[Ti] Market Share: 2.3% -- That's NOT good press

[Henry Kalir]

On Fri, 17 Jan 2003, Massimo Marino wrote:

> >>
> >> Add to that the actual number of Macs (and all computers) sold keeps
> >> growing, the whole market share myth is worse than the megahertz
> >> myth.  When the actual number of Mac users starts falling that is
> >> cause for concern, but, in fact, it is growing... especially in the
> >> consumer end.
> >
> > From 5% of the market to 2.3%??? That's growth???
> 
> The message from Michael was that 5% of say 7 years ago is INDEED fewer 
> computers than the 2.3% (make 3% though) of today.
> Should not be a surprise that % numbers are NOT absolute value. I'll 
> take anytime 2.3% of a $1,000,000 over 5% of $10,000. Wouldn't you?

So - The TOTAL # of computers sold has grown a hundred -fold over the past
7 years ($1,000,000/$10,000 = 100)??
Let's *assume* that that is true - now, when the percentage of increase is
less than that of the competitors, doesn't that indicate that Apple is NOT
doing as well as the rest of the market (yes, yes, we do have better
hardware and OS)? I mean - would YOU accept this argument from your
employer - that you should not complain that your salary rose by half of
that of the others, because - AFTER ALL - it DID rise??

> >> In the mid-90s when software and hardware vendors start abandoning
> >> Apple, that was scary, but today, that trend is actually reversed,
> >> with more hardware and software options than ever before. Part of
> >> that has to do with Apple becoming more compliant, but also because
> >> companies are making money.
> >
> > Given your general line of reasoning, why should this be "scary"? As 
> > some
> > here seem to say - "whatever we don't have on the Mac is obviously
> > something that is not needed or important"...
> >
> That WAS scary because lack of new development means stagnation. The 
> reasoning was that if an application was missing, was missing period.
> Now the leitmotiv is: is it missing today? Look: they are releasing a 
> better product in 2 months! And Apple has take its own destiny in 
> hands: Safari and Keynote. That is a direct blow to Micro$oft guts. I 
> would not be surprised to see a major overhaul of AppleWorks to provide 
> better than Word and better than Excell product before the end of the 
> year.
> 
> >
> > Folks...PLEASE...Apple needs to work on an OS that can take ANY Windoze
> > application and run it just as good or BETTER on the Mac OS (like being
> > able to play the same record on a superior HI FI...or whatever 
> > appropriate
> > analogy you care for) so that PC users (NOT you, the converted!!!) will
> > say" Hey! NEAT...I might as well get a Mac and run all my applications 
> > and
> > then some on it". An increase in market share is not just GOOD, it's a
> > MUST for Apple to survive. STOP deluding yourselves... TY for 
> > listening.
> >
> 
> Henry, that would ONLY be possible if Apple would adopt an x86 chip on 
> its mother board. The only current way a Mac could run ANY Windoze app 
> is via VirtualPC. Are you suggesting the future of Apple is by adopting 
> Intel x86. Boy I am glad it's not you at the help of Apple ;-)

Massimo,

I'm suggesting that Apple do *something* to become versatile to the point
that PC users would have nothing to lose by buying it - since they would
be able to run all their PC stuff JUST AS WELL on the MAC, while having
the advantage of running "killer apps" and just plain ole' enjoying the
greater ease of the Mac OS.
 
The Mac is not a standalone technology - it's a personal computer - and,
as such , has to compete with other PCs! Why is that so difficult to
accept?? People need it to run amny of the same apps that also run on the
PC, and many of those are released first for the PC market, and later (if
at all, for the Mac market.

Case in point - Delorme's Atlas. And there are many other educational
programs and games...

If Apple does not do whatever (I'm not a programmer nor at the helm of
Apple) it takes to NOT just increase it's market share, but to enable all
PC users to use the Mac without losing anything - it will lose even more
market share, and with it - more 3rd party developers. The market is not
on an infinite increase! It has plateaued, so that now a decrease in
percentage of sales WILL mean LESS computers being sold.

I'm not "Chicken Little" - I just want Apple to survive and thrive for ALL
of us. Deluding ourselves that there's no problem is harmful. Putting our
heads together, and coming up with multiple possible solutions is what's
needed.

TY for listening.

Henry