipods, with users opting for Iphones instead. That isn't particularly surprising as industry pundits have been talking about the MP3 player market becoming saturated and eventually declining for many years. However for Apple and its shareholders, news that sales of its once bread and butter line of computers is facing declining growth will start to ring alarm bells.
Apple managed to steal a march on its rivals in the tablet market with the Ipad, but to expect that it will continue to lead the market with the slew of Android devices from big name manufacturers weighing in is presumptuous and risky. Impressive growth in Ipad sales figures won't shock anyone, after all Apple's faithful will gladly spend money on a mobile phone that can't even make phone calls, and few real tablet alternatives existed until the end of 2010. However, the issue of product cannibalisation is an important one for Apple if it wants to retain the image of being a computer company rather than just the purveyor of shiny consumer gadgets.
Although Mac sales are not falling according to Asymco's figures, the stuttering growth is surely a concern for Apple. While it might peddle overpriced gadgets such as the Ipod, Iphone and Ipad, on the whole its range of Imacs and Macbooks offer a good mix of price, performance and of course attractive design.
Maybe Apple doesn't care about its changing public image. There have been signs that Apple has stopped innovating, such as its decision to include relatively minor updates to the Imac, Macbook Air, Mac Mini and Iphone 4. Then of course there also is its Mac Pro, with few words in the English language being adequate to describe the level of insanity one requires to purchase a Mac Pro. So perhaps it is not surprising that even with the fabled fruit logo on the back of its machines, Apple is facing a tough time trying to increase its computer sales.
As fanbois grab the pitchforks, it's important to remember that especially in the case of the Iphone 4, the device is a middling product with a high-end price tag. Software wise, Google's Android OS equals or surpasses Apple's IOS on many fronts, while the impressive yet patronisingly named Retina Display on the Iphone 4 is its only cutting edge hardware feature. For the other Apple products, it's really an open and shut case that they are mediocre hardware that's overpriced. Apple's Imac is still arguably the best all-in-one computer on the market but its design, the barometer of Apple innovation, has changed little in over three years. After years of leaving the Macbook Air alone, the specifications barely changed with Apple's refresh. The same can be said of the Mac Mini, which is also positioned as an Xserve replacement, if one is silly enough to believe Apple's marketing bump.
So is Apple shooting down part of its product line by launching the Ipad? The figures do tend to suggest that when Jobs' Mob releases a major new product such as the Iphone or the Ipad, there is a detrimental effect on its pre-existing products such as the Ipod and the Mac range of computers. This might also explain why Apple was relatively slow in developing a Mac App Store. After all, why would Apple care that Mac sales were being hurt by products that generate cash for the outfit after the original sale?
What Asymco's figures do show is that Apple is clearly turning from being a computer firm into one that just designs shiny consumer electronics. µ
Apple proved how stupid they are years ago. They will never survive in this competitive market. So, before it becomes completely worthless, just to prove what a generous guy I am, I will take your Apple stock off your hands for $50 a share.
I’ve had better luck with Toshiba, and much worse luck with HP. There’s one data point for your stats.
Isn’t it amazing how folks with a grudge can turn even the best news into something bad? Lets see - Apple is setting revenue and profit records. Sales of Apple products (INCLUDING computers) is climbing, even while other makers are still having to clear inventory with deep price cuts...
How many PC makers WISH they had the financial success (and sales success) Apple is seeing? I would venture most.
We are going on four years with seven IMacs and four MacBooks in this office running 24/7 with one logicboard failure. I'm running three Macs at my house, a 27" 3 year old Intel iMac, an 8 year old G5 Mac Tower, and a four year old MacBook Pro, all running 24/7 with zero failures. That's a total of 59 operational years with one failure. I've clients with three Dell computers that have had all three fail within three years.
The Inq is still deranged, I see.
Yes, you can glean that this writer is an idiot who prefers to denigrate and misrepresent Apple, its Financial reports, its products, users, and everything about the company and this is just the latest in a long line of such FUD articles in the Inquirer where he has repeatedly done the same thing. ;^)>
So far so good on my 2 yr old ...I love Mac it has always been my only choice..but there is an issue with the logic boards.. I wonder if the production is all in one plant.. my I mac had 3 failures.. my daughter in law had 2 in her mac book /air mac
I have heard that Chinese Dells are junk .. so your friends experience does not surprise me but my experience with macs has
...industry pundits have been talking about the MP3 player market becoming saturated and eventually declining for many years...That's cool, because the iPod isn't an MP3 player. :') Thanks Swordmaker.
I think part of the game changer with the MBA is that it has 802.11n Wi-Fi, which I don’t think the first-gen MBA’s had. More people have n-capable wireless routers now, or can get them easily. Hence it doesn’t need to be wired, as it gets really good speed on Wi-Fi.
You misunderstand the market, and misunderstand the product. I think you misunderstand Microsoft, too. I'd encourage you to go to an Apple store and try to understand what everyone else sees.
The iPad is not a content-creation device; it is a content acquisition device. Most people are consumers, not creators, of content. Do you get the difference?
It's sole purpose it to put content into the hands of the user. In that sense it's revolutionary, and any comparison to your PC is a strawman.
Further, with the advent of the app store, Apple has neatly sliced the bottom out from under Microsoft's bloated 1970s-music-industry business model. Remember in the old days how you used to have to buy 12 songs on an album to get the one you wanted? Well, Microsoft uses that same business model to force you to buy their software. You want Word? Hey, here's Excel, Powerpoint, and 9 other things you don't care about! Talk about value!
In the App model, you buy the pieces you want, and nothing else. You want word processing but not spreadsheet? Great! You want the title song from 'American Pie' but not 'Vincent'? Great!
Steve Jobs will cry all the way to the bank-- $10 billion in apps sold as of last week. What's Microsoft invented lately? The Zune?
And I see posts here about PC's and gaming ability. But I can't remember the last time I sat at a PC that had 3D positional sensing, GPS and the portability of the iPad. Not to mention all the other apps available, all for a fraction of the size of a laptop. The convenience alone is worth the price. I have a MacBook Pro for content creation, but the more I use my iPad the more I realize that the game has changed.
Very well said! Bears repeating! I've been programming since the 60s, but retired now. I use my iPad daily, and it's a joy. And I use it to acquire content of all types. Pure bliss. I own over two dozen computers that can create content, but are not as much fun as my iPad. I look forward to the next marvel that Apple will create.
Get real. My laptop is a content acquisition device too. For years the fanbois here have been knocking $300-400 Windows7 computers that are more than adequate content acquisition devices. And acting as though you need a much more expensive Apple laptop or desktop to do this internet thing.
I suppose an iPad may dazzle the rubes when an MD pulls his out to show an X-Ray he “acquired” over his office wireless network. I’m a laughing at such BS
iPad is more portable and convenient but essentially it is an underpowered computer> People accept that for the portability factor but netbooks are just as portable. They are fad item for the gadgeteers to moon over
Whatever.
That would be pretty cool. No more "Come over here to our cramped X-ray workstation to see the results..." He just comes into the comfortable exam room with the results. I should tell my doctor about your idea. We're finally back to the old times when he'd come in with the developed film and put it up on the light board.
My idea is not original... I read about it. This guy’s patients are paying the freight for his brainwashing
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http://www.apple.com/ipad/business/profiles/dr-ferencz/
Putting iPad into patients’ hands also helps emphasize Dr. Ferencz’s commitment to the latest and best dental practices. “It conveys a subliminal message that this office is up-to-date technologically,” he says. “So they know that we’re up-to-date in our dentistry as well.”
iPad is also a powerful, persuasive way to share images during doctor-patient conversations about treatment options. “On our first day with iPad, I used it three times to show patients X-rays and photographs of clinical conditions,” Dr. Ferencz explains. “And in each case the patient booked the procedure immediately.”
****** My dentist has an ipad. He must know what he is doing!
I feel very sorry for those patients who will be better served. Maybe we should go to a socialist medical system where the government can say we don't need such luxuries for the convenience of the patient.
It’s not that they have more power, it’s that they’re more usable.
How’s that 1.5 lb, 0.5” thick, 11+ hour run time, instant on, anytime/anywhere performance working out for you?
...oh, right, you don’t have that with your 3 year old laptop with Win7/2GB/T2130/80GB...
...but mine is working out great, thanks for asking.
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