By Jo Best, 23 November 2004 17:20
NEWS It seems the popularity of the iPod could well be boosting Apple's financials in unexpected ways.
According to a survey of iPod users by financial analyst firm Piper Jaffray, Macs are now basking in the reflected glory from the iPod, with a percentage of those owning the music player saying they have already or are intending to ditch their PC for a Mac.
The research found that six per cent of iPod users had made the switch and another seven per cent said they were planning to dump their old PC desktop for an Apple machine.
Gene Munster, Piper Jaffray senior research analyst, said the iPod halo effect will make a difference to Apple for a while to come. "We're in the very early innings of a multi-year trend," he said.
Among the factors influencing the ex-PC crowd were ease-of-use, the focus on entertainment and the perception of better security.
The switchers, according to Munster, tended to be people who weren't necessarily techie types.
"A lot of people, with all due respect, don't understand the technology... they're people with money, not tech people," he said.
While Apple might see a healthy period ahead, to turn it into long term gain the company has to keep setting the design trends, according to the analysts. "They got to keep that 'cool factor' going," said Munster. "If they donÂ’t, they're in trouble."
Comments
There are 42 comments. Join the discussion
1. anonymous
My iMac is the best thing I ever bought. I work in IT and come from a technical background, but at the end of the day I just want something that works, plays music, downloads photos and looks cool.
2. Ian C
It still is not clear if this figure is quoted as a percentage of PC-owning iPod-owners or all iPod owners. This would be very significant given the high proportion of Mac-using iPod owners, especially given that the player was only Mac-compatible (officially) from the start. It must be the former, since surely Apple would do nothing to downplay this stat!
3. John Lambert
If my experience of trying to get an iPod to work with a PC is representative I can understand this trend. The iPod failed to work in the sort of seamless manner one would expect and I got the distinct impression that the whole process would be a lot simpler on a Mac.
4. Music Fan
Well that just shows the general mentality of all apple users then! These must be the type of people whos PC knowledge stretches as far as tetris! Im sure once theyve had there plastic tranparent rubbish bin for a couple of months theyll go crying back to PC World!
5. anonymous
As a Mac user (with no iPod - yet), I welcome these news. It appears however that the iPod might be the very things Apple needed to get through to the people it should really target: users that marvel ease of use as well as sleek design. The iPod shows how you can deliver hi-tech with good design and ease of use. This delivers a powerful message regarding Macs as well: are there after all computers that can be as easy? Before, there always was the compatibility scare, etc., which would drive non-techies away ("ooh, how will I cope?"). With the iPod, they see that they can cope quite well indeed!
Regarding the cool factor: did Apple ever fail in that???
6. anonymous
If i had any intention of buying a MP3 player i would not buy an over priced ipod. I would buy something that i can buy a replacement battery in a high street store. Why would any sane person go and ditch the PC that they bought 6 months ago and spend more money on a MAC (All this hype about security does not wash. I can not wait for the mac brigade to cry about htis comment). BLING BLING look at me i have an ipod.
why not use the money for paying off your fine for using your mobile when driving - or it would go towards your insurance premium on the BMW.
These gadgets are a waste of world resorces and for what - vanity, oh look at me i have an Apple Ipod and MAC (don't flashers have mac's).
7. Widow Twanky
Its a bit unnecessary, I have a few friends who happily use their iPod with their IBM PC.
Mac's are great - in their place ;)
As a Multi-media development PC they are fantastic, but for gaming and all the other important stuff a top range PC out-benchmarks the best iMac on the market not only in performance, but in cost.
This should be thought about before people make rash decisions like getting rid of their PC.
8. Steven R Wilson
I don't know where you Windows users get your ideas from, but as a Mac user, I know more than a dozen PC users who have completely lost their computer due to viruses, or had to erase their hard drive, lost important data, or had other major problems due to inherent problems with Windows.
I won't argue that Macs are perfect, but my family owns nothing but Macs, and no one has lost data, had the system meltdown due to viruses or the like...
Macs may not have all the latest games, but for most other purposes, Macs are generally better. Not just for security, but the interface is a lot more intuitive, and requires less clicking to get the same work done.
9. Scott
Why can't we compare apples (forget the pun) to apples...
Lest you forget, the iMac is a consumer machine. Want to compare an iMac to a consumer level Dell or HP? Be my guest, but please account for the level of software that is free with OS X. Please also factor in the cost of anti-virus software for your PC. Also please account for piece of mind, better usability, and increased productivity. Don't agree with me on these? Check out the article in the Times, it was published yesterday.
So should we compare the PowerMac G5 to top of the line PC's. Be my guest. Factor in the above, as well as native 64 bit processing, increased 64 bit support w/ tiger (which unlike longhorn, will see the light of day).
The tide is turning my friends.
10. HDL
iMacs are midrange macs. If you want power get a power mac tower.
Last year's third fastest supercomputer in the world (Virginia Tech) was assembled from stock power macs. Their main criteria for selection was the system's price-performance ratio. During the bidding process, the macs killed anything Intel from multiple vendors including DELL. They ended up spending $5 million vs over $300 million for Japan's Earth Simulator, the #1 supercomputer in the world at that time.
Nonetheless, for 90% of the consumer population, the iMac will handle anything they can possibly do with a computer. And on top of a stylish, super cool machine, they will get the most advanced, most secure, and only fun-to-use operating system in the world.
What else do you want?
11. Eric W
Sorry musicfan, but you haven't a clue about what Macs are. We have BSD Unix, security, lack of virii and trojan horses, most of the best applications and we are lacking in none.
You shouldn't really talk about what you don't know. I've used DOS, Windows 3.1 to XP, OS/2, NeXTSTEP, BeOS, and several flavors of UNIX and Linux. NOTHING can touch OS X for ease of use, or power and the combination of the two.
Once you go Mac, you never go back.
12. anonymous
The ridiculous comment of the UK "IT Admin" is nothing but hogwash.
Why would people buy an iPod? Because they work well and are a good value.
Quite frankly, of course an IT Admin doesn't like Mac. Windows keeps him in a cushy job because people rely on him. It's just not the same with a Mac.
People are switching because they're fed up trying to use a machine and can't even do something like read a Web page or an e-mail without an issue. They use their iPod, like what they see, and give the Mac another look.
Macs ARE more secure than Windows, but why would an "IT Admin" want that? He'd be on the breadline without all the security holes of Windows users.
As for iPod being overpriced - bull. If it was overpriced, Apple wouldn't be selling millions of them. iPod is worth every penny. The crap you buy with those phenomenal "replaceable batteries" are useless in comparison.
13. anonymous
Ignorant people who don't know what they're talking about call it a "MAC." It's a Mac, as in short for Macintosh.
You know, as P.C. is short for Piece of Crap.
14. Lloyd Arkell
My G5 is on order and I am told will be with me in 2 weeks, not because I brought an IPod 6 months ago, because I went into an Apple Store while on holiday in the USA and was amazed with the ease at which I could OSX.
Within a few moments I had garage band baging out a tune and I had never used the programme before, it just all made sense and that seems to be the case with most Apple Apps that I have now used, there isnt the learning curve that you suffer with Windows apps.
So Apple get my order and I wont be getting another Wintel box.
15. anonymous
I am the IT Director of a financial services company. I am a key architect of systems regarded as world-leading by some of the largest organisations on the planet. I have mandated Microsoft only platforms for our ASP offerings and all internal systems. Don’t tell me I'm not technical. I am also an avid Apple fan and tell all my developers if you want to know how to build software get an Apple. At home I mandate an Apple only environment. The myopic view of MS bigots really only harms themselves
16. TheCrunge
PC's are good for those who are tech-savvy. In other words, my 1337 neighbor has no problems with security, viruses, and troubleshooting. Neither do I on my PC (because we know what we're doing). However, another comment here said that "Mac's are good - in their place". Well, it happens that "their place" is on the desks (and laps) of people who just want to use their computer, hassle-free, and don't want to call their geek nephew when things go sour. In other words, you don't have to have a computer degree to turn on Apache and dish out web-pages. My mother does it. Another comment said that PC's are better for "important things like gaming...". Since when are games important? Get an X-Box (of course, the only reason I have a PC is for gaming). I work in IT. I used to work with a PC, until I got my PowerBook and my Dual G5. I am so much more productive in all my IT duties on my Macs. For example: Apache, MySQL, and PHP came with my Macs. They run on FreeBSD Unix. Anytime I research things for these items, I easily find what I'm looking for, but I always see "special configurations" if you are trying to do it on a Windows platform. Using Macs, I am able to deploy, manage, and keep software updated (not "patched", mind you) on 400 computers, by myself. One guy. 400 computers humming along, and still have time to troubleshoot my friends PC's over the phone. There is very little you can't do with a Mac. For everything you can do on a PC and not a Mac, there are 2 things you can do on a Mac and not a PC.
17. Roy Judd
Most of my work is dealt with on a Sony Z1 laptop, but it will be my last Windows based machine. The move to a sleek new Powerbook is just too attractive and compelling for further delay. It's nice to know that I'm part of a growing trend; I thought Id grown too old for fashion.
18. Dominic Bradbury
Dear Anonymous dude
Until BMW replace the dreadful i-Drive with OSX, I think you'll find most Mac owners wouldn't dream of driving something as 'uncool' as a BMW. (though integrated I-Pods *are* a nod in the right direction!)
As us Mac owners appreciate things like good design and ease of use you're more likely to see us in a 60's Bug or Porsche 356. We'll be the ones next to you at the traffic lights in your Mondeo, looking cool with our mobiles in one hand and 'Mac User' in the other.
Cosmic, Groovy, Peace & Love.
19. MusicFan
Im sorry Stressed Eric and all you other bling bling mac morons, but i dont have any problems with my PC, operating system, viruses or any other problem you try and throw at microsoft. As with most things, bad workmen blame their tools! If you get a virus on your pc its a 99% chance its the users own fault for not protecting themselves, its not rocket science and its not even costly! Macs - simple computers for simple minds!
20. anonymous
Eric, As someone who works in IT with Windows, MAC's and UNIX you seem to be rather short sited. My experience is that from a user point of view there is very little difference between ease of use between mac and Win. Neather are 100% stable, no operating system is, any user can crash any operating system if they are thick enough. Administration on a PC is easy, where is the control panel on a MAC. Windows is almost identical to administer regardless of version from 95 onwards. Think occasionally (May be difficult from an american).
21. Dave M
Where does all this vitriol come from? Are you all crazy?
Some people prefer Macs, others prefer PCs and other prefer other things.
One machine may be more suitable for a particular purpose than another. A machine cannot be better or worse than another, only more or less suitable for a purpose.
Would a BMW be better or worse than a Skoda? Depends on the purpose for which you need a car. Same story for computers.
All the rest is just pointless posturing. And just in case you were wondering, my dad's bigger than your dad.
22. Malcolm Wilson
Well, music fan(and web designer, no less) from Coventry, if your ability to write English and spell it effectively is a classic example of a PC user in action, then I'll keep my little transparent waste-bin, thankyou AND continue to be part of an erudite, well-educated, music-loving, Mac-using community. Bet your websites are a joy to navigate, too....
23. Madjim
Glad to hear it. As a long time techie - UNIX of various flavours, Windows from 3.0 upwards, TDS2 & OCCAM and other weierd stuff:-) I have used Macs since the original b&w ones - always superior in UI, application stability and security but, adnittedly, not always competetive in price performance.
The iPod is another example of excellent Apple design. I am not surprised there is a halo effect - if this is your first exposure to using an Apple unit - compared to the rest it 's streets ahead.
BTW - my sympathies to Music Fan - it must be difficult being an iliterate in your line of work.
24. Max
Yeah Mac are nice
But too nice sometimes
Im a Thinkpad person and I would never trade a Thinkpad for a Powerbook
Powerbooks feel very much like toys and I cannot put much faith in them
So my only choice is to run Linux on my Thinkpad.
I wish Apple would sell MAC OS X for Intel machines, or that IBM would sell a PPC based thinkpad.
Then I would be the happiest person on this planet
25. Music Fan
Well Malcolm (Copy Writer), if were going to nit-pick about each others spelling, you might want to look at your own and realise that THANK YOU is not one word! If your going to be petty about spelling at least get your own right!
PC’s Rule, Macs users suck wrotten eggs and wear ripped trousers!
26. anonymous
Oh dear, i thought that UNIX users were slightly over protective. Just to let you know the network i have has UNIX, MAC OS and Windows. one small thing MAC is short for Macintosh, PC is short for Personal Computer, surly a computer that is for personal use regardless of OS is a PC. Who cares about spelling on here! As for value for money, in the US OF A, Apple products may be good value for money but here in the UK they are not, in my view. But that is just part of good old UK. Have to admit that the new Skoda's are far better than any BMW.
Let's face it we all know windows is far from perfect, insecure etc but if memory serves me correctly Mac osX needed to have a critical security patch just after it was released, how many others have there been that i have missed.
27. JoeB
As an "IT admin" you would think that you would know that MAC is not short for Macintosh (Mac is) and is instead the acronym for Media Access Control address.
Yourself and Musicfan - what a couple of losers, sheesh.
28. JoeB
As an "IT admin" you would think that you would know that MAC is not short for Macintosh (Mac is) and is instead the acronym for Media Access Control address.
Yourself and Musicfan - what a couple of losers, sheesh.
29. Petra Lehmann
The first computer I used AND enjoyed was a Mac back in 1992. I kept using Macs throughout university until the clone wars started. My supervisor got so fed up with his mac clone that we all had to switch to WinPCs and - I enjoyed it. It was fun in a weird kind of way to have an OS you had to safeguard and to fine-tune. Rummaging in the computer's innards just added to the fun. That way I learned a lot about the inner workings of PCs and was able to help a lot of friends with their computer troubles.
And then one day a friend of mine bought an iBook for her mother with OS X and gave it to me to set it up properly. From the start I was completely entranced by this machine: Everything just worked - I had completely forgotten that this was possible. I started digging into the OS, tried out every software on it, installed new stuff, watched DVDs, connected printers and scanners and the thing was rock solid, no freezings, no stalls, no reboots, no drivers to install. When I stopped working I just closed the lid and when I opened it again it was up immediately just where I left it. I kept the iBook for more than three months;) When in the end I was forced to hand it back I bought a new PowerBook and never looked back. And - to be not too off-topic - I bought an ipod later on.
30. Brendan
Good to see the usual high standard of reasoned debate by self-confessed PC or Mac bigots.
Do you not realise that whichever point of view you have your 'argument' is totally undermined and devalued when you deliver it with such unadulterated narrow mindedness. You then debase it further by nitpicking over spelling, grammar and acronyms, whilst totally ignoring the message.
The entire discussion forum then ends up a pointless waste of time and effort, becoming simply a shouting contest. Personally I can't now even be bothered to write my own thoughts, as very few people seem to be interested in constructive debate, which is a shame really, as I thought the actual topic was quite interesting.
Grow up children!
31. oldluddite
Actually, MAC is short for mycobacterium Avium Complex, a first cousin to TB; not a computer virus but a bug for the operator...
Platform independent...
32. Gandalf
Muisc Fan, there is a great difference in a person making a spelling error in an otherwise well crafted snippet of prose and a person who does not attempt to communicate properly.
33. royston
Dave M... i agree with you mate. its like watching the kids in the playground argueing about who,s got the best toy. and i bet the column writer is laughing at em all as well. i like macs and pcs. depends on what i'm doing at the time or even what mood i,m in. becuase macs are in the minority i suspect they tend to shout the loudest in the playground to be heard. i have noticed that the moment you even mention a mac loads of em come out of the woodwork screaming " i got a mac and they are better they can do this and that better" i wish they would stop shouting as WE CAN ALL HEAR YOU FOR GODS SAKE AND YOUR GETTING MONOTENOUS !!!! "" ps my dad couldnt give a damn
34. Mark F
Hmmm ... perhaps Apple's global market share will climb all the way back up to 2 percent, eh? (I'm not going to hold my breath)
http://www.macobserver.com/article/2004/10/29.6.shtml
In the meantime PCs will continue to out sell Macs 98 to 2. Ignorant PC “newbies” will continue to get infected by malware (probably within five minutes of connecting their un-patched, un-protected, default configuration OS to the internet). Ignorant Mac owners will continue to think that "security through obscurity" will keep them safe, whilst being ripe for hacking because they are "running as root" (hackers have already begun to experiment with malicious scripts and soon Mac. malware will be commonplace).
http://www.powerpage.org/cgi-bin/WebObjects/powerpage.woa/wa/story?newsID=12520
You don’t need to be a genius to realise that knowledge is the only thing that will keep you safe on the internet, not the hardware that you choose, but I doubt anyone will be surprised to hear that I prefer to use a hand built “twin chip” PC.
35. Skabby L. Bowes
"...Mac osX needed to have a critical security patch just after it was released, how many others have there been that i have missed."
actually, there have been quite a few. BUT the patches were released BEFORE there was a breach AND as yet there are still no documented UNIX/Mac OS viruses/worms/Trojans in the wild. not too shabby for an OS that has been fairly widely used for 4 years.
36. Chris Maloney
Users with no technical knowladge swapping PC's for Mac's because there impressed by their iPod is just sheer stupidity - excuse the bluntness - what a bunch of retards!!!!
37. Chris Mclean
Being impressed by a product and as a result looking at other products the company offers. That's retarded? give me a break.
I bought a Canon G5 camera and was very impressed with the quality of the product and the service the company provided. I therefore checked out Canon's other offerings and bought a photo printer from them as well because I had good expereinces with the company and also since they made both products there were additional featurers I could take advantage of.
Why is this scenerio any different then the iPod feeding Mac sales? Why is this retarded? Many tech comapanies use the same methods. Oh yeah its Apple and that makes it bad.
38. MacDan2004
I have worked in the IT industry for many years. I have worked with Apple IIe (my first computer) and DOS, Windows 3.1 through to Windows XP, OS/2, Linux . . .I have NEVER gotten a virus until this year on my Windows XP machine. And yes, it had the latest virus definitions and a firewall. I said to my wife, "That is it! I don't have to deal with this. I can do everything I want on Mac. We're getting a Mac." I got an iMac G5 and as one user posted here, will never go back.
39. anonymous
is mac really that good? does it affect blogging people like me? i blog at http://www.bcz.com/members/blog/darnkutie
what's mac for?
40. Anonymous
I'm thinking of buying a mac mini it is the only thing I can afford because I am only 10!!! I have a Dell right now but I'm thinking of switching!
41. Dr. A Lewsteque
As nice as they are to look at, Apple/Mac constantly seems to forget one thing: form follows function.
Granted, the "the mouse is the button' mouse looks fabulous. However, precise clicking is impossible. Or: Why not have the button to open the CD tray where the CD tray is? You need to move your hand there anyway. It's all these things and more (e.g. until recently it was impossible to delete what's right from your cursor) that made macs in my eyes 'sweet' and maybe 'idiotproof' but sorry, not for serious power users or non-idiots. I like to create, copy or cut a whole folder from an "open" or a "save" menu. And in XP I finally can.
I think in terms of usability MACs have a fair way to go.
42. Stinky McJones
Macs are awesome, and P.C.'s Suck! Okay. You people make me sick. I WISH I could afford a mac. My P.C. is great, i don't have problems with data loss, viruses, etc. because I am not ignorant, as 90% or so of all P.C. users are. That doesn't mean I don't hate the fact that windows has some pretty stupid pieces, menues that are randomly hidden, settings that can't be changed, etc. Yes, OS X is much better than Windows XP, because it is unix based, and yes macs look better than (most) P.C.'s. My problem with macs are
1. The people who use them usually hate P.C.'s, or think that macs are superior to P.C.'s. They each have their strong points.
2. They are MUCH more expensive than a comparable P.C., and don't give me crap about how you can use it for a long time, i don't care, it's all about power
3.Games, games are prety important to me, and there aren't as many for macs. PERIOD.
4. I feel that despite the fact that OS X has a lot of power, because of the simplicity of the OS, maybe i can't grasp all of that power
5. Finally, I hate when mac users criticize P.C.'s about freezing, viruses, etc. I will explain this to them. Crashing: STFU! Mac operating systems previous to X freeze every 5 minutes! I can't stand to use anything before OSX. OS X is only stable because it is based upon unix, a pc platform. Viruses: many viruses are made for windows, not pc's, first of all. Secondly, the reason for this is simply because more people use windows, than mac os, and therefore it is targeted much more. Mac doesn't necessarily have much better security, but noone bothers to look for exploits because they wouldn't affect as many users. If macs gained popularity, as it happened they would be plagued by viruses as people began exploiting holes in the OS.
Sory for that rant but you guys deserved it. I hate fanboys.
stinkjones16@gmail.com