“Earlier this month, Windows dropped below 90% market share for the first time in over a decade and the beneficiary was the Mac, which has enjoyed a strong resurgence,” Rob Enderle writes for TG Daily. “This resurgence was driven by a number of factors – the success of the iPod and iPhone, a continued focus on customer satisfaction (Apple has the strongest NPS scores of any PC vendor), and some compelling products like the Macbook Air. But the biggest accelerator could be a charismatic U.S. President who has, as his personal choice, a Mac. “
Enderle writes, “Charismatic leaders tend to drive those who admire them to copy certain products they. I believe President-Elect Barack Obama could have a huge and positive impact on Apple. Why? Look at the frenzy he causes when he is seen with a new product. It is amazing how many people got excited when Obama was seen with a Zune and we even saw the term ‘Zunegate’ in relation to it. And we know that he also uses a Mac laptop.”
MacDailyNews Take: Nowhere in the article does Enderle see fit to mention that the story was totally wrong: Spokesman confirms Barack Obama is an Apple iPod user.
Enderle continues, “We haven’t had a superstar President since John F. Kennedy and not many of us are old enough to understand what that really means. What it means is that there is a huge focus on what he and his family do and there is a massive fan base that has the desire to emulate the Obama’s. This alone will have a huge impact on Apple sales along with every other product he is seen using. For the sake of the car companies, let’s hope he drives a domestic model.”
“This isn’t just in the United States. Obama is gaining a star status worldwide and could become a stronger and much more visible promotion tool for the Mac than Steve Jobs is – simply because Obama will be vastly more visible. If he keeps his laptop with him, and this seems likely, he effectively becomes a walking endorsement for Apple, which should pay massive dividends to the company,” Enderle writes. “The Mac could literally become one of the physical representations of a popular president and even Apple couldn’t top that kind of promotion.”
Enderle writes, “Particularly when it comes to big business and government, the company has fallen substantially behind on security… Obama’s visibility plus the likely ramp of Mac sales should focus hackers on the Mac like never before and probably force Apple to step up its security responsibilities more aggressively… Obama’s Mac may have a major impact on the spread of Macs in business and government, but it may have an even more significant impact on Apple, which will be forced to step up to the related market requirements.”
“In the end, I think the change across the board will be beneficial to all of us. It will be nice to once again have a U.S. government that is doing things for us rather than to us,” Enderle writes.
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “exNASAguy” for the heads up.]
MacDailyNews Take: If this is what it’s like to use a platform from a company that’s “fallen substantially behind on security,” we say, “More, please!” as we turn off our Mac OS X Firewalls in tribute to Apple’s “lax security.” Oh, wait, they’re already all off since we did a tribute 4 and a half years ago when some antivirus peddler warned us of becoming a larger target. Smirk.
Now, while Obama’s use of a Mac could help, it could also hurt. Superstar or not, the fact is that 46% of United States voters, 58,343,671 people, did not vote for Obama. Hopefully for Apple, Obama toting around a Mac will not turn off nearly every other potential Mac buyer. Also, while any president enjoys a political honeymoon period of high approval right after election, these stats also come with high expectations that often do not measure up to campaign promises and political and economic realities. President Bush is a Mac user, but that fact did not seem to help Apple when his approval numbers were high (90%, September 2001, the highest job approval rating in Gallup history), not does it seem to have hurt when they dropped (27%, Nov. 6-8, 2008, Gallup); perhaps this is because we rarely see Bush with his Mac. If Obama regularly and visibly totes around an Apple MacBook model do you think it will help, hurt, or have no effect on Apple? Take our poll (above left).
snappy
I guess no one wanted to hack into Bush’s computer. Any way, if presidents are not allowed to use Blackberry or email, I’m sure they took Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and internet connection too (only way to secure any computer, PC, Mac or Linux).
Well if Obama is Apple’s new star then I must say I have been buying Apple products since November of 1981 and will continue to use them in spite of whatever the heck Obama uses. Enderle is always out in LEFT field and his stupid comments once again prove he has sand for brains. I’m not sure he would get anything about Apple right even if MDN wrote the article for him. Tree huggers unite for Enderle and Obama will lead us out of the forest!
We’re listening to Enderle…..?????
Dumbest premise for a story I’ve maybe ever seen in my life.
Rush Limbaugh’s a known Mac enthusiast. Obama is a known user. If there’s every been a more clear illustration that an operating system and the hardware it runs is completely non-political, well there you go.
As for the Apple brand benefiting from Obama or not, I’m not too worried. If anything, Obama will benefit from such a strong brand because it makes him look cool and “with it” technologically — not the other way around.
I feel dumber after reading that (par for the course with Enderle).
See, told you Limbaugh was a Mac user. Goes by the screen name “Grumbler.”
Hit-bait.
Only fsuckup asswipe lard ass Rob Enderle would write such an article
If he upgrades of one of the unibody Macs and carries it around, its distinctive appearance would increase Mac-awareness and curiosity even more.
Doubt that the President will be seen lugging his personal laptop around. And most of the those 58 million votes were not against Obama but for McCain. Surveys show that the ‘against’ vote was much lower than in recent elections, and third-fourths approve of his transistional appointments (including solid majority of Republicans). Appears he plans to govern from the center. If so he may extend the honeymoon period a bit.
Americans could care less what computer their leaders use. Rush Limbaugh is a fan of Macs, is that driving away liberals? Hardly. Yet again, more brilliant analysis from MDN.
Enderle is full of crap as usual. Shameless hit-whore. Why bother with him at all?
Windows share drops below 90 percent and it’s snowing in New Orleans.
HELL JUST FROZE OVER!
Rush Limbaugh uses a Mac. And, even though the though made me throw up in the back of my throat a little bit, I still bought one.
I agree with MidWest Mac. There are celebrities in both political camps that use Macs. To that, I offer a non-partisan “good for them”. Any user who would consider giving up his Mac because Obama uses one was only in it to be trendy in the first place.
But Enderle – no surprise – misses the greater point. As anyone who’s spent much time in a large organization understands (I spent 30 years with the Feds), the person at the top sets the tone. If Obama prefers to keep using his Mac, that means White House IT will need to accommodate the boss. And more staffers, following the boss’ lead, will requisition Macs given the option. If OMB follows that lead, that means contract proposals will no longer specify Windows as the requisite OS.
Of course, Enderle’s suggestion that the nation’s enemies will increasingly target the Mac because the O uses one is more nonsense.
I’m no huge fan of Obama and I didn’t vote for him, but he is the Presiden and he has my full support. I won’t go down the road that so many people have the last eight years by saying “he’s not MY president”.
However, he doesn’t influence my choice of computer. I doubt many liberals who use Macs are bothered by the fact that Rush Limbaugh uses them as well.
I don’t think there is a TEMPEST rated Mac.
TEMPEST is an US government standard for radiated electromagnetic emissions from electronic devices like computers. From those emissions, with the right equipment, someone (“a spy”) could determine what is on the screen of a distant computer.
I can’t help but think that the Secret Service and the various “security” agencies might have something to say about Obama’s computer use, especially outside the White House. (It is probable that the White House is shielded to contain electromagnetic emissions.).
Then there is the issue of Presidential record keeping, which was brought up a few weeks ago concerning his BlackBerry. That is OS independent.
Well, if he is worried about conservatives then I guess Limbaugh will counteract that concern.
above left…
Trying to correlate voter percentages with potential market effect on a specific product, based on a political personality is, as an earlier poster said, dumb.
Another nonsense article. Filler material. Blegh. At least there was some common sense and coherency scattered among at least parts of the article this time, even a few hints of mild research. That’s better than we normally get, it seems.
Enderle is a buffoon.
I’m sure the only reason Apple is taking off is that George Bush and Rush Limbaugh are Apple fans. Puuuullllleeeeezzzzzz!
Rob Enderle: do you hear yourself? Do you actually believe yourself? What a fool!
After the whole Blagojevich situation, I don’t want anything to do with Barack Hussein Obama. President or not, if I ever see him with a Mac then I’ll never buy one again.
He claims he never had any contact with Blagojevich yet his right hand man David Axelrod contradicted that claim a few weeks ago.
And after all this time, he STILL hasn’t released his birth certificate. What the hell is there to hide? How could this man be sworn in when we don’t even know for sure where he was born?
This is a travesty. Barack Hussein Obama is not my president and he never will be.
Obama sucks.
The amount of hate for Enderle is funny. Face it, you LOVE him.
That aside, there’s nothing wrong with him writing this article. He actually does have a point, and Apple will benefit (however slightly) from Obama’s choice in personal computer. That’s why sports stars get paid lots of CASH to appear in TV commercials. Because sheeple JUST LIKE YOU AND ME are INFLUENCED by people we consider to be HEROES. Get it?
Enderle is implying that Macs are secure because they are obscure, and he thinks that as Macs get a larger market share, that will change.
In this case, market share is neither here nor there; Macs are anything but obscure. Write a virus for Windows? Pff. Anyone can do that. Write a virus for a Mac? Now THAT would really cause a stir.
Apple would be wise to advertise on the Rush Limbaugh show. he has over 20 million listeners weekly and has championed the Mac for years. He’s always right.
R2, “After the whole Blagojevich situation, I don’t want anything to do with Barack Hussein Obama. President or not, if I ever see him with a Mac then I’ll never buy one again.”
Are you never going to wear pants again because BO wears them?
Fool.
R2 said “After the whole Blagojevich situation, I don’t want anything to do with Barack Hussein Obama. President or not, if I ever see him with a Mac then I’ll never buy one again.
He claims he never had any contact with Blagojevich yet his right hand man David Axelrod contradicted that claim a few weeks ago.
And after all this time, he STILL hasn’t released his birth certificate. What the hell is there to hide? How could this man be sworn in when we don’t even know for sure where he was born?
This is a travesty. Barack Hussein Obama is not my president and he never will be.”
I think this is a little over the top. If you don’t want to go to a movie starring a left wing star that is one thing. What is Obama wears your favorite underwear, shoes or socks. What if he likes Mickey D’s or has his people shop for him at Target or whatever….
Who cares what clothes, or jewelry he wears… what computer he uses… what stores he shops at or movies he sees? Who gives a rip!
G Spank had said it. And I’ll ellaborate a bit.
Those who claim nonsense based on the fact that Mac users Bush and Limbaugh apparently haven’t influenced Mac purchases don’t understand it.
Nobody (outside of the fanboy groups, which most of us reading MDN belong to) knows that Bush and Limbaugh are actually Mac users. The way this type of marketing works is, you give your product to a famous person (an actor, an athlete, a celebrity socialite, such as Paris Hilton), they PROMINENTLY show that product wherever they go and people associate that product with their favourite famous person. Neither Bush, nor Limbaugh have ever been seen with their Macs by the general public.
Obama, on the other hand, has often been picured with his MBP during the campaign. There is already a strong connection between the two and, if this image continues to be seen in the next eight years, there is no doubt it would help Apple sell more Macs.
And R2 needs to check his medication, or his news sources (hint: try something less right-wing, a bit more fact checking and accuracy; not suggesting to try left-wing, as it would be just as (in)accurate as the right wing). And if you’re a citizen of the US, Mr. Obama will in five weeks be YOUR president as well, and most likely, for the next 8 years (or until some right-wing nut assasinates him).
Personally, I bought my Mac because I like OS X. Sure, the aluminum casing of the MacBook Pro sets it apart from others and is a great touch, but I’m not one of the poseurs buying purely for the image; in fact, these are the very people who are a detriment to Apple.
As for Emperor Osam, er, Hussein the First, I’m sure it’ll encourage those same poseurs to emulate their Great Leader.
What always amused me, however, is that Bill Gates is a ardent Democrat (though he has voted Republican occasionally). I guess it’s because the Democratic Party’s current philosophy mirrors Microsoft’s own (control everything); you could apply it to the current Republican Party too, sadly.
All that said, it does please me to see Ron Paul using a Mac. Good to see a truly smart man with taste, or at least, sense.
R2
Since you, and most like you, don’t ever bother to check any of your facts, I’ll do it for you. I know that there is no amount of proof that will prevent you from believing and repeating what you long to be true, but here it is nonetheless.
http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-q=obama+birth+certificate&x=0&y=0&sp;-a=00062d45-sp00000000&sp;-advanced=1&sp;-p=all&sp;-w-control=1&sp;-w=alike&sp;-date-range=-1&sp;-x=any&sp;-c=100&sp;-m=1&sp;-s=0
“Hello, I’m a Mac.”
“And I’m a PC.”
Imagine if it were Obama and McCain saying those lines in Apple’s next ad!!!
(Weirder things have happened: Bob Dole endorsing Viagra, for instance.)
Smells like hooey in here.
I agree that the brand of computer the president or any other celebrity uses is pretty much irrelevant. I doubt very much whether even one person in a million decided to buy a Mac either because Obama uses one or because Limbaugh uses one either.
However since this site purports to be concerned about “technology”, I would hope to see some commentary on the fact that Obama is selecting for Energy Secretary a Nobel-prize winning physicist, Steven Chu, director of the Livermore Laboratory. A guy who has done actual scientific research on energy and an “extremely effective manager of cutting edge technology initiatives”. Amazing! Running an agency with an expert in the field and not an oil company exec or lobbyist! Unheard of! Chu is even topical here since he has kept Livermore on the forefront of high performance computing.
Considering that this site felt that Sarah Palin deserved plaudits for a “technology policy” which no one could discern beyond putting out more oil pipelines or possibly building moose-burning power plants, shouldn’t MDN make some commentary on the Chu selection?
It was announced that the Govenor was heard calling the President-Elect a {*bleeping-bleep*} for not having anything to do with his money-making scheme– (from the wiretap transcript)–
This alone should tell you Obama had nothing to do with Govenor Psyco !
I guess they didn’t mention that part on Fox News, huh ?
Why not give the guy a chance ? — Hell, he hasn’t even taken office yet, and already you condemn him !!
Keep in mind– he has an enormous task ahead of him– ya kno–like — trying to undo all the crap your boy Bush has done to this country, put us back on the right track– and attempt to restore some of the world-wide respect we once had –(some 8 years ago–remember ?)
MDN MW= “values” — how appropriate
Is this really news???
Public perception is ordinarily contrived for sound reasons. Basically, people want to know what’s happening since what’s happening is generally considered to be of great importance. Given that they have elected a person to be their president, the public wants to be assured that what’s happening with him is good, for the best in terms of the common interest.
Believe it or not, people do care about their president. Further, they have expectations for the president. They expect him to have the best of support as he goes about his duties of acting on our behalf.
Fortunately, our president ordinarily has the best of support. One glance through the organization of the White House Office of Communications will give any onlooker a hint of communication excellence. Generally, we would be satisfied for our president to be a known as a computer user but the simple fact that the Mac computer has emerged as a significant best in terms of personal support for the president is not at all surprising. Possibly, lately, it has become an expectation for the President to have a Mac at his side.
Even the Russians have this figured out well enough to not be embarrassed by their president being photographed while using a Mac. There’s a contrived reason for such photography. The man wanted his people to know something about what’s happening around him, that he was doing his best. He had to be convinced of what might represent his best, and most likely, he had enough of a user experience to know what message he wanted to send to his people.
Most business executives have long since gotten the same message as that being broadcast by the Russian president. Unfortunately, they are saddled by their legacy of IT investments and they find it difficult to shift their streams of investments fast enough to take full advantage of their best knowledge today. Legacy imposes its price.
If you care to see what happens when people toss out legacy products in exchange for the most useful, arrange a visit with the White House Office of Communications (WHOC). Every four years, they have a go at it, with nothing but the best in mind. Such a visit might give you an impression of all that must happen before the president sends or receives anything on his personal computer.
Could we all have a WHOC backing us up?
Who gives a fsck?
Not me.
Jesus, this guy is already in some tepid-water with the Bloggo character, and we care about this why???
And you think Mac users are Kool-Aid drinkers?
From Tech to Tabloid!
Is Enderle finally writing within his means?
Quick! Has someone taken Enderle’s temperature today? He actually said something POSITIVE about Macs today!!
Despite his rehashing old myths, we’ll just have to keep an eye on this to see if this is a trend or merely some strange anomaly, never to occur again.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”LOL” style=”border:0;” />
Enderle is a troll. He is a lazy journalist – he just makes this stuff up. President Obama will likely NOT be allowed to take his notebook, or his blackberry, or use email…
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/16/us/politics/16blackberry.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/us_elections_2008/7733210.stm
Enderle: An unfortunate consequence of enshrining the right to free speech in law…
“It was announced that the Govenor was heard calling the President-Elect a {*bleeping-bleep*} for not having anything to do with his money-making scheme– (from the wiretap transcript)–
This alone should tell you Obama had nothing to do with Govenor Psyco !
I guess they didn’t mention that part on Fox News, huh ?”
Actually Fox did report just that. Of course this could be a fix anyway. The statement where Bog swears at BO. Let’s wait and see. Or not.
I don’t make my computer purchases based off of others that are using it (Obama, Limbaugh, etc…). I’ll use it as long as it works.
Considering that this site felt that Sarah Palin deserved plaudits for a “technology policy” which no one could discern beyond putting out more oil pipelines or possibly building moose-burning power plants, shouldn’t MDN make some commentary on the Chu selection?
MDN doesn’t do “real” technology news unless its reported by another site or publication first: we’re often told by the MDN fanboi crowd (which is distinct from being an Apple fanboi and considerably less understandable) that MDN isn’t really a tech-journalism site and it just reports on news in a blogging style.
For instance, MDN still hasn’t “reported” on the fact that a) the world’s largest multi-touch wall is Macintosh-powered or that the German A/V company responsible is also the developer of the Macintosh platform’s only corporate digital signage product (I’ll discount Nanonation, because that’s more of service-oriented relationship).
MDN would do far more for Apple, the Mac platform and its customers (current and prospective) if it focussed on these kind of developments than trying to s**t-stir every couple of weeks by publishing the kind of fatuous article of which this is just one example (Enderle + supporting Democrat President-Elect = Ka-ching); but it would seem it would rather people bought a Windows solution and then criticise their choice than inform them that there is a Mac solution that would help them.
@ MCCFR: you’re gonna get banned for that.
Just like reporters have the gaul to ask Obama tough questions!
You wait, your time here is measured!
LOL
@ Me in LA: what does the Roman province of Gaul have to do with this discussion?
And you have the gall to pick on someone else? Spelling errors and bad grammar always diminish the effectiveness of a point. That is, unless the other readers are equally uninformed.
Al Gore Jr is a Mac user, and a Nobel prize-winning one, who used his Mac intimately in making his Academy Award-winning documentary. I would think if that isn’t driving sales, then Obama won’t either. Of course Enderle’s wrong as usual.
@KenC
You mean the guy who tried to set a landspeed record in a Toyota Prius on a public highway? (Hear that electric motor whir!)
Wait until the truth comes out that Obama was involved in his senate seat for sale scandal. What will you tree huggers do then??
Enderie is a fool and this story proves it even more than usual. First of all Apple has been helping themselves just fine, long before Obama came on the scene. The mac is gaining because Apple is doing it right, not because Obama uses one.
Now as far as Obama being regularly seen toting a mac? I think that’ll help Obama’s approval rating. Not the other way around. Let’s be honest here. Despite how good you might feel about Obama, didn’t his merits drop just a tiny bit when the Zune story first came out? My point exactly. Now that we know he’s actually an iPod user, he’s ‘a ok’ once again.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />
@MCCFR,
MDN is a just a blog, not an established publication of investigative journalism.
Does anyone here remember way back, late 80’s/early90’s, when John Sculley was prominently seated at one of H.W. Bush’s addresses? (Possible State of the Union speech?) IIRC it was controversial at the time, and coincided with the start of Apple’s tumble into the 90’s.
So, Steve, don’t be present at any major speeches; there’s precedence here!!!
As for Obama’s Mac preference, hopefully it won’t mean anything. If it helps open some government doors to Apple, great! Just let Apple compete on its merits, and don’t grant any favoritism to Apple or MS or anyone else.
It depends (on the kind of user).
If it is one of those calling tech support for every little thing then it may hurt; and being the president who’s gonna say “can’t pickup the phone”. Otherwise it may help. Who knows.
MCCFR is a far left loon. He’s out of his mind. Don’t pay any attention to him.