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Gartner: Apple sells 1.4 million Macs in U.S.; captures 8% market share

By | April 16, 2010, 7:24am PDT

Summary: Apple’s share of the U.S. market for computers grew 34 percent year over year as the company sold an estimated 1.4 million Macs, according to new research.

Apple’s share of the U.S. market for computers grew 34 percent year over year as the company sold an estimated 1.4 million Macs, according to new research.

Gartner estimates that Apple now has 8 percent of the total domestic market for PCs, and for the first three months of 2010 was the fifth-largest PC vendor, behind HP, Dell, Acer and Toshiba.

Hype for the new iPad likely helped Mac sales for the quarter, Gartner says.

Amazingly, both Acer (No. 3) and Toshiba (No. 4) bested Apple, posting 50 percent growth year over year:

Total estimated PC shipments in the U.S. were 17.4 million for the first quarter of 2010. That represents a 20.2 percent increase from the same time period in 2009, and marks two consecutive quarters of double-digit shipment growth in America.

A few more data points about Apple’s competition:

  • HP and Dell saw year-over-year growth below the industry average at 7.1 percent and 7.2 percent, respectively.
  • HP currently has 25 percent of the U.S. market.
  • Dell currently has 23.4 percent of the U.S. market.
  • Acer currently has 15.6 percent of the U.S. market (50.9 percent YoY growth)
  • Toshiba currently has 8.6 percent of the market (50 percent YoY growth)

The standings aren’t much different worldwide:

  • HP is No. 1 with 18.2 percent market share.
  • Acer, is No. 2 with 14.2 percent market share.
  • Dell is No. 3 with 12.1 percent market share.
  • Lenovo is No. 4 with 8.3 percent market share.
  • Asus is No. 5 with 5.5 percent market share.
  • Toshiba is No. 6 with 5.5 percent market share.

Apple did not make the worldwide top vendor list.

Research firm IDC found similar results as Gartner, but only said Apple grew 8.3 percent year over year and had a 7 percent drop in market share from Q1 2009.

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Topics

U.S., Dell Computer Corp., Apple Macintosh, Hewlett-Packard Co., PC, Gartner Inc., Quarter, Apple Inc., Acer Inc., International Data Corp., Toshiba Corp., Desktops, Sales Strategy, Hardware, Sales, Andrew Nusca

Andrew J. Nusca is editor of ZDNet and SmartPlanet.

Disclosure

Andrew Nusca

Andrew J. Nusca does not hold any investments in the technology companies he covers.

Biography

Andrew Nusca

Editor

Andrew J. Nusca is an editor for ZDNet and SmartPlanet. As a journalist based in New York City, he has written for Popular Mechanics and Men's Vogue and his byline has appeared in New York magazine, The Huffington Post, New York Daily News, Editor & Publisher, New York Press and many others. He also writes The Editorialiste, a media criticism blog.

He is a New York University graduate and former news editor and columnist of the Washington Square News. He is a graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He has been named "Howard Kurtz, Jr." by film critic John Lichman despite having no relation to him. He lives in his native Philadelphia with his wife, cat and Boston Terrier.

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Huh!?!
James Quinn 20th Apr 2010
As a long time Apple fan I"m happy to see Apple doing well but I don't
see where Apple or Steve Jobs has made any claim that 8% is a larger
market share than others have? I think Apple still rules in MP3 players
and is doing well with the iPhone or smartphones but not the leader for
sure. As for tablets the data so far is promising but it's way to early to
tell what that will mean long term. The only thing we can say for sure is
that so far so good:) Why this brought on some sort of Steve Jobs rant is
beyond me?

Pagan jim
View in thread
0 Votes
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Looks like the International Market demands value and quality
goingbust 16th Apr 2010
Too bad for Apple.
0 Votes
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Trolling aside, no...
TheWerewolf 16th Apr 2010
The difference is that there are more choices world wide and less dependence on 'well known' local companies or a need to follow the crowd.

Companies like Gigabyte, Asus and Acer are well known and trusted outside of the US. Even companies like Toshiba and Samsung are better known.
0 Votes
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A better headline would be "Apple hype doesn't match reality."
TheWerewolf Updated - 16th Apr 2010
It's odd that this article is all about Apple, given that they showed a relatively minor increase in marketshare in the US and almost no increase world-wide (their numbers look almost the same as they were 10 years ago)...

Yet Acer and Toshiba clocking in a 50% increase in market share gets a one line mention. This is especially odd given that Acer has in just a year or so rocketed from obscurity to #3 in the US and #2 world wide primarily on the sales of netbooks - a class of computers that Jobs dismissed as irrelevent - and touchscreen devices.
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maybe
bannedfromzdnetagain 16th Apr 2010
maybe that's because even the last pundit has come to the conclusion
that for a business unit market share numbers (and their increase) are
absolutely meaningless.

apple has around 4% unit market share worldwide (8% in the us), but they
have 7% of revenue market share and a whooping 35% profit market
share of the whole worldwide computer market. how much of the profits'
share will they have in the us then?

http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-revenue-vs-
operating-profit-share-of-top-pc-vendors-2010-3
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Not comparable.
Lester Young 16th Apr 2010
Apple's most profitable ventures are iTunes, iPod, and iPhone, not Macs.
Their yoy growth in Mac sales has come at the expense of lower margins since last summer. Apparently they are moving closer to the higher volume/lower margin strategy that you sneer at.
0 Votes
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Step right up ladys and gentleman...
CrashPad 19th Apr 2010
With nothing more than my very clever tounge I can make anything Apple look like a giant in the field. Yes my dear friends I Carnival Barker Steve need not utter anything and can skew any number to make Apple share look bigger than anyone else in the business.
0 Votes
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2 Thumbs UP for your comment! LOL!
TheTess 19th Apr 2010
Thumbs down to article.
0 Votes
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Huh!?!
James Quinn 20th Apr 2010
As a long time Apple fan I"m happy to see Apple doing well but I don't
see where Apple or Steve Jobs has made any claim that 8% is a larger
market share than others have? I think Apple still rules in MP3 players
and is doing well with the iPhone or smartphones but not the leader for
sure. As for tablets the data so far is promising but it's way to early to
tell what that will mean long term. The only thing we can say for sure is
that so far so good:) Why this brought on some sort of Steve Jobs rant is
beyond me?

Pagan jim
0 Votes
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Apple play on numbers
jscott418 16th Apr 2010
Apple has always played with numbers, but you are right. Apple being under 10% which they have always been says volumes about how they have gained very little in computer sales. The fact they do not offer better value for the money is their downfall. But hey, they make good profits off the small market share of Apple fanboys so do they really care??
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sure they do
doh123 16th Apr 2010
they offer much better value for the money... for some people

for others, they do not.

You cannot just say they do or don't because "value" is not the same for
everyone.
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This is true.
Bozzer 17th Apr 2010
As I much as I dislike Apple, you do make an
outstandingly valid point.

Value for money is similar to that of beauty.
It is all in the eye of the beholder.

For some the Apple logo, OSX, the Unibody
construction, the long battery life and the
exclusivity is worth every penny.

And yes, I almost choked writing that. But
Doh123 has nailed it really. Nothing to argue
with here.
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Apple media fan base
jscott418 16th Apr 2010
Its uncanny how such a small percentage gains such recognition in the media. Apple sure has a lot of media friends. The fact that Apple still after all these years remains under 10% says volumes of how their market stratigy is all about getting maximum profits from a few brainwashed base of customers instead of building their marketshare by being truly competitive.
0 Votes
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the unit market share myth
bannedfromzdnetagain Updated - 16th Apr 2010
why should apple do that? why lowering prices to grab more unit market
share if they have to lower their prices and thus their margins? is the
basic concept of being in business for making a profit so hard to
understand?

and as an example audi, bmw and mercedes all make a happy living of
off their brainwashed fanboy basis, too. and as a hugo driver, you
probably don't understand that, either.
0 Votes
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Unit market share...
wizard57m@... Updated - 16th Apr 2010
there is more than one way to make a profit,
for example, look at WalMart. Not everyone
"likes" WalMart, but they have been profitable
by reducing profits and selling mass quantities.
Then there are those businesses somewhere in
the middle. It's not an "either / or"
situation.
Oh, and before you get bent out of shape by my
reference to WalMart...Apple did license sales
of iPods via WalMart! THAT, and reduced price,
is what bumped iPod to the status of being the
most recognizable MP3 player!
Furthermore, did not Apple themselves lower the
price for the iPhone? Could that have been in
response to "market forces"?
0 Votes
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Yes Wal Mart sold iPod but were they any cheaper?
James Quinn 16th Apr 2010
I don't think so. As for the iPhone well when your volume shoots up and
you get reduced costs for parts and manufacturing efficiencies even
Apple won't need that much revenue per sale so why not drop the price?

Pagan jim
0 Votes
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" so why not drop the price?"
wizard57m@... 16th Apr 2010
Which is exactly what a lot of people have
been asking Apple in regards to the Macs.
Apple has gone to more "off the shelf" in
regards to components, have gone off-shore
in manufacturing, yet prices for end-product
are still more expensive...granted that may
be in perception, but it does cause some to
question.
0 Votes
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Apple spends more than most by far on R&D for one.
James Quinn 16th Apr 2010
They take bigger risks for another. They do get assembled over seas but
they often use more expensive higher rated basic components in their
systems. Generally Apple goes for what a 30 to 35% profit margin if a
product's savings in increased volume purchases and production
efficiency gains allows a product to be lowered in sell price while
remaining in that range I'm sure Apple will and or does just that.

Pagan jim
0 Votes
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@James Quinn
eMJayy 16th Apr 2010
Yes, Apple does use some more expensive higher rated components, but even higher rated components have gotten cheaper and cheaper.
0 Votes
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Here's why.
Lester Young 16th Apr 2010
The inflated price is part of the mystique. Price parity with other manufacturers would be the equivalent of saying "we've been lying to you all these years."
0 Votes
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R&D
Lester Young 16th Apr 2010
Lets see, Apple bought their OS from NeXT/Sun, developed the iPod based on new HDDs developed by Toshiba, and put established touch screen functionality on iTouch/iPhone. You made that up about Apple investing heavily in R&D and you know it.
0 Votes
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Sorry Charlie.. I mean Lester:P
James Quinn 18th Apr 2010
Apple simply does not want to race to the bottom with the rest of the
PC industry and they feel they offer value of which I happen to agree.
I've never not once felt ripped off by Apple. To be completely honest
at times I think I've gotten away with the occasional steal.

It is well documented Apple's percentage of revenue spent on R&D. As
for the points or half points you tried to make yes Apple purchased
Next Step but they had to spend a great deal to get Next to OSX. And
so on down the line. Touch did exist but it was certainly nothing like
the quality demonstrated on the iPhone and you very well know that
or should. PLEASE!

You also skipped over the second part of my equation. The part
where Apple takes greater risks than anyone else in the industry. You
can't tell me you don't recall all the purely NEGATIVE comments, blogs
and articles about he iPad it has not been very long since they were
posted all over the web once the IPad was introduced. Man!

Pagan jim
0 Votes
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You're still comfused.
Lester Young 18th Apr 2010
Packaging and marketing aren't R%D.
0 Votes
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Not at all it's well know....
James Quinn 19th Apr 2010
And you are spinning.

Pagan jim
0 Votes
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iPods are cheaper @ walmart
mrlinux 16th Apr 2010
Apple 32gb Touch 299
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipod/family/ipod_touch?mco=OTY2ODA5OQ

Walmart 267
http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_constraint=0&ic=48_0&search_query=ipod&Find.x=23&Find.y=13&Find=Find
0 Votes
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Not by much it would seem...
James Quinn 16th Apr 2010
I wonder how much does Wal Mart get per sale as apposed to Apple?
Perhaps that is where Wal Mart is skimping?

Pagan jim
0 Votes
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agreed
bannedfromzdnetagain Updated - 16th Apr 2010
though i don't know what you mean by licensed sale of ipods. walmart
is one of many point of sales for the ipod. around 40.000 world wide.

but anyhow, you are probably right on a grand scale. but in this case
the market is computer sales. and there is only one high price vendor
(apple, making the most profit) and the rest is lowering their prices
and their margins in a race to the bottom (average windows pc prices
have declined more than 35% in the last 5 years). this is a very hostile
environment and trajectory and i am only questioning the very flawed
logic, imho, that reducing prices to capture more unit market
share is a very clever business move.

but maybe, because there is not a lot differentiating potential on
windows boxes this is the only way to go. remember the high quality
built magnesium and aluminium laptops? all gone. all have cheap
glued plastic enclosures now, save for apple.
0 Votes
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Reduction in prices are necessary
eMJayy 16th Apr 2010
Without it, the PC industry cannot substantially expand into developing countries, where two-thirds of the world live. The decline in PC prices was matched by growing adoption in developing nations to the extent that they now account for a sizable percentage of global growth.
0 Votes
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Not all glued plastic cases...
wizard57m@... 16th Apr 2010
I know for a fact Dell Inspiron and Adamo are
available in magnesium and aluminum cases,
respectively. So not all "PC" laptops are
available in "glued plastic enclosures".

Remember when cell phones had aluminum faceplates? Then along comes the iPhone and
everything goes to plastic...
0 Votes
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adamo
banned from zdnet again and again 17th Apr 2010
the adamo is aluminium but the dell inspiron is still plastic. (it has some
kind of faux aluminium look prentending not to be cheap plastic, of
course that doesn't work).

anyway, that was my point. the adamo is a high end computer (in the
macbook pro price range or even more expensive), so they are able to
use better materials. the rest of the industry: cheap glued plastic.
0 Votes
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Audi, BMW, and Mercedes are merely...
Feldwebel Wolfenstool 16th Apr 2010
...German Chevys, with a big fat Qannaddian import tax tabbed on. Sold to the insecure nouveau-rich to impress people they don't even know. 90% of them are probably financed, too.
0 Votes
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mr. wolfen defecation
bannedfromzdnetagain 16th Apr 2010
i was missing you.
0 Votes
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RE:the unit market share myth
richdave 18th Apr 2010
...is the basic concept of being in business for making a profit so hard to
understand?...

Not a bit! If I could market an inferior or even a comparable product and sell it for a premium price and make obscene profits you can bet I would do so. Apple is Apple. For a niche product it gets an awful lot of press. A money thing, maybe?
0 Votes
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More Toyotas were sold than BMWs...
RogerCVC 16th Apr 2010
But would you really enjoy going with the herd mentality more????
0 Votes
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And you prefer going with the illusion of "greatness"?
transposeIT 19th Apr 2010
nt
0 Votes
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DUDE!!!!
James Quinn 16th Apr 2010
Look not all that long ago there was a time when Apple's US market
share was like under 3%. Being at a solid 8% and growing is HUGE.
World wide at that time Apple's market share was like under a full 2% so
being a solid 4 is again big news and great for Apple. You made how big
this new is clear by bringing in the Netbooks of which Apple does not
even attempt to play with. Those razor thin margin sales boosted Acer's
market share sure but what about profit? Look at Apple's number
without selling in the ultra low profit market and be AMAZED! You
should be impressed at least a little.

Pagan jim
0 Votes
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Too bad.....
OhTheHumanity 16th Apr 2010
We aren't investors here so most of us could care less how much profit these companies make. I want to see them make profits but not the kinds Apple makes off products. I think most consumers would love to see them take less profit and make their products more affordable. You probably blast oil companies for making there huge profits, but Apple's profits by far exceed the profit margins the oil companies make and you sit back and applaud that.

Don't tell me you are hypocrit after all?
0 Votes
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You do realize the differences between Oil and Computers.
James Quinn 16th Apr 2010
I can do without a computer. I can not do without the heat and
energy oil provides. I can do with out an iPod I can NOT do without
medicine and or health care. In one case I have a choice and I can
select from many providers. In the other cases I have NO CHOICE and
there is only one provider for the services at least in my local area. I
am a diabetic who has had a kidney transplant. I wish there were as
many anti rejection drug suppliers as there are MP3 player models. I
wish I had that range of choice and prices to choose from!!! In the
case of an iPod its a want not a NEED. In the case of Oil or medicine I
live in the North East it is a NEED not a choice. Get it?

Pagan jim
0 Votes
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Just saying......
OhTheHumanity 16th Apr 2010
Not sure why Apple's huge stash of cash makes any difference to you and your opinion of market share?

I guess you made a good point about Apple buyers being taken to the cleaners.
0 Votes
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Not sure you understand....
James Quinn 16th Apr 2010
I am impressed by Apple's profit margins or profit per sale because to
my way of thinking it makes excellent business sense to do your
business that way. As for their cash that is the result of doing smart
business.

Now as for Apple buyers again I think you fail to understand. We
Apple customers are for the very most part very happy with our
purchases from Apple. One of the KEY reasons we keep coming back
to Apple for we get our monies worth. We Apple buyers know of other
options out there in fact we have used alternatives either at work or
have been PC users at one timer or another. So we know of which we
speak. Often times you find a PC user who has never even heard of
Apple but swears up and down about his/her PC's superiority. Ha!

Pagan jim
0 Votes
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Dude......
OhTheHumanity 17th Apr 2010
sounds like a cult. I grew up using Apple, I have crossed all OS's out there. Apple is nice, but nothing that is worth the money and the hassle of some of their devices. My systems run each and every day too with no problems and well for people like you its really hard to imagine, so just think about that. You spread FUD just as much or more than others.
  • Flagged
0 Votes
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And i've been in the computer repair/support business
James Quinn 17th Apr 2010
for almost a full 30 years. I've seen it all in personal computers from
the Osborne to CP/M, Dos, Prodos, Amiga, Commodore, TRS-80. I've
watched MS from the early days of Dos through every step of Windows
and I've owned countless PC's in my time and built many more than
I've owned for I once ran my own computer shop and one part of that
was slapping together clones to sell and support. I know of which I
speak. I am also a very lazy many and Apple plays well into that part
of my personality for while I have the ability to make Windows work
the key here is making Windows work for me. I'd have to make an
effort and that has always been the flaw in Windows for me.

Pagan jim
0 Votes
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Editor
Entirely fair point.
andrew.nusca 16th Apr 2010
Fair point, TheWerewolf. Added another line
higher up about Acer and Toshiba's growth, which
is indeed impressive. (I'm not sure netbooks
offer sustainable growth for these companies,
but that's a discussion for another post.)

We can't forget, though, that Apple's numbers
can also be interpreted as particularly
impressive because

1.) Their products are priced at a premium;
2.) It may represent more folks switching to
Macs from PCs.

But still, valid point. Acer and Toshiba should
be recognized for such impressive growth.
0 Votes
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Not sure I agree...
James Quinn 16th Apr 2010
I think it is fair to hold back on the props until the netbook thing
proves itself to be of benefit to these companies. Look if I sold a
computer for ultra cheap i could increase sales Dell proved that years
ago. What is important is this... Is is sustainable and or healthy for a
company to do such? Dell has suffered for just such a policy and has
struggled these past few years to escape to higher margin
products/sales. There is a point where razor thin margins his
companies like Dell for any number of years Dell's quality suffered and
their support went through a period of terrible reputation. All in the
search for more money due to very thin margins.

Pagan jim
0 Votes
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You're making a big assumption...
Lester Young 16th Apr 2010
...that the impressive growth of Acer and Toshiba is due to netbook sales. Last time I checked, netbooks were decreasing as a portion of PC sales.
0 Votes
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I think if you follow all the replies here there was at
James Quinn 16th Apr 2010
least one poster who gave credit to netbooks and their sales to both Acer
and Toshiba's rise in market share. That was what I was responding to. I
don't think the effects both positive and negative of the whole netbook
craze has worked it's way out of the system yet.

Pagan jim
0 Votes
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You neglected to mention.....
Lester Young 16th Apr 2010
...Apple settling for lower margins since last summer, or the fact that online usage share for OSX in the US has been around 12-13% for about 6 months now, i.e. stagnant since the release of Win7.

http://gs.statcounter.com/#os-US-monthly-200903-201003

If the sales of Macs are growing so impressively while OSX usage share is growing not so impressively, it indicates that a lot users are running both Windows and OSX. That cannot be construed as "switching," whatever spin Apple and their loyal minions put on it.
0 Votes
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Apple has always considered itself a hardware company.
James Quinn 16th Apr 2010
I don't think the individual "reasons" for sales of Mac's concern Apple do
you? The profit margins remain the same regardless.

Pagan jim
0 Votes
+ -
Consider the term "switching"
Lester Young 16th Apr 2010
It's a binary either/or proposition. Users of both OSX and Windows defy that model. I'm sure the prospect of Macs with $200 copies of Windows delight the two Steves.
0 Votes
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Funny things is you don't have to buy Windows to
James Quinn 17th Apr 2010
dp tjat/ As for switching well I don't think Apple is above putting the
best spin on something do you? Please I am not an idealist here Apple is
a business in the end. For me it's just the business that has given me far
great performance than the alternatives.

Pagan jim
0 Votes
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Sure, you could pirate it. (nt)
Lester Young 17th Apr 2010
.

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