Apple’s market share of PCs over $1,000 hits 66% | Hacker News Reader

Apple’s market share of PCs over $1,000 hits 66%

apple20.blogs.fortune.cnn.com

29 pointsnickb16 comments

Even more amazing: Apple now holds a market share of 100% of Apple computers. That other number pales in comparison to that. Clearly 100% are more than 66%.

To some extent, Apple’s (AAPL) share of this market is growing by default. Companies like HP (HPQ), Dell (DELL) and Lenovo ship enormous quantities of PCs at price points between $500 and $750, whereas the only Macintosh that sells for less than $1,000 is the $599 Mini

When I first saw the title, this is the first thing that crossed my mind. Apple seems to be in the business of selling expensive computers. I'm not saying this makes their growing market share less valuable, just that it's less of a win then it might seem at face value.

Plus, like others have mentioned, this is only for B&M stores.

Hmm...is it just me or does is that comment fairly confusing?

My point was that the overall growing on their market is definitely valuable to Apple, and the fact that they are in the market of selling expensive computers doesn't influence that value. However, it does reduce the value of using the a larger dollar value as a criteria for determining market share. If the overall market for computers greater than $1000 is shrinking, then selling more in that market is not as valuable as it was may have been.

My tendency to use "it" in bad places really gets on my nerves sometimes.

The sales channel representation is one thing - what about the over $1000 part? Maybe Mercedes/BMW also have a pretty nifty % of market share for cars over $35K (say) - that doesn't mean much because there are a ton of choices under that amount. You're still going to see more Fords and Hondas on the road.

Plus the PC market is fragmented by different vendors/brands, and in Apples market ...there is only Apple.

also PC market has plenty of options below 1000, and with Apple that is not the case

That's a little (edit: lot) misleading. Apple's market share of PC's sold direct in stores over 1,000 is at 66%.

The 66% would not hold if internet or corporate sales are included. Therefore your title exaggerates apples market share in computers over 1,000 by at least 2x, possibly more (I don't know the exact numbers.)

In other words, the numbers are almost entirely meaningless--it's fluff, probably pushed out by the Apple PR people. As you've noted the numbers leave out huge swaths of sales, via the majority of channels.

But, I suppose it is interesting that Apple stores are an effective vehicle for selling expensive computers. It seems kinda like a Mercedes dealership in that sense...make the process of buying the computer (or car) an experience rather than just handing over the credit card and walking out with a box filled with more crap to put in your house.

I'm curious how different the numbers are for computers over $1000 purchased online. My intuition leads me to believe they would he similar. The vast majority of folks buy computers under $1000 so I wouldn't be surprised if Apple accounts for the majority of "expensive" computers purchased regardless of channel.

The most common reason I hear for people not buying Macs is not having over $1000 to spend on a computer.

One reason they might not be similar: Apple really is marketed to people with little computer skills- they are VERY user friendly as well as trendy. Presumably, an average person buying online would be [at least a little] more computer savvy than the average person buying in store.

If you are a PC manufacturer, regardless of the fact that this figure does not include all PCs sold, I think that it is still a very important trend that bears attention.

The high end share for Apple is growing rapidly, especially in the consumer market. Considering that the business market is arguably even more price sensitive (no citations, but I believe I've read this various places, citations to the contrary welcome), Apple is siphoning off the most profitable segment of customers, leaving HP, Dell, and the other PC players to fight over the segments with razor thin margins.

I'd rather be holding AAPL, which I am :). Just a few remaining shares, but I'm not going to swap them for Dell or HP anytime soon.

What these numbers mean is that apple is the only 21rst century computer company. Dell, HP are 20th century computer companies.

It also means that most people who are desirable customers (spend over 1,000) who buy for themselves and look at a product first pick apple. Thats huge. Which means apple had won the hearts and minds battle and just has to wait for these effects to trickle through the high end market.

You can argue with the numbers themselves all day but the point in the end is that Apple is making a ton of money focusing on an end of the market that everyone else is afraid of.

Another aspect of that is that most of those sales were through Apple's own retail stores -- which other PC manufacturers have consistently failed to succeed with. Again they're succeeding by not playing their own game.

(I find it strange that so many people devote energy to thinking about what the numbers don't mean rather than thinking about what they do mean.)

(I find it strange that so many people devote energy to thinking about what the numbers don't mean rather than thinking about what they do mean.)

I think it's just a general aversion to the practice of cherry-picking criteria to post bigger numbers.

Well, yeah, but the point is that expression that aversion in lieu of any other comment is a goddamn waste of time.

I guess that depends how much you can infer from such a comment. I would infer that the aversion exists because it's confusing and many times not helpful to cherry-pick criteria. Of course, I'm inferring that because it's my opinion on the subject and it may not be what anyone else actually agrees with.

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