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Someone gets it.

They are all beginning to get it. Slowly the message has started to get through.

If I didn't know better I'd say we're looking at a trend here. More & more journalists seem to be "getting it".

All together now...

Amazing to actually read some good journalism for a change.

Hooray for intelligent journalism!! Finally distinctions are being made about the differences is Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X! And to think that a local paper of the Redmond office is actually researching the security benefits of a none M$ OS does not set well with monkeys or monopolists!
There is hope for the world yet!!

I also have no real-world Mac acquaintences .. not a single one. Zero. Zip. Nada. (except for my sister, and I had to buy her the Mac to even get that to happen). I sure wish those millions of new Mac users would make their presence visible. Anyway, yeah .. no viruses. That's a fact.

That said, I would comment that, as someone who also has zero experience with Windows, I haven't found computing to be very socially compelling. I like my Mac, but it's been a tediously isolating social experience, overall.

Yeah, I know. Times are supposed to be changing soon. I sure hope they hurry up. I haven't got forever for Apple to pull this off.

I think we just might be reaching a tipping point.

This IS good news! However if Apple would plug its computer line and OS like Dell and Microsoft, sales would increase greatly. The key is to educate consumers to the advantages of the Mac and it's OS, this will drive sales across the board (education, consumer, professional, enterprise) and more and more developers would produce products for the Mac.
I can see that this works, Dell sees that it works, Billy Bob Gates see this, lots of people do. Why doesn't Apple?

MacDoctor -- Baby steps, baby steps.

Better a nice long, slow growth than a seismic shift that floods and overwhelms Apple.

Slow and steady wins the race.

AAPL has been winning the game for a long time.

Apple is just beginning to turn the game around and will snatch it for good by the fourth quarter.

Tell me. Why do we all like it so much when Macs get more market share. To me, that just means worse customer service because the calls are longer.
Unless you're a stock holder of course.

Call me an elitist if you want - but I like Macs not being in the hands of the masses. I like being a minority.

We should all want more switchers.

The more Mac users the more consideration for Mac users.

No more Windows only services, no more Windows only software for new gadgets, less and less Windows only programs and games and, above all, social acceptance for geeky Mac owners.

"At least 1 million buyers switched from Windows to new Macintoshes in the last nine months, according to an analyst for the financial forecasting firm Needham & Co.,"

How do they know?
Even Apple doesn´t put out wild ass guesses like this.
Does anyone realize what a high percentage of Mac sales that is?

And this news is old - Apple Insider reported it on November 7:
"If we assume that all of the growth in Mac shipments during the past three quarters resulted from Windows users purchasing a Mac, then purchases by Windows users exceeded one million," the analyst said. "Indeed, the number of Windows users purchasing Macs in 2005 could easily exceed our forecast of 1.3 million switchers in 2006."

Needham had previously estimated that 500,000 Windows users would purchase a Mac in 2005, but says its model underestimated the number of Windows users the Mac could capture because it was limited to Windows users who had purchased an iPod."
http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1360

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I love that take: "If we assume that all of the growth in Mac shipments during the past three quarters resulted from Windows users purchasing a Mac, then purchases by Windows users exceeded one million,"

What an assumption - all growth coming from Windows owners - not old Mac owners running OS 7, 8 and 9.

And that same day Needham downgraded Apple stock saying it was fully valued at $61.

ANALysts.
We only believe them when they tell us the news we want to hear.

People who don't know Macs have a secure DESIGN, and say Macs "will soon be just as dangerous," must think Macs will soon have 50% marketshare. So soon that it will affect the computer they buy now.

Silly.

Can it be? Is the world starting to wake from its long slumber in Windozeland? Methinks so!

The handwriting is on the wall.

Hurray! Someone said something I agree with therefore it must be OK!

People buy on price and which is the most common standard.

Unfortunately Microsoft and Intel have this locked up pretty well.

Apple is already caving in on the x86 based processor part and unless Mac OS X runs Vista programs and comes out with a line of cheap computers produced in masse, don't expect any significant market share gains.

Apple will have to take on Dell and Microsoft directly, don't expect this to happen as Dell is already making better quality PC's and Microsoft is coming out with Vista, curing their security and visual quality problems.

You all didn't really think Apple had a chance did you?

At best Apple will grow a bit, invent new products like the iPod to keep us in Mac's, but don't expect anything to change.

Microsoft won on the desktop long ago, and we all have John Scully the "Judas of the computer world" to blame for it.

So live with it.

I wonder why Mac users are always so obsessed with this wanting, hoping, dreaming and praying for a huge increase in market share...its kind of like they really don´t believe in their choice of a Mac, but if more would buy a Mac, if that Mac marketshare would increase then they could justify why they have one: "See, I was right to buy a Mac!"

What or how exactly will your computer experience be better if Apple doubles its marketshare????

Harold,

because our AAPL shares will more than double in that case!

And that improves our 'computer experience'.

Actually, it's pretty OBVIOUS how Mac users' experience would improve if Macs had higher marketshare--fewer IE-only websites to stymie us, fewer Windows-only software, greater Mac expertise for IT admins (permitting more of us to order Macs in the workplace), etc., etc. etc.
Do you just get off being a contrarian, or are you really that clueless?
Kate

harold, increased market share might put an end to "we're sorry but this website/software/game only works with microsoft windows..." i don't care a jot if the great unwashed wallow forever in windows mediocrity but i would like my online banking to work

mw hour... cometh the hour, cometh the mac... dude!

MacDude - Your making a few assumptions in your posting. Your assuming that Apple isn't making strides to gain market share. Clearly with the iPod and introduction of the Mac Mini, I believe Apple is clearly ready to embrass hitting a more mass market with their computers.

To do this, they are doing several important things, the biggest one being slowly changing over to standard, generic PC parts to build their machines. This started a while ago and since then Apple has change over to almost 100% generic, PC parts to make their machines. DVI, USB, S-ATA, AGP, PCIe and with the transition to the Intel CPUs and chipsets, the switch will be complete. With this recipe, Apple will become the equivalent to a Dell or HP - the ability to flow with the market on demand with new hardware. This is reason that the rumors of a much cheaper iBook are probably not only valid but something that really turns heads. If you buy a Dell or Apple laptop, at the same price but the Apple has the ability to run OS X or M$ or Linux (whatever the consumer wants), I'm guessing that most people will buy the Apple.

Add this, the fact that someone will hack OS X for x86 and it will run on generic PCs (and I'm guessing that Apple won't do much to stop it - it only adds to their market share) and Vista is again delayed, and Apple can really make some headway in the market share dept.

Will they ever take back the desktop market? No, esp. with coporate America IT departments in the equation (no one ever got fired for buying M$ products). But a 10% market share is not out of the question at all. Time will tell...

[Unlike Windows, Mac OS X does not allow programs to take over central operations of the computer, nor does it let a program (or even a user) install software without permission.]

The important distinction to be made is, is that you can install software — just not any software that affects the System Software.


[Microsoft won on the desktop long ago, and we all have John Scully the "Judas of the computer world" to blame for it.]

I would heartily agree — Scully is Computer Judas. Does, that make Steve J our Buddy J He is a Pisces!


[What or how exactly will your computer experience be better if Apple doubles its marketshare????]

Double the third-party Mac software and gadgets?

As 'Big Al' pointed out, 'The more Mac users — the more consideration for Mac users.'.

That will be nice, no?

7 7 7 7!

All these coins started shooting out the Apple door on the front of my Mac. Wowzers!

I even got a Chuck E Cheese token!

John Scully is the Judas Iscariot of computer world

Bill Gates is the devil of the computer world.

Steve Balmer is the anti-christ.

Steve Jobs is god.

In February, my business will have the fourth anniversary of the purchase of our first OSx Mac.

We now run 10 OSx Macs of various descriptions and have only one Windows computer left - an old Dell laptop that has been sitting in a closet for the last year "just in case".

That's four years of no data loss, no viruses and no computer downtime... not even one hang or reboot needed.

Thank you Apple.

Kate: "...fewer IE-only websites to stymie us, fewer Windows-only software"

Well at least one mac owner finally admits they don´t get to enjoy the computer experience as much as Windows users!

thxdude,

Ok, so Mac's will be equal to PC's in hardware SO WHAT?

What do you think M$ did when Steve Jobs got rehired?

They had a meeting and said "what can he do to hurt us?"

This is what they came up with:

1: Our dismal security - improve it

2: Our rather drab Longhorn - change it and copy Mac OS X call it "Vista"

3: Throw around the idea of giving Windows as a free OS just in case Apple try's to sell Mac OS X for PC's.

4: Make Vista run all previous versions of x86 based Windows software so it makes it less likely anyone will switch.


So you see Apple is FSCKED really in gaining any significant market share. All they can hope is Vista is a security nighmare, because it's obvious Windows users don't think their GUI should look good or don't care.

Apple will win only by developing new markets and holding the dominant position.

Only that way will Mac's survive, in fact the iPod division of Apple is already seperate, ready to be divorced from the parent to allow it to go on it's own.

I actually think we Mac users are being prepared for the enevitable, we are going to be using Windows Vista.

Look at the evidence, a two button Apple mouse with scroll ball.

We are going to die, the iPod is life support, Apple will keep Mac's going for awhile, but you don't switch processors to the competitions type unless your ready to give up later down the road.

A Mac will be just another PC with a fancy operating system and less and less software developed for it.

Just look at the games, dismall.

thxdude:

I think you forgot one more thing Apple has done in preparation for an assault on market share:

Didn't Apple buy a whole lot of real estate in Cupertino recently? 2 million square feet to be exact...

http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/7092/

Given that Intel would not have the any of the IBM/Motorola supply difficulties, all Apple will have to do is increase its production capacities.

They'll do it slowly and carefully, I hope, so that the service quality stays high and no outsourcing is needed.

Mac Dude, I'm not reall sure what you're smoking. Apple is light years ahead of MS, and people are finally realizing it. Do you know how hard it is to change people's minds once they are set? It's damn hard, dude, and APPLE IS DOING IT. The games will come with marketshare and the fact that they will be easier to convert once Apple in on intel chips. Watch it happen fool.

MacDude wrote:

"Apple will have to take on Dell and Microsoft directly, don't expect this to happen as Dell is already making better quality PC's and Microsoft is coming out with Vista, curing their security and visual quality problems."

Oh please.

The only Dell products I can currently recommend are their monitors. Their PC's have had too many quality issues, and their support has been among the industry's worst. The prospect of dealing with a dead mail-order PC isn't very reassuring.

As for Vista, we'll see what's what, when and if it ships. MS has broken too many promises and missed too many deadlines to be credible on anything related to Vista. The latest howler that MS is dropping the Beta 2 release so they can "focus" on completing the final version should raise more than a few big red flags.

Apple isn't taking Dell or MS head-on just yet, but Apple is occupying PC turf by moving to Intel. Right now Dell and especially MS are doing enough to hurt themselves and turn off customers; why would Apple risk picking a fight?

"How do they know? Even Apple doesn´t put out wild ass guesses like this. Does anyone realize what a high percentage of Mac sales that is?"

Well, you can come up with some numbers from information Apple has published.

Apple has claimed for some years now that, according to in-store surveys, about 40-50% of purchases from the retail stores are people who did not own a Mac. Thus, you can come up with a number by taking, say, 45% of the sales from the Apple Store for the past nine-months. Apple publishes this information in their financial reports.

As for sales via on-line and resellers (eg, CompUSA, MicroCenter, etc.), you might be able to come up with some anecdotal information that would give you some numbers. I think it'd be pretty dubious to include them.

Too Hot! wrote:

"Didn't Apple buy a whole lot of real estate in Cupertino recently? 2 million square feet to be exact..."

Nice enough, but isn't Apple's hardware production done in Asia, much by contracts with other firms? Besides Cupertino isn't really renown as an manufacturing town.

It'd be interesting to know what Apple is doing with that kind of space. Operations offices? Programming? Room for Ballmer to come over & throw some chairs?

MacDude -
I always thought being a Mac user and being a constant pessimist were mutually exclusive, but I think after reading your posts I'll have to recind that theory (unless your just trolling...)

First off, no one is saying Apple is going to magically overtake the desktop market share. They have publically conceeded that long ago (look it up if you need to). But from a financial aspect of the company, even being able to take their current market share and increase it, this is a very large change for Apple as a company.

M$ has a desktop monopoly for mainly 2 reasons:
1) Corporate IT has standardized on it. Changing this is going to be very difficult. Without a 'reasonable' alternative (a total package solution with complete software support and management support), corporate IT will not switch. This is not changing anytime soon but the alternatives are slowing catching up. Will they ever catch up? It may not matter, but they need to get to that 'good enough' point that corporate IT can accept them. The biggest obsticale for this is software and development tools, both of which are definitely getting better on the Linux and OS X side.
2) End users realize that just because they use Windows at work, they are better off running a more productive and safer OS at home.
Both of these are not easy things to change. But over time, as seen by the last 5 quarters for Apple, things can change. It usually isn't fast enough for everyone, but change takes time.

Give it some time, invest some cash in AAPL stock if you want to make some money, and be patient. If history has proven 1 thing, its that empires never last forever. And this will include M$ at some point...

Apple has relied on the largesse of Mac users to keep going through the lean times and even thrive with the Return of Jobs.

QuickTime Pro? Sure! .Mac? Hey, I'll try that. iTMS. Let's go! Early OS X Versions? Sure thing, let's give it some launch speed.

I can't do it any more. The pace of change is breathtaking: 3 years obsolescence; even less on an iPod. I welcome the new blood to take up some of the slack. I hope they get the fever. I'm over it. I need to save my pennies to buy the fastest Mac with the mostest and the baddest screen when it comes time to upgrade. That way, I'll feel like I'm keeping my spot on the treadmill - not by little steps but by fewer giant strides. What's great is that the bang per buck has been larger; prices are lower. I break out into a cold sweat when I think of what I've spent in the past.

Think of the benefits of volume applied to the iPod - the supply lockdown, the price-power equation. We need this for the Mac; particularly the consumer machines which I'm reluctant to buy. To hell with exclusivity, it's the experience that counts. I've enjoyed my Hondas more than my later Beemers, which I've bought for their more comfortable and informative cockpits. I still pine for the 4WS motion, the snick-snick shifts, or the warp speed-like thrill of going deep into VTEC revs.

Volume returns more bang for the buck, whether in terms of affordability or performance value or both. If Macs ever approach 20% share then we'll be in VTEC territory; further gains will be easy. Call it "critical mass," if you prefer, but volume would return lower prices or more bang for the buck in hardware, not to mention more software development. And require less spending from existing users for "defense." Here's to a minimum of 20% and a maximum of 50%: Volume is our friend [MW]. If you want exclusivity, buy a $3,000 Rolex without date or day display or any other functions.

thxdude:

You are right on the money. I wonder if it would make sense for Apple to donate money to corporates software companies to develop software for OSX.

Listen all as a Mac fan for 20 years I love Apple, but lets face reality here ok?

Why do you think Apple pounced on the portable MP3 market?

Because it was a area they could dominate and get a healthy cash flow going, this is the only way Apple can survive, by developing new markets.

Once so much competition sets in, it will be curtains for the iPod just like it is for Mac's.

This is the story of the buisness cycle and why patents were invented. You got a new product you immediatly try to dominate because overtime competition sets in and eats your market share. Once a company dominates it takes years to whittle them down.

M$ dominates the desktop, that's a fight long lost. Apple would be foolish to even try to take on M$ which can dump a much improved Vista at no cost on the world market. Office and like software makes all their money anyway. (actually they got so much it's investments that make the money)

So this leaves Apple trying to find new things for people to buy.

They can improve Mac OS X all they want. Viruses, spyware, trojans and the like won't deter the world from M$, it's already well entrenched.

It's the iPod "halo effect" and the Apple Stores that have slightly increased Mac OS market share.

Once the "halo" winks out, Mac sales will suffer. Until Apple develops a new toy.

No sudden worldwide shift to Mac OS X and Apple hardware will occur, companies don't like OS tied to hardware anyway and Apple's hardware is usually very expensive.

Now that the cheap price for performance PPC chips are on their way out, Mac's will be nothing more than PC's.

Just look at Apple's server software, it just plain sucks. Why? Because Apple is not competing with M$. Apple even sells OfficeMac with posters in their store windows.

Apple leaves the "office space" alone and M$ is happy to have a small competitor as to show they are not a complete monopoly.

People choose M$ because they want to, not because they have to.

ummm... except, no company is certain they can pounce on and dominate any market. We can't disregard how Apple was shoved into a corner by M$ way back when. It had nothing to do with technology, but everything to do with business strategy. Interstingly, if the business strategy was the end-all-be-all, Apple would be dead.

The recent increases say something. Wishfull thinking aside, it bodes well for Apple. Computing is NOT just PCs anymore. It's a digital lifestyle. While the Mac may be a better "hub" than a generic PC, is it really a problem if some of the stuff that runs on that hub is made by Apple?

For goodness sake, dude, relax.

Does "anyone" know the status on the Mac spyware from Sony?

This is a potential problem for the image of Mac's being safe from spyware.

I know the user has to inadvertly agree to install the Sony spyware but this could hurt the sqfety inage of Mac's.

Think of the headlines: Apple infected by spyware!".

Does anyone know what it does, how to detect if it "is" installed, how to remove, etc.?

I've seen the reports but it usually talks about the PC/MS side not Mac, and when it talks about the Mac versionit just says it's there and has to be installed by the user.

We need to make this topic a major issue and find out "more" about this.

Anyone know anymore on this topic?

What I'm saying is it's dam near impossible to take M$ down competitively.

Apple has to keep the Mac (and itself) alive by creating and dominating new products.

If M$ was dying then ok, a new kid on the block, but M$ is not dying, it's just a slow moving beast.

I say we resort to storming Redmond, taking over Vista and send out a hard drive erasing virus directly from their servers via a service pack.

It's the only way to be sure Apple wins.

I will say this every time I see one of Al's articles...

Glad to live here in Syracuse, with the man on the cutting edge of technological truth.

John Gee

ANY MAC USER WHO GIVES THEIR ADMIN PASSWORD TO A FUNKY PROGRAM SHOULD GET THE SPYWARE THEY DESERVE.

Hey fools,

1: Enable Remote Login and Apple Remote Desktop from your Sharing Pane of System Preferences

2: Make sure to enable VNC in Apple Remote Desktop

3: Post your IP address, password and login details from the two here on this site.

4: You won't be owned, trust me. I'll only take a peak.

Apple is always looking for the next great thing. They were early in DTP, teaming with Adobe (postcript) and Canon (LaserWriter). With mp3s they were late but executed brilliantly. What next: media center? Something will always come up. M$ always lags because they are too focused on how to "own" forward technologies; plus they can't help bloating it with everything they think you'll need.

Early on, Apple didn't have the culture to target the business market. Things could change if M$ stumbles in the inevitable move to open document standards and Apple comes up with powerful applications as sweet as Aperture. Take a look at Aperture's demo movie ... it's a sign of what Apple can deliver in terms of software innovation. I still fantasize that Apple has a small business suite team in their skunkworks, ready for fast-tracking should it become necessary or opportune. Every once in a while Stevie looks into it and rips it apart because it doesn't have the character that would give it a two-three year lead over M$'s reaction. The move to open document standards could be the catalyst.

The future doesn't look too bad. I'm more worried about DRM going too far.

matrix 3: just google it.

Porsche holds what percentage of the automobile market share? Maybe less than one-percent? What about Volvo or BMW, three to six percent? Rhetorical questions (I looked for stats but couldn't find any accurate #'s) but the point is, looking at market-shares really aren't ANY indication of the quality and VALUE of any particular item. Few people would dispute the quality and value of these vehicles, they either don't have the resources, were introduced to brand-loyalty (dad drove a Ford, dad used a Dell). I plodded through all the pre-X days with the dreaded BOMB, rebuilding the desktop, methodically sifting through my extensions, yet I never once considered using a MS/PC. Since X, I have seen many techno-whizards make the migration (specifically because of UNIX).

Apple will never surpass market shares of MS/PC, simply because of the business sector, but hold on to your hat Maude, consumer/home users will finally learn what Porsche users have learned; you can't drive or own one on a Yugo budget.

For all the PC Pilots out there. I know there are a lot of you, in facxt the vast multitude of you. You are almost a religion!

Here is a little 'quote' from a bloke who has been dead for hundreds of years but knew someone like BG would come along eventually and offer false ideals.

MANY HAVE MADE A TRADE OF DELUSIONS AND FALSE MIRACLES,
DECEIVING THE STUPID MULTITUDE

BLINDING IGNORANCE DOES BLIND US.
O! WRETCHED MORTALS, OPEN YOUR EYES

GET A MAC

Leonardo Da Vinci

Sorry the 'get a mac thing is my addition, but I think Leonardo would have been a MAc man. DEFINATELY.

This is another example of MDN posting articles from relatively unknown small local sites (syracuse.com ? lol), rehashing the same story over and over again, and the mac followers falling for it.

And people should really stop the luxury car comparisons for Macs, it's just not true when compared to mid to high end PC's. If its not Opterons eating up Powermacs in quality and performance and marketshare, its desktop PC's eating everything Apple has on the table with the latest in hardware advances (with Macs usually adopting the same technology much much later, i.e. PCI express, DDR2, dual cores, etc...).

With Apple now becoming a "PC" itself with the switch to Intel, so the hardware lapses above should become much rare, the only differential between Apple and the PC world is OSX vs Windows (which would explain the sudden hash of anti windows headlines from MDN recently).

Unfortunately, Mac vs Windows isn't enough for most people, especially since hardware is still superior on the PC side outside of Intel (and in the case of OSX vs Windows 64, Win 64 is actually superior for 64 bit applications).