Oricchio’s theories:
1. The new Mac Book Pro [sic] also came out about the same time.
MacDailyNews Take: Correct (except for the product name).
2. Apple lowered the prices of their Macs (ding, ding, ding!)
MacDailyNews Take: They did?
3. Could it be that people thought they wanted an iPad, saw what it couldn’t do and just said, ‘What the hell, I’ll just buy a Mac’ instead? Could it be that as great as iPad’s sales were that a lot of people found it was a short enough walk to just spend the money and get an exponentially more powerful device?
MacDailyNews Take: Wrong. Sure some people might have gone iPad to Mac, but not enough to goose April Mac sales so dramatically. We’ll hazard a guess that, based on her explanation, Renee doesn’t have an iPad nor is it likely that she’s ever spend any time at all, certainly not more than 5 minutes, with an iPad. What’s more likely to have affected Mac sales is that people waited a bit on their Mac purchases to see what iPad could do before figuring out which Mac model would best complement their new iPads. We’re still working that one out ourselves.
4. A lot of people are upgrading their PC’s, after waiting three years for Windows 7. Perhaps, again, at that moment of truth when making the purchase that a significant number of people said, “What the hell, I’m buying a Mac after all.”
MacDailyNews Take: Hope springs eternal that computer buyers will finally wise up en masse.
Oricchio writes, “Bottomline [sic]: the Mac is doing well because it is a time-tested beloved product. We’re still slogging our way through this “jobless recovery.” People are starting to spend a little money again. But they are doing so much more cautiously and wisely. It makes sense to invest in a product you know and trust. I think that’s why Mac sales are up (and the price drop didn’t hurt, Cupertino!).”
MacDailyNews Take: Good enough “bottomline” theory, but what “price drop” is she talking about?
I’m with MDN on this one.
Mac sales are up because the word is out that Apple makes the best computers. Are they a little more expensive compared to the cheapest PCs? Yes, but they are not the same level of performance and quality. Not everyone will use an iPad all day long as a computer. We still need traditional notebook and desktop PCs. That’s why Mac is up. The iPad excitement gets people to also consider the Mac line.
Why do some bloggers feel the need to “pull stuff out of their asses” and pass it off as truth. (price drop?) credibility=zero.
“Good enough “bottomline” theory, but what “price drop” is she talking about?”
Sssshhh! Don’t tell ’em, if people think they’re on sale, they’ll buy more of them!
I think the more people go Mac, they tell their friend about the experience. At least that’s the case with me. I’ve converted at least four families
This article can’t be right.
I mean, all the Win-Bloggers are saying that Mac sales are up simply because of Steve Jobs’ reality distortion field, and duped consumer morons, and people paying extra for the stylish Apple logo, and because of Apple’s vaguely hinted-at illegal and monopolistic activities that forces people to buy Apple computers, and because of Apple’s closed eco-system, and Apple’s hype machine, and it’s a rounding error, and, and, um, because people are buying computers that they don’t want to do real work with.
Yeah, those are the reasons Apple’s Mac sales are up. (Did I miss anything?)
And I know that’s true because the Win-Blogosphere said so!
Nyah!
the new 17″ macbook pro is $200 cheaper than before.
All the iPad publicity couldn’t hurt, though — it brings the curious into Apple’s stores, and some of them end up buying Macs (maybe along with an iPad or two).
Possible scenario for the price drop being mentioned:
step 1: she thought Macs were really, really expensive
step 2: she goes an checks the prices
step 3: they are way lower than she expected
step 4: there must have been a price drop, because her being wrong about Mac pricing all these years is not likely to be a thought entering her head…
just to clear things up…
you can thank microsoft for reminding people in their commercials that if you want a sexy and cool (but expensive) computer you buy an Apple. But if you want CHEAP, then you buy something else. Who wants a Porsche when you can have the pride of owning something CHEAP like a Yugo?
I’ve [sic] thinkin [sic] that mostly [sic] likely its [sic] due to the halo effect from thee [sic] 80 million iDevices [sic] sold.
overheard a couple of dads at the hockey rink last week talking about computers – one guy told the other not to buy a PC. said he just got a Mac about 3 months ago and would never buy another POS PC again! said his kid got a Mac about a year ago and convinced him to get one when his PC died. said it was the best move he ever made – a little more expensive, but worth every penny!
folks are listening to their kids and finally figuring out that Macs just work!
Sic sic sic
The real answer is that a Critical Mass level is being approached and it is going to hit the PC world like a ton of bricks.
Suddenly the sheep (80%) are all going to be buying Macs because “that’s what everyone else is doing”.
Apple is going to have a hard time keeping things in stock this fall and Christmas season.
Of course there was a price drop. Every time Apple offers a more powerful computer at a specified price point (the $999 Mac Book getting a 5% boost in processor power, for example), the price of the computer “drops”. It’s still $999, but you are getting 5% more, thus …
And, yeah, a lot of folks came in to buy an iPad, saw the Macs and decided to buy one while ordering a back-logged iPad. Makes sense.
The price argument is still with us? OK. Let’s say it again. The price of a low-end PC is well below that of a “low-end” Mac. That said, the “low-end” Mac will do more than a similarly-priced PC. Maybe stuff you need to do, maybe stuff you want to do, maybe stuff you want to try, maybe stuff you think you want to try. If “none of the above, maybe you can save money with the PC. Just remember the “PC Tax” imposed by A/V vendors and pimply-faced kids willing to clean up the mess the A/V apps miss.
Macs are 2X (pushing 3X) more expensive than PC’s. That’s because some PC’s are so bloody cheap. The price difference is more than $200 which is typically stated. I have seen W7 notebook and desktops (not netbooks) for $500. New! No matter how you look at it the math dont lie. MacBooks are 2X more expensive than PC’s even though the price difference is $500. Hey, $500 is a lot of money.
Maybe sales are up because there is a difference between an iPad and a computer and YOU NEED A COMPUTER TO INITIALIZE AN iPAD (this is brilliant). What better computer is there to initialize an iPad than a Mac.
And then there is Mobile Me. What better service is there to sync the two?
I have 4 devices and they are all sync’d. That’s impressive. Can PC’s do that? If this is becoming a mobile world then Apple is the right company at the right time. SJ is brilliant.
I’ve been a mac fanatic since 84. Just recently my brother-in-law told me about http://www.wwitv.com. I tried it on my Mac and it did not work. So when people say you can do more on a Mac I really doubt it. But I am still a mac fan boy even though my PC friends can do more.
BTW, why doesn’t wwitv.com work on a Mac?
This isn’t rocket science folks, Mac sales are up because Windows sucks.
Apple hasn’t made any dramatic changes to the platform, since switching to Intel and OS X just keeps getting better.
What has changed are peoples attitudes about a much-maligned company in Apple.
This firestorm of Apple gadget sales in the last ten-years has opened peoples’ eyes to the idea that there is a disconnect btwn the trash talk about Apple and epiphany customers experience when they actually hold and use an Apple product.
Hence, many people who are enjoying Apples igadgets make the leap and buy the Mac to extend the euphoria.
They’re probably asking themselves, if Apple computers are so bad, how come they never get sick, like my PC?
Why is it that my Windows 7 PC still suffers from some sort of immune deficiency?
computers are better than any Windows computers
That last sentence is residual crap left over from my editing process.
I believe Lange is onto something. When people actually begin shopping for new computers, are inclined to look over the Mac selection and realize the Mac pricing isn’t as outrageous as they expected.
Suddenly, they realize a Macintosh
is well within their reach and when they hear AV software is totally unnecessary that must make their hair stand on end.
Its happening. We’re having “official” discussions on ways to bring Macs into our work. And I work for a city government! iPhones, iPads and Macs are all part of our talks.
I have a 17″ MacBook Pro, and realized that I was going to be doing a lot of (heavy walking) traveling with it, so I thought I’d get something smaller to go with it. I waited for the iPad announcement and then realized it wouldn’t meet my needs, so I bought a MacBook Pro 13″.
Then when the iPad came out, I saw it and got an iPad 3G.
The MacBook Pro 13″ fulfills my every need.
The iPad 3G fulfills my every desire.
And yes, I’m keeping the 17″ MacBook Pro along with my iMac, and tower (and of course iPhones and iPods).
maclouie – The only reason it doesn’t work on a mac is probably because either the plugin needed is not installed or they are just too lazy to make it web standard compliant, which is the more likely cause.
Mac sale are up because they have freedom from porn. Which means Windoze computers have porn or may even have porn in the OS code. People believe this and flock to Apple as the logical choice.
maclouie – if it doesn’t work on a mac my general policy is to boycott their site or software. Eventually as Mac dominance increases they will either die or make it work simple as that.
Macs sell themselves. People tend to want a Mac once they’ve been exposed to one, seen someone using it, and gotten a chance to play around with it themselves. As more Macs are sold, more people actually get to see one “in the wild”, and buy one themselves. These new buyers then begin converting their friends and relatives, and the cycle continues.
As I’ve said before, I switched in 2001 because my friend was a fervent Mac user and loved his machine. I then switched my girlfriend (now my wife), my parents and my aunt. Meanwhile my friends switched three other friends. In my circle of acquaintances, it’s becoming harder to find the PC users.
——RM
I’ll tell you why Mac sales are up. My daughter broke the hinge on my Mac Book Pro and I had to replace an 18 month old laptop.
Actually G4D, . . . it is rocket science. And Apple hardware and software engineers are the best in the world.
I believe that the last iMac revision featured lower prices, as well. . . . And Geez! I can’t believe the value built into my i7 iMac. From mouse to keyboard, to screen to CPU, and on to Snow Leopard, this machine is a powerhouse. Incredible!
And now, the iPad, . . . not sold for a thousand dollars as predicted.
I don’t know why this is such a mystery; it happens every year. People were buying in April because they started receiving their tax refunds and they had money.
@maclouie
wwitv works fine on my MBP using the flip4mac plugin.
I suppose I agree with the “snowball effect” as well. Apple appears to be approaching critical mass, where there will be an explosion of migrators.
It doesn’t hurt that everywhere you look on TV or in the movies, the cool people are using Macs.
And yeah, . . . my iPad has convinced me that I have to have a MacBook Pro too.
“QUALITY!” mdn word
@doc e
Spot on!
Leo Laporte (the techguy) says if you dont want a Mac or you dont want an iPad then you better not touch them.
I agree with SJ, they are magic.
i’m still on apple for now because i have a lot invested and there’s no other viable option for video editing. and windows sucks dog nut. but the minute a linux system can offer me the editing power and motion graphic performance i need, i’m gone. i really detest the nasty little world that mac is generating. a couple of bracing restraint of trade losses would do that megalomaniac in cupertino some good. mac’s little fortress attitude is resembling all the business practices i hated about microsnot back in the 90s.
@ maclouie
wwitv just doesn’t work with Safari. Try it in Firefox and it works perfectly.
It’s been almost a year since the 13″ MacBook Pro launch, right? That has to be the “price drop” that she’s talking about. However, anything that leads to the perception that Mac prices have gone down could be a plus for Apple.
@lazlo
but the minute a linux system can offer me the editing power and motion graphic performance i need, i’m gone.
Won’t happen in your lifetime, so ask yourself, where would you be without Macintosh?
You wouldn’t be here whining that’s for sure.
The iPod/iPhone halo effect is switching into overdrive.
This MDN post doesn’t have a link to the original article. I went to Inc’s website and Ms. Oricchio’s blog hasn’t been updated since March. Has anybody found the blog post MDN refers to?
Okay, I finally found it. Apparently my first search turned up an archive of Ms. Oricchio’s old blog at its old location (old design, too). Here’s the link: Why Mac Sales Are Up
@lazlo: What?
sic sic sic!
It’s obviously tax refunds. I know several friends who went and bought a Mac in the last 2 weeks with their refund money. A Mac is a big purchase — it’s a computer, that while expensive, will actually last and be made of quality for several years to come. A Mac is like a car, or a very nice washer and dryer. It’s a high-end solution to a basic need. For musicians it would be getting that guitar you had your eye on for months.
Tax refunds come in, all of a sudden an extra few hundred padding your wallet makes that Mac easily affordable, and bam. A sale is born. Multiply the scenario by the thousands (or more) and hey, April is a pretty damn good month for Apple sales.
No mystery there.
@lazio, I must have been lost in a time warp, during which Apple’s market share rose dramatically from its former 8% in the US and 3% internationally. So for my sake, would you explain what is the Mac’s current market share, and how, exactly, Apple restrains anyone from producing competing products?
Thanks!
(I wonder what other highly improbable events occurred while I was in the time warp. Did Hollywood make a good movie? Did Microsoft make a good commercial or product? Did a politician tell the truth?)
@maclouie
I really don’t understand what you’re talking about. It worked fine on my MacBook pro.
@PerryF, I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not. I’ll respond with a presumption you’re serious.
For there to be a year-over-year increase, April 2009 must not have had a corresponding bump in sales from tax refunds. Why is it, do you suppose, that such a bump was restricted to this year?
I bought a mac and an iPad in April
yes, the switch-over buyers who are replacing XP PC’s with Macs rather than a Win 7 PC are probably the main reason. they know they are in for extra work either way, but the free Apple Store help in transferring files and getting started is a really big selling point (what free professional hands-on help can you get with Win 7? answer: absolutely none). so they upgrade.
Don’t think we will see any more Mac vs PC commercials tho. Now Apple is using the iPhone and iPad to invade PC land instead, and then reap the converts later.
@JohnE, re: commercials, that’s a good point. Previously, Apple had to cajole PC users to switch from a cheap system to a more expensive system. Now, by hooking users with smaller investments in Apple-quality products (iPhone, iPad), the brand is established in the consumer’s mind and much less cajoling is necessary. When the time comes to buy a laptop/desktop, a Mac will be a much more natural decision.
So I think you’re right — we’ll probably see much less advertising for Macs.
It’s a combination of “halo effect” from recent iPhone (and now iPad) customers and the fact that many of them were using old Windows PCs with XP. They needed to finally replace that aging PC and decided to at least consider getting a Mac, due to their positive experience with an iPhone (or iPad going forward). And “consideration” is all Apple needed to expand sales of Macs rapidly, because ten (or even five) years ago, a Mac was not even on the “next PC” list of potential choices for typical consumers.
Now that they are considering a Mac as a viable choice, a significant percentage will choose to get a Mac. And once they switch, most will stay with the Mac platform, further reinforcing Mac sales growth over time. That’s why Microsoft’s “Lauren” ads from last year were so stupid; they basically told Joe and Jane Consumer that they need to go to the “Mac Store” and at least take a look at those “too cool for me” Macs. The best thing for Microsoft’s marketing is to ignore the existence of Macs.
Why is Mac selling so well? It’s partly because in these anxious times, people appreciate technology that just plain does what it needs to do. My MacBook Pro stays in “sleep” mode 90% of the time but when I need it, I just open the cover and there it is ready to go. Windows 7 can’t even get that right. I switched last year after 28 years (yep, I’m a fossil) in “PC Land” and I’m not ever going back. Life is too short to worry whether your stuff is going to crash every time you install a new app. Why are Macs selling so well since the intro of the iPad? Try to pick one up from an Apple store lately? Can’t do it – waiting list only. Want a Mac instead? No problem, they’ve got ’em in stock for $999. And please tell me why on earth you would want an iPad without a Mac to synch it up? Next question…
Nobody buys MACs anymore. Not since Windows 95 came out.
Your potential. Our passion.™
@DLMeyer,
“Just remember the “PC Tax” imposed by A/V vendors and pimply-faced kids willing to clean up the mess the A/V apps miss.”
Best post of the day, cheers!
I bought a black MacBook in 2007, sold it on eBay last week for £490 and have just bought a 13″ MacBook Pro (which, if I can say so, is probably the most beautiful(?) machine I’ve ever used – no more creaky plastic case) for £999.
So I’ve basically paid £509 for a wicked fast, stunningly designed MacBook Pro (watch%20...%20unfortunately%20the%20iPad%20hasn't%20been%20released%20in%20the%20UK%20yet,%20but%20I'm%20only%2015%20minutes%20away%20from%20the%20%20Store%20img%20src=http://www.macdailynews.com/images/smileys/grin.gif)
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Roll on May 28th…
“I’ll take one iPad 32GB Wi-Fi 3G please, my good man!”
@splashman:
The reason this year’s tax season is resulting in more sales: big, big tax refunds courtesy of the much-maligned stimulus bill. The Dems gave lower and middle class people HUGE tax refunds as part of the bill. Not a big fan of Obama or the Congress but that’s a fact. And for most of those people, myself included, they were probably shocked that suddenly they had an extra 3 or 4 figures of cash they weren’t planning on.
I meant to say “tax cuts” instead of “tax refunds” as part of the bill.
Answer: XP Pro was end-of-lifed not too long ago. Just wait until government is “allowed” to buy Macs!
I first considered it in 2007 and finally bought one in 2009
As recent as that was, I still thought I would need to install Windoze on it. Still thinking some programs wouldnt be compatible or something… duh?.
Anyway, I think many people are just now coming around to the realization that Macs can do all they need and is a much more pleasant experience.
@Jamie,
Just one?
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You can record your vocals and your instrument and edit them. You can add all the effects you want to have a phenomenal home studio recording.
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/acai-berry-trim-amp-detox-review-don039t-buy-until-you-read-this-review-2091904.html
You can record your vocals and your instrument and edit them. You can add all the effects you want to have a phenomenal home studio recording.
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/acai-berry-trim-amp-detox-review-don039t-buy-until-you-read-this-review-2091904.html