In 2007, “Apple went from nearly no market share in the business industry, to 4.2 percent [a threefold increase],” Jason Mick reports for DailyTech.
“To put this in perspective Vista was only able to eke out a 6.3 percent market share despite its heavy business marketing and dominant position,” Mick reports.
Mick asks, “So do those numbers indicate a Mac OS close to tying a Microsoft OS? Why hasn’t this been the front page news of every tech column (especially when OS X’s nearly insignificant consumer market gains were heavily reported)?”
“The reason is despite the success, analysts have dismissed it and these analysts frequently drive what is reported in the tech news, more than some would like to admit,” Mick writes. “And the analysts just don’t like Apple’s business efforts… Apple simply has no respect from business analysts as a serious business solution. Analyst opinions of Apple in the consumer market versus the business market are night and day.”
Mick writes, “In market analysis the one thing you can usually trust is hard numbers. When it comes to sales data it seems that analysts should be cheering Apple’s business efforts, and perhaps jeering its consumer OS efforts, where gains have been much more lackluster. Unfortunately, they appear to be doing the opposite.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Scott” for the heads up.]
Joe Wilcox blogs for eWeek, “The perception problem is wholly Apple’s fault, which is evidenced by the brand’s remarkable resurgence among consumers. Apple does something well that Microsoft does poorly: advertise. Apple floods TV’s prime time with ads for the iPhone, iPod Touch and MacBook Air and those hilarious, PC-jabbing ‘Get a Mac’ commercials. Apple’s marketing is simple, memorable and focused on user benefits. It’s no wonder, with Apple retail stores and the popularity of the iPod as two other factors, that the marketing works so well.”
“In contrast, Apple’s business marketing is all but absent,” Wilcox writes. “Marketing works, and Jobs’ executive team knows this. So why is there so little for the business market? It’s Apple’s choice. For any company selling products, perception is everything. With Apple silent, Windows PC resellers and ill-informed IT managers are free to perpetuate myths about the Mac’s business suitability. There’s the perception that Macs aren’t compatible and that they’re hard to manage—Maclore.”
Wilcox writes, “The iPhone is key to change. Much will depend on the iPhone 2.0 software, Exchange synchronization capability, the iPhone SDK’s (software development kit’s) in-house developer extensibility and whether or not Apple does some real business marketing for its products. Even without the marketing, the iPhone has enough business appeal to increase IT organizational exposure to Apple products.”
“That said, it’s inexcusable that a brand with such consumer appeal, from a company that sells enterprise-grade software, has so little business cred. Negative perceptions about Vista put Windows in a vulnerable position. Since most businesses have to buy new hardware and brave through applications compatibility problems, the cost advantage of Windows diminishes. Apple shouldn’t let this business sales opportunity pass by,” Wilcox writes. “The time is long past for Apple to chip away the business perception crud.”
Full article here.
Apple is wisely allowing the reality of the Vista disaster to destroy Microsoft’s reputation. Never get in the way of an enemy that is destroying itself. If Apple were to jump into the argument, it would only give Microsoft’s supporters a way to change the focus away from Vista and towards the flaws they claim for Apple. Apple is too smart to be suckered into that choice.
@LinuxGuyAndMacProdigalSon
Vista disaster? Destroying Microsoft’s reputation?
I never thought MAC lemmings could be so delusional until I read your post. First of all Vista is a stunning technical achievement and commercial success, and second Microsoft’s reputation couldn’t be better. Perhaps Apple knows when they’re beat (again) and is wisely keeping their trap shut because Vista can clean MAC’s clock any day of the week. I’ll bet my Zune points on it.
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Advertising to the business sector might help, but there’s another step Apple could take to help those of us trying to convince intransigent IT depts that Macs “fit”: -Improve Exchange support in Mail.
At the moment, to get decent Exchange connection, users are forced to use Entourage. If you decide on Entourage from Office 08, you’ll pay a US$250 premium over the home and student edition.
If full, or at least comprehensive, Exchange support was included in Mail, and I could show my IT dept that it was free with every Mac OS X installation, I think it would help shift their mindset, at least a teensy bit.
How exactly do you advertise for the business sector? Advertise on CNBC? Fox Business? Bloomberg?
I see Apple ads in business oriented magazines, isn’t that the usual way to advertise to business?
Apple have no credibility in the business market because they have no infrastructure to provide an acceptable level of support to business. And their products are unsuitable in many cases.
Take Pages, for instance. Nice and clean to use, but no security (no password protection on documents) and no way that I can find to change the language from US English. So much if you are in UK, SA, NZ, Aus or anywhere else where colour still has a “u” and aluminium has all its letters…
Or take servers – there is but one, and it is a rackmount server. Which is a nuisance if you are a smallish business and dont have room for a rack or cant justify the expense. It is expensive too – especially when you start adding external drives beyond the 3 which are supported in the 1U server.
Have a problem with OS X Server outside US business hours? If you are lucky you might get to speak to the only server-trained individual on duty after hours – I did, and he didn’t know anything beyond how to drive the GUI. Which is not much chop when the GUI screws up the underlying parameter files.
Apple hos chosen to focus in consumerland, where it is doing extremely well. Perhaps Apple will make some headway in business – but they have a long way to go before they will be taken seriously in larger commercial enterprises.
@byronic
Weak argument there. Your points of software and hardware and support is not an issue. All these things are easily doable by Apple.
The real reason Apple is fighting hard for consumers is that the monopoly cannot extend in that front. IT cannot control the individual user at home. IT cannot control families making choices. If a company wants you to work at home, they’ll provide the MS monopolized equipment. So its smart for Apple to tackle the home front first and foremost.
Apple can’t gain anything in the business world monopolized by MS, so why waste all those resources. Apple may win a few battles, but they will lose in a war. Thats because the cards are stacked against them or anyone for that matter trying to get a foot in against MS.
byronic: Or take servers – there is but one, and it is a rackmount server. Which is a nuisance if you are a smallish business and dont have room for a rack or cant justify the expense. It is expensive too – especially when you start adding external drives beyond the 3 which are supported in the 1U server.
Very simple: If you don’t have an existing rack infrastructure (and no need for one otherwise), the Mac Pro is your server of choice. Much more silent, much more “office friendly” and actually more flexible and cheaper. The Xserve is just not the machine for you.