4 ms·

The writing is a little off compared to his usual stuff, but it still raises a valid point: Apple can only grow so big if they can't get companies/schools to st

by breily 18y ago

The writing is a little off compared to his usual stuff, but it still raises a valid point: Apple can only grow so big if they can't get companies/schools to start buying Macs. Personally, I think it'll be a while before this happens, if it happens at all. Too many of the people who control what computers those companies buy don't see Macs as 'real' computers.

jimbokun 18y ago
"The writing is a little off compared to his usual stuff, but it still raises a valid point: Apple can only grow so big if they can't get companies/schools to start buying Macs." It's worthless because he gives no facts or useful figures to support his hypothesis. 1. Schools ARE buying Macs. Pretty sure they displaced Dell to become number 1 in that market again (or was that just laptops?). 2. How big is big, exactly? How much of the consumer market can they realistically get? Once upper level managers decide they need the cachet of a Mac laptop precisely because of its must have status as a consumer item, how are the IT guys going to tell them they won't support it and keep their jobs? There's some evidence this is happening with iPhone already. "Too many of the people who control what computers those companies buy don't see Macs as 'real' computers." Those are probably people who are very cognizant of the stock market, and judge the appeal of potential suppliers at least in part by what the vendor's stock price is doing. In the media, "Vista is a failure" and "Apple is the hottest company in tech" are strong memes right now. I guarantee you that the "decision makers" are very aware of them. Also, the unstated idea that Apple needs to overtake Dell and/or HP for its stock to continue to grow is badly mistaken. When you have 3.5% world wide share, a single percentage point of increased market share is a huge increase in revenue and profit. Add to that the fact that Apple's share of the market is mostly among the most profitable customer segments. Much of Dell and HP sales are for product lines with razor thin margins. So, no, it is not necessary for Apple to rival the dominant players in corporate sales to continue to grow. UPDATE: I totally left off the fact that Apple is really the most successful 21st century consumer electronics manufacturer, and are almost certain to introduce entirely new product categories. They won't all succeed, but given Apple's track record it would be foolish to bet that none of them will.

by breily 18y ago

jimbokun 18y ago

"The writing is a little off compared to his usual stuff, but it still raises a valid point: Apple can only grow so big if they can't get companies/schools to start buying Macs." It's worthless because he gives no facts or useful figures to support his hypothesis. 1. Schools ARE buying Macs. Pretty sure they displaced Dell to become number 1 in that market again (or was that just laptops?). 2. How big is big, exactly? How much of the consumer market can they realistically get? Once upper level managers decide they need the cachet of a Mac laptop precisely because of its must have status as a consumer item, how are the IT guys going to tell them they won't support it and keep their jobs? There's some evidence this is happening with iPhone already. "Too many of the people who control what computers those companies buy don't see Macs as 'real' computers." Those are probably people who are very cognizant of the stock market, and judge the appeal of potential suppliers at least in part by what the vendor's stock price is doing. In the media, "Vista is a failure" and "Apple is the hottest company in tech" are strong memes right now. I guarantee you that the "decision makers" are very aware of them. Also, the unstated idea that Apple needs to overtake Dell and/or HP for its stock to continue to grow is badly mistaken. When you have 3.5% world wide share, a single percentage point of increased market share is a huge increase in revenue and profit. Add to that the fact that Apple's share of the market is mostly among the most profitable customer segments. Much of Dell and HP sales are for product lines with razor thin margins. So, no, it is not necessary for Apple to rival the dominant players in corporate sales to continue to grow. UPDATE: I totally left off the fact that Apple is really the most successful 21st century consumer electronics manufacturer, and are almost certain to introduce entirely new product categories. They won't all succeed, but given Apple's track record it would be foolish to bet that none of them will.