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Beepcool
We all know who we like the best between the two of these operating systems. But the thing is, my opinion won't be worth a byte to you. So I'm not going to say anything until we have looked at third-party facts and opinions.
First up- http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/mac-vs-pc-myth-busting-consumer-guide/
It’s no secret; Microsoft dominates the world’s operating systems market. The reason for this domination is simply because; Microsoft designed its operating systems to be compatible with various hardware created by a wide range of computer companies such as Dell, IBM, hp, and Sony, etc.
In the other hand, Apple designed its software for close integration of computer hardware and software, which means it’s not compatible with other computer hardware.
To put it in easier terms; Microsoft sold it’s operating systems to various computer companies, allowing a broad distribution for its operating systems. As a result, Microsoft is more popular than other operating systems in the market. In the mean while, Apple has strictly designed their operating system to fit perfectly in their own hardware.
Mac users consist of:
- Home Office users such as authors & lawyers
- Start ups such as Twitter & Monster Designs
- Accountants such as Nelson Accounting Professionals
- Architects such as KAA Design Group
- Creatives such as LinkedIn, T-Pain, Hallmark, and Francis Ford Coppola
- Health industries such as hospitals
- IT professionals such as MailWise
- Law firms
- Real Estate agents
- Retail stores such as Paul Frank
- Scientists such as The University of Manchester and The American Museum of Natural History
When I tried to do the same search for Windows users, my efforts were to no avail. So I went to the Microsoft website, hoping to find something about their users and where they work, but I couldn’t find that much either.
From the various articles I’ve read online, Windows users basically consist of the following:
- Home office users
- IT Professionals
- Developers
- Business owners
- Schools
- Hospitals
- Banks
From http://techcrunch.com/2009/07/23/the-mac-versus-pc-debate-has-never-been-clearer/
“Our goal is not to build the most computers. It’s to build the best.”
That was Apple COO Tim Cook two days ago during Apple’s quarterly earnings call. Sure, it may sound like spin from an executive who doesn’t have a better answer as to why Apple isn’t competing in the low-end of the market, and thus, gaining market share. But it’s not.
You need look no further than numbers released today by NPD to understand Apple’s strategy. Its revenue share of the “premium” price market — that is, computers over $1,000 — is a staggering 91%. This means that 9 out of every 10 retail dollars that is spent on PCs in that price range, goes to Apple, as Betanews’ Joe Wilcox points out. That, for lack of a better word, is insane.
Analysts and journalists are often quick to point out Apple’s relatively low overall market share (less than 10%). But that completely misses the point of Apple’s Mac business. If Apple wanted to make a range of low-end computers, it absolutely could. And such machines would sell like crazy, boosting Apple’s market share. But there would have to be some trade-off in quality, and perhaps more importantly to Apple, to its high margins. And as it has proven time and time again, it has no desire to give up either.
Instead, Apple is content to keep churning out its high-quality, high-margin machines, and watch the profits roll in. If it happens to gain market share as a byproduct of that, that’s great. You can’t be so naive to think that Apple doesn’t care about that at all, of course it does, but it’s clearly a secondary goal, which most people don’t seem to understand.
It’s a metaphor that’s often used, but a way to think about it is if Windows-based PCs as a whole are thought of as a top selling car like the Toyota Camry, Apple’s Mac computers would be more like a luxury car, like a Porsche. Porsche sales are just a fraction of Camry sales because it does not sell any models in the low-end price range. But at the same time, Porsche makes more money on each car sold and maintains a premium branding. If Porsche started selling cheap cars, it would move a lot more units, but it would no longer be the Porsche brand that we know.
That’s not to say the Camry sucks or that the Porsche is perfect. They’re just two different cars that cater to different markets. And they represent the two different goals that most Windows-based PCs have (market share) versus Apple’s Mac computers (high-end revenue share).
And that’s why Microsoft’s recent Laptop Hunter commercials really never made a lot of sense. Sure, from a marketing perspective, I understand the idea: It’s a down economy, lets play up the fact that our computers are cheaper. But in many of the spots, the shopper’s stated desired computer was simply not something that Apple even made. In the famous first commercial, Lauren wants a laptop with a 17-inch screen for under $1,000. Okay, Apple doesn’t make that product. So of course she’s not going to buy a Mac.
The real point is that people who are shopping for computers where price is the key factor, were never going to buy Macs anyway. They never have. There is a reason Apple still has less than 10% market share. Did Microsoft need to spend millions of dollars on commercials to tell us that?
Instead, those commercials set up a narrative around the bifurcation of the computer-buying public. And today’s NPD numbers are the perfect ending to that story. If you’re a consumer looking for a bargain computer, you’re happy to save money buying a PC. If you’re looking for a premium computer, you’re happy to spend more money buying a Mac.
So what do you think? Are you a high-end business man looking for a computer? Or in the middle-class looking for a bargain? Tell us in the comments below what you think the better computer is and why.
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