Graz
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2004
- Posts
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Disclaimer: I am not an Apple fanboy, quite the opposite actually. I've never owned an Apple PC. I've been employed by the same "major PC company", doing notebook PC development for over 11 years (don't ask me which one, but it's not Apple).
With Apple's recent move to Intel, IMO they're poised to start making serious waves in the world of PC market share. Dell and HP are the current heavyweights in both the desktop & notebook PC world with respect to worldwide market share, constantly nip & tuck between the #1 & #2 spots. Acer is rising like a rocket in the worldwide notebook PC space, having recently claimed the #3 market share spot (again, this is worldwide market share I'm talking about).
Apple, over the years has been an also-ran with respect to market share, consistently hovering around 3-5% market share, and nowhere in sight of the market share leaders. When I sit in meetings reviewing market share numbers, Apple doesn't even show up on the chart. They are routinely lumped into a category labeled "Other". This is not a dis or a slam on Apple! This is exactly where they have chosen to be with their slick, pricey electrical & mechanical designs. They play in the niche market, lower-volume-but-higher-profit-margin space, and it's worked extremely well for them. They have arguably one of the world's most recognized brands. Despite their consistently small market share, their marketing presence is as strong or stronger than any other PC brand. Many companies drool with envy at the strength and power of the Apple brand, and customer loyalty is arguably unparalleled.
So what's stopping Apple from playing the market share game with the big boys? IMO, not much...and the rest of the PC world should be more than a little worried.
My theory...
If Apple:
- transitions the majority (if not all of) their PC line-up over to an Intel-based/compatible architecture (allowing for potentially even the use of AMD CPU's)
- (gasp!) offers Windows to their customers, at least as an option
- keeps the same slick look and feel of their products, but in a somewhat cost-reduced way that would enable them to be more price competitive with the mainstream PC makers...
...you've got a formula for some very serious dent-making into the current global PC market share structure, even at the expense of alienating some of their fanatically loyal customer base.
IMO, if Apple seriously wanted to grab PC market share in a big way, they almost certainly could do it while still maintaining profitability.
Peace,
Graz
With Apple's recent move to Intel, IMO they're poised to start making serious waves in the world of PC market share. Dell and HP are the current heavyweights in both the desktop & notebook PC world with respect to worldwide market share, constantly nip & tuck between the #1 & #2 spots. Acer is rising like a rocket in the worldwide notebook PC space, having recently claimed the #3 market share spot (again, this is worldwide market share I'm talking about).
Apple, over the years has been an also-ran with respect to market share, consistently hovering around 3-5% market share, and nowhere in sight of the market share leaders. When I sit in meetings reviewing market share numbers, Apple doesn't even show up on the chart. They are routinely lumped into a category labeled "Other". This is not a dis or a slam on Apple! This is exactly where they have chosen to be with their slick, pricey electrical & mechanical designs. They play in the niche market, lower-volume-but-higher-profit-margin space, and it's worked extremely well for them. They have arguably one of the world's most recognized brands. Despite their consistently small market share, their marketing presence is as strong or stronger than any other PC brand. Many companies drool with envy at the strength and power of the Apple brand, and customer loyalty is arguably unparalleled.
So what's stopping Apple from playing the market share game with the big boys? IMO, not much...and the rest of the PC world should be more than a little worried.
My theory...
If Apple:
- transitions the majority (if not all of) their PC line-up over to an Intel-based/compatible architecture (allowing for potentially even the use of AMD CPU's)
- (gasp!) offers Windows to their customers, at least as an option
- keeps the same slick look and feel of their products, but in a somewhat cost-reduced way that would enable them to be more price competitive with the mainstream PC makers...
...you've got a formula for some very serious dent-making into the current global PC market share structure, even at the expense of alienating some of their fanatically loyal customer base.
IMO, if Apple seriously wanted to grab PC market share in a big way, they almost certainly could do it while still maintaining profitability.
Peace,
Graz