Something Big is Happening...

[DCBass]

Something big is happening...

I've been an Apple fan for a long time, but for the longest time my praise for macs often fell on deaf ears.

Yet, in the past month, 5 people I know ordered macbooks! This was of their own volition, and I only found out about it afterwards.

Intereting things to note:
1) All are women.
2) All are switchers.
3) All are young professionals (23-26), some getting ready to go to grad school.

Another pc-using buddy of mine is convinced Apple is going to take over the world. He just bought an iPod, and he's been really floored by the experience.

Anyone else notice spontaneous spasms of ridiculous numbers of new Apple customers?

Yes Virginia, something big is happening.

 

[codo]

Intereting things to note:
1) All are women.
2) All are switchers.
3) All are young professionals (23-26), some getting ready to go to grad school.

Probably down to the style of Apple hardware.

I don’t wish to generalise unnecessarily, but most of my gay friends (including myself) use Apple computers because we love how they look. That’s not to say it’s the only reason, but it is a contributing factor and a trend I have also noticed.

 

[amac4me]

I've noticed many more people making the switch as well. Apple's popluarity is on the rise and more people are buying Macs.

It's only the start of the switch phase. It will gain momentum after Leopard is released.

 

[CanadaRAM]

Based on the amount of RAM we're selling for new MacBook purchasers, this product launch is bigger than the G5 and bigger than the Mini -- combined.

 

[Sesshi]

Funny, but all the switchers I know are like myself:

1) Not gay
2) Not women
3) Not young professionals

So dirty old(er) men love Macs too

Seriously though the majority of my friends who have switched are in their 40's, are very PC-literate, are CEO's, CFO's, etc and have done it to combine elements of family computing and work better than Windows machines can.

The ad campaigns have helped draw awareness to Windows infrastructure compatibility but it's also people like me who would have persuaded them to switch, friends/colleagues who are still heavily Windows Server dependent but have switched for the desktop productivity increase of OS X - and have experienced major upsides but with few (if at all) problems.

 

[Macmaniac]

Yes MacBooks have been hugely popular, its hard to keep them in stock at our store. Their is currently a 2 week waiting list with our supplier!

 

[JimmyB248]

I have to say I've noticed the same thing. In the past 6 months I have convinced 6 people to buy themselves MBP or MB's for uni, as we've all just finished school here, and I've noticed another 3 or 4 people in my year who bought themselvesm MBP's as soon as they came out (no one's had any problems with heat or whining I might add, myself included), before this I knew of only one other person who owned a Mac in my year, soon to become 10 people and growing. 2007 I think will be the year that Apple really grow in Market share.

 

[WillMak]

If you go to any California coffeeshop, you'd probably think mac's already took over the world.

 

[Subiklim]

I don’t wish to generalise unnecessarily, but most of my gay friends (including myself) use Apple computers because we love how they look. That’s not to say it’s the only reason, but it is a contributing factor and a trend I have also noticed.

Gay people like the simplicity? I don't mean to generalize unnecessarily, but I thought that gay people are more about garish looking objects, rather than simple.

 

[codo]

Gay people like the simplicity? I don't mean to generalize unnecessarily, but I thought that gay people are more about garish looking objects, rather than simple.

There is no way to generalise - I was merely passing comment that many people I know that happen to be homosexual choose to buy Apple computers. Deduce what you will from it.

I think it’s because Apple computers are stylish, and many gay guys like to feel stylish - its just one of those things right now.

I feel awful generalising like this, goes against so much, but it just happens to be true in my friendship circle - I'm certain it’s not the case for everyone/everywhere so please don’t think I'm suggesting that.

I worded my above post appallingly - Apologies.

 

[MattyMac]

I couldn't agree more...I've been thinking for a while now that apple is going to get HUGE very soon!

 

[whooleytoo]

Anyone else notice spontaneous spasms of ridiculous numbers of new Apple customers?

Yes Virginia, something big is happening.

It certainly seems things are going well, on a larger scale:

Up to 3 million MacBooks/Pros to be sold this year?

 

[discoforce]

Gay people like the simplicity? I don't mean to generalize unnecessarily, but I thought that gay people are more about garish looking objects, rather than simple.

Whether you meant to or not, you are generalizing unnecessarily (aka stereotyping).

Anyone else notice spontaneous spasms of ridiculous numbers of new Apple customers?

I think that apple's products are appealing to a wide variety of folks and that due to the success of the ipod and intro of bootcamp more will start using them.

Personally, I've encountered lots of new apple customers because I keep recruiting them. I'm not going door to door yet mind you, but when folks ask me why I'm using a mac I show them what it can do. Several of them decided to go mac for their next computer.

 

[kevin.rivers]

I am acutally excited to see the numbers on the Macbooks when WWDC comes around. I think it will be pretty high.

I just hope that with increased market share, Apple continues to innovate as they have in the past and not get lazy.

I suppose they couldn't afford to though, considering the innovations are what bring most people over.

It still worries me though.

 

[andiwm2003]

i think the macbook is a really good allround notebook. with the 2GHz core duo there is also none of the usual performance compromises. and for most people the ability to run windows takes away the risk of switching. and they look great.

i hope apple will put the merom in the macbook as soon as possible. i would hurt macbook sales a lot if dell's had merom and macs are still on yonah in the same price range.

 

[gloss]

Just beware. More sales inevitably lead to more complaints.

 

[extraextra]

If you go to any California coffeeshop, you'd probably think mac's already took over the world.

I agree.

 

[Makosuke]

When a guy (not gay, not young, not female, and NOT concerned with style in any way shape or form) I work with who has mocked Macs mercilessly for the past several years bought an iMac two weeks ago--without the slightest bit of prodding from me--I could tell that Apple was doing something right.

Don't know if it's the Intel thing letting people feel they can fall back on Windows if need be, if the problems with Windows have just hit a critical mass that is driving people to any alternative, if the newest Macs are just really nice computers, or if it's something else, but whatever the reason, there does seem to be something afoot.

 

[DCBass]

Don't know if it's the Intel thing letting people feel they can fall back on Windows if need be, if the problems with Windows have just hit a critical mass that is driving people to any alternative, if the newest Macs are just really nice computers, or if it's something else, but whatever the reason, there does seem to be something afoot.

I don't doubt that it's a combination of all those factors, in addition to the cool factor, iPod halo effect, advertisements, etc.

Oh, and the great community backing it up, right right?

 

[emotistically]

Well I am making the switch after WWDC, just before I start college. The reason I am making the switch? Its not sex or sexuality, its function. I need a small laptop and mac seems to have the best one on the market for around $1500. Mac is really getting competitive. With commercials, mac is in the media's eyes. But where mac is really making it in is with the iPod and iTunes.

Everyone has seen them and almost everyone owns a iPod or uses iTunes to manage their music. The iPod is like a gateway drug. You try it, love it, and then need it with you all the time. I listen to my iPod 8+ hours a day while landscaping for the summer. I am addicted. Now my iPod isn't cutting it. I need to go to harder things to feed my Mac addiction. I am going to buy a macbook in august. I will probably buy a mac mini or some equivlent in a year or two for a desktop version of mac. With the way iTunes and the iPod have shapped my life I need a mac. and I believe most switchers are doing it for similar reasons.

 

[bbrosemer]

Well I am making the switch after WWDC, just before I start college. The reason I am making the switch? Its not sex or sexuality, its function. I need a small laptop and mac seems to have the best one on the market for around $1500. Mac is really getting competitive. With commercials, mac is in the media's eyes. But where mac is really making it in is with the iPod and iTunes.

Everyone has seen them and almost everyone owns a iPod or uses iTunes to manage their music. The iPod is like a gateway drug. You try it, love it, and then need it with you all the time. I listen to my iPod 8+ hours a day while landscaping for the summer. I am addicted. Now my iPod isn't cutting it. I need to go to harder things to feed my Mac addiction. I am going to buy a macbook in august. I will probably buy a mac mini or some equivlent in a year or two for a desktop version of mac. With the way iTunes and the iPod have shapped my life I need a mac. and I believe most switchers are doing it for similar reasons.

Perfect reasoning, for nearly all, I however would like to think I was different, I have always loved mac's and craved every chance I got to use one, I finally got enough saved to get my hands on one and wow is all I can say, its like Computing + save time by not having extra crap to do... amazing how that works ( the extra crap is fixing the regristry and boot.ini...) No boot.ini hooray.

 

[freeny]

The IT guy down the hall wearing a pocket protector just got one. Hell is truly freezing over

 

[Makosuke]

Ok, now HERE'S an interesting objective analysis of the "movement" afoot:

http://biz.yahoo.com/ibd/060705/tech.html

Basically in a June survey about 11% of the people thinking about buying computers in the near future have Apple as their current top brand choice. The number is even higher--16%--for desktops specifically.

Now, I don't know how many of those people actually end up buying a computer, but if memory serves that's at least double Apple's traditional consumer market share, if not more. That would be HUGE.

Considering that the percentage of people considering Apple literally doubled since the survey the month before, that's more than interesting.