Apple posts $20bn+ quarter Apple blew past nearly all Wall Street moneymen's most optimist predictions when it announced Monday that it sucked up $20.34bn in revenues during its most recent quarter. "We are blown away to report over $20 billion in revenue and over $4 billion in after-tax earnings — both all-time records for Apple," said CEO Steve Jobs …
I think in a recession that people are just more careful with their money. They are willing to 'invest' in a quality product, but less willing to impulse spend on something that's basically just cheap tat -- like your average netbook.
Whether you have some irrational hatred for Apple or not, it's unlikely that all the customer satisfaction surveys they top can be incorrect. Face it -- Apple make a good product that is marketed well that fits a consumer need. No wonder they make money!
Have you ever even considered, just once, that perhaps it's you that is getting it wrong? If Apple kit is as bad as you'd like to think it is, I'm guessing that Jobs would be lucky to sell a single item.
You might like to remind yourself, although I doubt you will, that there is every chance that the people buying Macs have used Windows PCs previously and made the decision to buy Apple based upon their experience with Redmond. Some people feel the need to be able to switch components and fool around with the OS; others just want to use the machine they bought and have it do stuff.
You want to buy a Windows or Linux PC and add bits, remove bits, paint it silver and fill it with custard, you go right ahead. Some of us, and an increasing number of us by all accounts, like to buy something they're already happy with. Apple kit looks good and some of us have aesthetic values in addition to our being fussy about the spec of the PC we buy.
For the record, I wouldn't have an iPhone unless they gave one to me and an iPod is, for me, an irrelevance.
BTW, to my shame - not! - my scanner is run from a G3 that I bought new in 1997. That 'expensive' Mac is the cheapest computer I ever bought.
"Still, you can't help burt think Jobs & Co. would have preferred that the recent iPod refresh might have juiced results a bit more, well, juicily."
I doubt the figures include sales for the new line-up. None of the new devices have been out that long.
iPods will still have their niche until people get used to streaming from the cloud (or their computers, via AirPlay), but that's at least 3-4 years away yet. I expect we'll see some of the iPods culled from the range over the intervening years, until just one or two models remain.
But the real news isn't how Apple have got it so right, but how every other company has got it so spectacularly wrong. If our universities are cranking out so much mediocrity and incompetence, we need to be addressing this. Now.
Streaming from the cloud in 3-4 years? Not likely even over a much longer timescale. Network coverage in rural areas is terrible, network capacity in urban areas is terrible. I'll be sticking with devices with several gigs of capacity thank you very much. I will however enjoy the circus of those wanting to listen to music from streaming services jumping around trying to find signal.
I think the rise in sales of Mac computers could be the most interesting thing here, as we've known the iPhones and iPads were flying off the shelves for a while. Is the "halo effect" really starting to kick in and entice iDevice owners to buy into the main desktop/laptop range?
I seem to recall reading that the number one laptop for kids going to university is now a Macbook, which in turn is going to result in quite a few people who will want to be using OSX after graduating. I think this is where Microsoft must really be shitting themselves at the moment, they've lost marketshare but much more importantly they seem to be losing mindshare. Ballmer is going to have to turn things around pretty quickly is he wants to avoid Microsoft slowly fading away into obscurity. Perhaps they should buy Apple outright while they still have the cash... ;)
...Honestly is "YAY!" to the news Mac sales are up.
Contrary to popular belief, Macs ARE PCs, and Microsoft is a PC software and OS vendor. OEM licensing is nothing to Microsoft. Their business is PRO OS versions and MS Office. The $25-40 they get for each OEM copy is not that important. Why?
Because of the greatly assumed need (real or not, but hey, I'm in this camp), 80% of Macs have Windows on them. Many of those have office. Guess what, that's retail, not OEM, copies.
Microsoft makes more money on average for each Mac sold than each PC sold, especially at retail. Yea, business people buy office. They'll continue buying it if they switch to Mac too. Why? Collaboration, Share point integration, DRM, and all the things home users could care less about Open Office not including that business NEEDS. Home users? So few actually buy office its ridiculous. Each person that buys a Mac instead of a PC is GOOD NEWS for the bean counters at Microsoft right now. They known damned well Windows is not going away this decade, ad Mac users have no real issue understanding and accepting that fact.
A quick inventory of people I know, that i did a few weeks back for a similar argument, many of whom are IT people: of thiose with PCs in the house, 80% of those are OEM retail machines (mostly laptops though some like me hang onto the custom-built rigs too). Half of us have office, and I'm the only one on 2010, 25% are on 2007 and the rest 2003 or older, and almost every copy is the Student/Teacher edition (4 out of 26 respondents had a full version not provided by their office). Average income for Microsoft per PC: less than $140, but that;s actually wrong and should be lower as several of those office apps were carried across several chassis and should not count on the current one.
For those who responded they had a mac: Out of the 26 PC households, 8 had at least one Mac and 3 others had only mac. Of the 11 total, 9 had Windows Pro on those macs, and 8 had either Office Pro 2008 for Mac or Office 2007 for Windows (2 had BOTH), only 2 had the student version. Average income for Microsoft on each Mac: $350.
Which camp do you think Microsoft is cheering for?
It's not true so don't keep repeating it.
80% of the people you have spoken to is not the same as the less than 2% of the Users I support.
Modern macs don't need windows to run MS Office - even the Windows version.
Some people (generally the less bright ones) think that because they have MS Office on their Macs they actually have Windows - this is a far wider misconception than you would think.
And finally. I have a significant number (probably over 50% but can't actually say for sure) of clients who (since the demise of Explorer for the Mac) run entirely MS free Macs and so far have found no need to give Redmond any money at all.
"If our universities are cranking out so much mediocrity and incompetence, we need to be addressing this. Now."
We are. Haven't you been reading the news? We're making it too expensive for the poor smart kids to get an education, and cancelling all our research.
That should do the trick. A few years of that and the money will be rolling in. You mark my words.
Well these results are impressive figures in such dire times, Micro$oft must be kicking themselves (again) for bailing Apple out in 1997.
http://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/08/opinion/the-apple-of-microsoft-s-eye.html
However, shares are down this morning. Maninly due to poor Ipad sales but also there is a feeling that the share price is over valued.
I predict a problem for Apple; all those iPhone users will experience the frustration of dropped calls and signal loss, this will create a general discontent with the brand. It is one thing to sell bucketloads of unreliable products to a devoted audience (Apple fanatics), but as they break into the general market people will have higher expectations.
For mobiles, buyers remorse is usually resolved by getting rid of the phone at contract end and so when these duff iPhone4s get sold on there will be another 14 million pissed off consumers. These will be sold on much sooner because they will not have to wait for contract end and so the spread of discontent with the Apple brand will continue.
If I were Apple I would offer a trade in on the iPhone5 next June, but they won't.
I would not describe myself as an Apple fanatic or fanboy. I do have a 3GS and I do like it - and I accept it's "locked in" to the Apple way and it cost more than it should have. The same could probably be said for many brands of car - e.g. BMW or Mercedes - versus e.g. Ford - which cost less to buy and service and in all honesty do not seem any less reliable (personal experience only).
People in the UK that I know with iPhone 4s seem to like them and do not complain particularly of problems (I'll expect contradictions here shortly). So I don't think Apple are going to suffer particularly on that score.
I do absolutely hate the iTunes/iPhone/iPod syncing experience. It drives me absolutely crazy sometimes - and it's nothing to do with running on Windows.
Are from people that have some irrational behaviour that dont want to see Apple do well, I on the other hand say fair play to them, even though I will never have any intention of buying their products.
I am however slightly disturbed by this, as I have grown very wary of capatilist ventures making too much money because they start to get more than a little bullish and egotistical in the market.
I can tell from experience that there *are* people getting an iPhone, iPad or an iPod touch, using it a while, then comparing the way of using the thing with their Windows machine and when they have to get a new computer just can't bring themselves to get another PC anymore. There's quite a bit of greener grass on the other side of the fence going on, but the iThings also have a certain way of seducing users with elegance and simplicity and making them look for more of this drug.
Of PC users that convert and buy a mac, 90% buy another one. Its not just a halo effect, it has a gravity well of it's own, and its accelerating in growth.
#1 quoted reason to buy another: support was exceptional
#1 reason to leave a PC and go to mac: too much maintenance/to many software issues/hassle.
Folks, it;s not the hardware. That's just a perk.
I think you are quite right there. People are seeing the difference and voting with their wallets. But it's not just individuals, I've been to a number od small businesses where they have or are changing over to Macs. They cite longevity as the main reason. The Macs may cost more up front but the cost of installing and running is proving to be lower and - as someone pointed out earlier - the resale value of a well looked after mac is higher than the resale value of a well looked after PC.
The Loveley Ivana has recently taken up an appointment at one of the new 'Academies' in London. I went to meet her one evening and to have a look around. Although she was issued with a Win laptop, I noticed that in the admin office (I could see 10 -15 screens) just under half of the computers in use were iMacs. I also saw a number of Heads of Department's offices with iMacs in them.
Another school (Local Authority) I know has just equipped a lab with iMacs. I haven't been able to speak with the person responsible so i don't know what the thinking was. When I find out I'll report.
It may be that this is a special school for children with special needs - I don't know.
Most of the thrill in getting bigger/badder PC systems revolved around getting right-sized for the next fantastic game out there; whether it be Quake, Doom, Half-Life, Halo, &c. Microsoft made a deliberate decision to move to a console for their premiere game, Halo, and Valve (via Steam) is now supporting Macs. Honestly, the thrill of getting/building the latest thoroughbred running Windows no longer holds much lure for me.
I suspect I am not alone.
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