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> This idea of creatives being the core market for Apple during its early years is often floated. I'm not questioning its veracity, though I'm curious if anyone

by jmeller 10y ago

> This idea of creatives being the core market for Apple during its early years is often floated. I'm not questioning its veracity, though I'm curious if anyone knows of references that backs this up with numbers or research? Check out Steve Job's first keynote after returning to Apple in 1997 starting at 18:35. He enumerates the assets the company still has at its disposable to claw its way out of almost imminent bankruptcy. He specifically mentiones creative proffesionals and educators and backs them up with some interesting stats. https://youtu.be/IOs6hnTI4lw?t=18m35s https://youtu.be/IOs6hnTI4lw?t=18m35s

grzm 10y ago
Thanks! I pulled out some of the stats: From 1997 Macworld Expo - Apple marketshare: 7% - 80% of all computers used in advertising, graphic design, prepress, printing - 64% of Internet websites created on Macintosh - ~ 10-15% Mac sales traced back to people using Adobe Photoshop - Apple single largest education company in the world - 60% of all computers in education were Apple - 64% of computers teachers use were Apple - Over $2 billion business in education Also of note: Steve was not wearing a black turtleneck. So it's pretty clear what segments of the market Apple was dominant in. The question in my mind is related, but slightly different: what percentage of Apples revenues and profits came from these segments? Were there other markets out there that perhaps Apple wasn't dominant in but still contributed significantly to Apple's overall revenues? That said, I wouldn't be surprised if these two segments were the majority.
- jmeller 10y ago
  > The question in my mind is related, but slightly different: what percentage of Apples revenues and profits came from these segments? Were there other markets out there that perhaps Apple wasn't dominant in but still contributed significantly to Apple's overall revenues? That said, I wouldn't be surprised if these two segments were the majority. Unfortunately Apple's financial reports don't break things down in detail necessary to answer your question, but because of the power hindsight, we know that Steve gave this keynote when Apple was months away from folding (http://www.macrumors.com/2011/09/19/steve-jobs-apple-almost-went-bankrupt-because-it-failed-to-innovate/ http://www.macrumors.com/2011/09/19/steve-jobs-apple-almost-...). If Apple had other significant sources of revenue, he likely would have touted them as prominently as he did educators and creative professionals. Since he didn't, we can conclude with some level confidence that these were the only sources of ongoing significant revenue.

by jmeller 10y ago

grzm 10y ago

Thanks! I pulled out some of the stats: From 1997 Macworld Expo - Apple marketshare: 7% - 80% of all computers used in advertising, graphic design, prepress, printing - 64% of Internet websites created on Macintosh - ~ 10-15% Mac sales traced back to people using Adobe Photoshop - Apple single largest education company in the world - 60% of all computers in education were Apple - 64% of computers teachers use were Apple - Over $2 billion business in education Also of note: Steve was not wearing a black turtleneck. So it's pretty clear what segments of the market Apple was dominant in. The question in my mind is related, but slightly different: what percentage of Apples revenues and profits came from these segments? Were there other markets out there that perhaps Apple wasn't dominant in but still contributed significantly to Apple's overall revenues? That said, I wouldn't be surprised if these two segments were the majority.

jmeller 10y ago
> The question in my mind is related, but slightly different: what percentage of Apples revenues and profits came from these segments? Were there other markets out there that perhaps Apple wasn't dominant in but still contributed significantly to Apple's overall revenues? That said, I wouldn't be surprised if these two segments were the majority. Unfortunately Apple's financial reports don't break things down in detail necessary to answer your question, but because of the power hindsight, we know that Steve gave this keynote when Apple was months away from folding (http://www.macrumors.com/2011/09/19/steve-jobs-apple-almost-went-bankrupt-because-it-failed-to-innovate/ http://www.macrumors.com/2011/09/19/steve-jobs-apple-almost-...). If Apple had other significant sources of revenue, he likely would have touted them as prominently as he did educators and creative professionals. Since he didn't, we can conclude with some level confidence that these were the only sources of ongoing significant revenue.