[Ti] Apple's True Market Share!

[Mike Stanley]

On Tuesday, December 10, 2002, at 11:33 AM, Massimo Marino wrote:

> I  beg to differ. Statistics focusing on Windows vs Mac OS are 
> inherently biased. For example I cannot find anywhere statistics on PC 
> bought with WIndows (any flavor) inside and then end up having the HD 
> wiped out right-away and a Linux version installed at the place.
> I know many who did exactly that which amounts to buying a computer as 
> a simple piece of hardware. Not only, have you ever heard of the class 
> suit against M$?  from users who did exactly that and asked for being 
> reimbursed the add-on on the price because the PeeCee had Windows 
> pre-installed.

Well, I'm not sure how many tens or hundreds of thousands of people you 
know, but I'd be willing to bet that the percentage of people who buy a 
PC from any vendor as a complete unit - meaning they're paying the 
outrageous premium for Windows, etc - who then format that drive, thus 
throwing away $100 or more and then install Linux on it is in the low 
single digit range, if it even makes it that far.

Now have I taken an older Dell or Gateway at work and put Linux on it?  
Sure.  Have I cobbled together parts to make a Linux machine at home?  
Sure.  Do I know people who have assembled machines from brand new 
parts with the sole purpose of running Linux?  Yeah, a few.  But do I 
think there are the kind of hoards out there who a) have the knowledge 
and skill to setup their own Linux box and b) want to throw away money 
on pointless M$ licenses and do what you describe?  No way.



> Sony next year (2003) will offer consumers to buy its line of PC with 
> Linux pre-installed or no OS pre-installed with lower prices than the 
> same version with Windows pre-installed.
> Someone in Redmont must be fuming.

Sony's late to the game, then.  Other companies have done that for 
years, although most of the big ones have pulled back from the Linux 
pre-installed part of it.  Sony may be the first major company to make 
it *easy* for a normal consumer to buy an OS-less machine.  And they 
just might sell a few of them - but I doubt they'll sell boatloads of 
them.