For some reason (I never subscribed) I get a monthly copy of Computer Shopper. I flip through the pages, glance at some of the reviews and 86 the thing. This month they had a list of flat panel computers and the iMac was was included. The bitch: Expensive. Strange that it was cheaper than all but one or two of the other small form factor computers they listed…
Which got me to thinking, or musing, perhaps reflecting… In any event I started wondering about the Macintosh market share. I don’t really care much about the market share, as long as Apple keeps making Macs I’m happy, but I wondered what the Macs share of the knowledgeable market would be.
For most people, even people who know quite a bit about computers, the Mac is something they’ve never used. Sure they’ve heard about it and maybe moved the mouse around on one in CompUSA but that’s about it. An interesting study would be to track the preference of people with a healthy exposure to both systems and see which they prefer. I wonder what the market share split would be?
If such a study were done Macs may still come out on the short end of the stick or perhaps the numbers would favor Macs. I don’t really have any idea, maybe people just love Windows but I’d be willing to bet Macs do okay in such a study. Sure you can argue that such a measurement has already taken place, obviously many Mac users have switched to Windows, hence the market share. I understand this argument but it is important to remember the longetivity of Macs. I know one guy who switched to Windows from Macs because his new business required a program that only ran in Windows. The rub: He was still fairly happy with his Mac (a Mac IIcx) running 7.0 but when his new machine had Windows XP he thought that was a better operating system. I gotta agree. Would he think the same thing if had been using OSX or OS9?
Perhaps Apple should introduce the Windows upgrade bundle. A fifteen-button mouse, a copy of Office, a copy of Virtual PC, and anything else you need to make the transition very painless. I’d call it the Longhorn Today edition and charge an assload of cash for it.
Standard blog fare:
I have never read a line more deserving of further elucidation(none forthcoming):
I have more cuts and nicks on my hands right now than I have had since I tried to install a new radiator on a still-running car.
Excellent flash movie: Souvenir generally I like very funny things but this isn’t remotely humorous. What I enjoyed in the animation is the lack of dialogue and color… A good story is still told (well it’s a little cheesy)
Experiment to try at home: Sodium Party
TV pick: Go Kwame (hey a Kwame win nets me 5 bucks)
CKS/BL tridiot rating: 100.35495657% +/- .0007
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.