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You're greatly overestimating the tech community's importance. The average person doesn't need any swaying to buy Apple products.

by Puer 8y ago

walterbell 8y ago
See “leading” vs “trailing” indicators.
baq 8y ago
that's how it is now but it didn't happen overnight and without a reason.
nojvek 8y ago
I’d be willing to bet a big part of the base that buy the MacBook pros are the creatives. Most consumer consumers are happy with iPhones and iPads. As someone who was a massive fan of Apple MacBooks and recommended them to other people, I don’t do that now. I highly unrecommend them nowadays. I’ve personally in fact bought older second MacBooks since they last longer and work better than the new ones. So it slowly adds up. Microsoft surface is already making a good dent in what was a loyal Mac Pro market.
jimbokun 8y ago
A lot of people ask techie friends for advice on what computer to buy. As argued by Paul Graham: "So what, the business world may say. Who cares if hackers like Apple again? How big is the hacker market, after all? Quite small, but important out of proportion to its size. When it comes to computers, what hackers are doing now, everyone will be doing in ten years. Almost all technology, from Unix to bitmapped displays to the Web, became popular first within CS departments and research labs, and gradually spread to the rest of the world." http://www.paulgraham.com/mac.html http://www.paulgraham.com/mac.html
- seandougall 8y ago
  PG’s argument is a meaningless non sequitur. The question isn’t about what new technologies people adopt; it’s about what product designs they go for. The former of course will start in CS departments and research labs, because that’s where they’re developed. That’s really not saying anything, and has no bearing on the latter.
- reaperducer 8y ago
  A lot of people ask techie friends for advice on what computer to buy. The number of people with HN-grade "techie" friends is a rounding error.
- scarface74 8y ago
  Quite small, but important out of proportion to its size. When it comes to computers, If that were the case, Apple wouldn't be selling tons of iPhone's in their "wall gardens" and DRM'd media content and the "Year of the Linux Desktop" would have come ages ago....
gaius 8y ago
You're greatly overestimating the tech community's importance. The average person doesn't need any swaying to buy Apple products. “There’s a App for That” <—- who makes the apps?
- scarface74 8y ago
  The most popular apps made be made by computer geeks but which apps are made are decided by large corporations. Corporate America (and corporate marketing) have a far bigger sway than computer nerds. If that weren't the case Samsung wouldn't be the most profitable Android manufacturer with their crappy bespoked custom Android version.
graeme 8y ago
I'm pretty sure I switched my parents into an imac, and three iphones so far, with a fourth on the way soon. If I was on android/PC they would have bought those, for tech support reasons. I've influenced some friends, too. Word of mouth is the most powerful form of marketing, and professional users talk about their machines a lot. (Devs, video editors, writers, designers, photographers, etc)
- scarface74 8y ago
  Based on data or anecdotes?
- Puer 8y ago
  Yeah, I don't think that's because you're a tech person. To most parents, their children may as well be tech experts because their bar for that is simply "they know more about computers than I do." I'm sure most people could probably convince their parents to buy a Macbook, or any other brand of computer, for even arbitrary reasons. I may be wrong, but I'm highly skeptical that your parents had to be convinced to be a Macbook on the merits of it's technical prowess in relation to other competition. They probably just respect your opinion on technology regardless of what it is.

You're greatly overestimating the tech community's importance. The average person doesn't need any swaying to buy Apple products.

by Puer 8y ago

You're greatly overestimating the tech community's importance. The average person doesn't need any swaying to buy Apple products.

walterbell 8y ago

See “leading” vs “trailing” indicators.

baq 8y ago

that's how it is now but it didn't happen overnight and without a reason.

nojvek 8y ago

I’d be willing to bet a big part of the base that buy the MacBook pros are the creatives. Most consumer consumers are happy with iPhones and iPads. As someone who was a massive fan of Apple MacBooks and recommended them to other people, I don’t do that now. I highly unrecommend them nowadays. I’ve personally in fact bought older second MacBooks since they last longer and work better than the new ones. So it slowly adds up. Microsoft surface is already making a good dent in what was a loyal Mac Pro market.

jimbokun 8y ago

A lot of people ask techie friends for advice on what computer to buy. As argued by Paul Graham: "So what, the business world may say. Who cares if hackers like Apple again? How big is the hacker market, after all? Quite small, but important out of proportion to its size. When it comes to computers, what hackers are doing now, everyone will be doing in ten years. Almost all technology, from Unix to bitmapped displays to the Web, became popular first within CS departments and research labs, and gradually spread to the rest of the world." http://www.paulgraham.com/mac.html http://www.paulgraham.com/mac.html

seandougall 8y ago
PG’s argument is a meaningless non sequitur. The question isn’t about what new technologies people adopt; it’s about what product designs they go for. The former of course will start in CS departments and research labs, because that’s where they’re developed. That’s really not saying anything, and has no bearing on the latter.
reaperducer 8y ago
A lot of people ask techie friends for advice on what computer to buy. The number of people with HN-grade "techie" friends is a rounding error.
scarface74 8y ago
Quite small, but important out of proportion to its size. When it comes to computers, If that were the case, Apple wouldn't be selling tons of iPhone's in their "wall gardens" and DRM'd media content and the "Year of the Linux Desktop" would have come ages ago....

gaius 8y ago

You're greatly overestimating the tech community's importance. The average person doesn't need any swaying to buy Apple products. “There’s a App for That” <—- who makes the apps?

scarface74 8y ago
The most popular apps made be made by computer geeks but which apps are made are decided by large corporations. Corporate America (and corporate marketing) have a far bigger sway than computer nerds. If that weren't the case Samsung wouldn't be the most profitable Android manufacturer with their crappy bespoked custom Android version.

graeme 8y ago

I'm pretty sure I switched my parents into an imac, and three iphones so far, with a fourth on the way soon. If I was on android/PC they would have bought those, for tech support reasons. I've influenced some friends, too. Word of mouth is the most powerful form of marketing, and professional users talk about their machines a lot. (Devs, video editors, writers, designers, photographers, etc)

scarface74 8y ago
Based on data or anecdotes?
Puer 8y ago
Yeah, I don't think that's because you're a tech person. To most parents, their children may as well be tech experts because their bar for that is simply "they know more about computers than I do." I'm sure most people could probably convince their parents to buy a Macbook, or any other brand of computer, for even arbitrary reasons. I may be wrong, but I'm highly skeptical that your parents had to be convinced to be a Macbook on the merits of it's technical prowess in relation to other competition. They probably just respect your opinion on technology regardless of what it is.