Survey: iPhone gained share, Mac dipped slightly in Feb.

Reading some of the comments, I still laugh at both the PC and Apple base on this petty fight… I remember the day when all the Windows People were bashing MAC for its lack of application versatility (remember the PowerMAC in the 90s?) and the MAC user bashing all the PC base machines for me against the machine…

Irony is after 10-20 years later, it is still the same… So at the end of it all, they are both in the market and still a voice in the OS world… Instead of bashing it, I think people need to realize there are strength and weakness to everything.

One of the commentor is right.. If you want the best OS, go get a Solaris/UNIX. Of course, you can’t afford to pay for it but it is the best out there.

Those who bash Windows (mostly MAC users): Windows OS dominate the market because they are one of the best marketed and connected OS to vendors (I did not say to customer because that is one of the worse if you buy retail). You have to tip your hat to them. They got various people to go to for support and assistance. So one of you stated how it ranks last and still dominates goes to the power of marketing and relationships. As I have stated before, having the best technology does not always equate success (Look right now with Blu-Ray vs HD-DVD, Beta-Max vs. VHS, Token Ring vs. Ethernet, Novell vs. Windows Networking). Those the software code is not open, Microsoft hardware to the application is open. Meaning you could get it from Dell, HP, etc. and get a cost effective price. That “openness” always brings the potential for hackers in achieving security breaches. So you can’t blame that on Microsoft completely (wow, I am talking “openness” about Microsoft.. LOL). Lastly, the Windows OS is going bashed because it is the leading OS maker.. It is the 500lb gorilla that is known to everyone. If you want to create chaos, you go after the big gorillas.. (Hackers are going after Cisco as of late too for network equipments).If Apple gets big, it will happen to Apple as well…

Those who bash Mac OS (mostly PC users): The hardware is the best marketed equipment in that it is considered the “leading edge”. The reality it is not even close to be the leading edge but personified to be “COOL”… Just like Microsoft, Apple utilize marketing to establish popularity and trendiness. Heck, the parts of MAC are the same as some of the vendors of Dell and HP. What differs that make Apple good and bad is that the closed down the relationship of those vendors. Positive, it control what hardware parts are used with the OS (which could help ensure security options and hardware optimization). The downfall is you are going to pay more for the parts because it is not open for anyone to build a clone and install a OS X. The benefit of that relationship for Apple is control! To help protect the OS from hackers (which will eventually come to the Apple realm like it or not) and keeping the codes as secret as possible… Hence, Apple isn’t that much different from Microsoft. What OS X has is the programmers to renovate the OS faster than Microsoft. That I can’t deny! Hence, minor changes to the OS (and with restrictions on hardware, it does not need to update as frequent since it only needs to test parts approved with Mac OS X.)

At the end, both of them are going to be fine… What they are to me are really just flavors of preferences. Eventually, both are going to have the same problems and same issues. You might think I am crazy when I write this but being a MAC, PC, and Sun owner to do various applications… They have strength and weakness.

Nodack this isn’t a Mac site. It’s an article from Fortune Magazine. Why is it people can’t comment on here without throwing out personal insults? And I might have been off with the 45% number but I did put “like” before it,(as everyone knows like is a general term for estimate ha). Anyone ever watch the movie “Pirates of Silicon Valley”? I thought it showed the power struggle between Apple and Microsoft pretty well.

One would think the majority of posts here would be from Mac users since this is a Mac site (although mostly a place to bash the Mac), so the majority of PC people here are just here to piss off Mac users for their amusement hence the iTard, fanboy, cult comments.

I’m right there with “casual observer” on the whole Mac/Microsoft thing. I think that both have their strong and weak points. I personally own both. I have a macbook pro for my business and a pc at home which I use for many things.

This article is about market share. I think it’s a wonderful thing that all of these companies are working hard to provide better products and software for us. I hope they continue to do well battling it out because that will benefit us in the end with even better products and services. That’s what matters and what we’re all after anyways, right? Let’s leave the battling between the companies and not the users!

I’ve had a PC since I was old enough to use a computer- and I’ve never had a virus, had it crash, nothing. The only time I’ve seen someone have serious problems were the guys down the hall in college- you know, where coincidentally, their downloaded video files would make grandma roll over in her grave.

I own an iPod, I will never spend the amount of money on an iPhone (I love my crackberry), and I plan on buying PCs until the next great technology comes out. But reading these message boards that resemble lunchroom arguments and threats of “you’re not my best friend anymore” will ALWAYS be mildly entertaining.

when you go through all the volume of comments (on this article and thousands other) - praising Mac and trashing PC - one is forced to wonder why is PC 90+% and Mac 7+ %(only)…shouldn’t it be other way around. Feels like all Mac users have a lot of (extra)time and are only filled with vengeance/hatred for PC. Looks like their Life motto is to trash PC (on all possible websites). Why can’t they accept that PC and Mac both have pluses and minuses. PC offer a great access to trillions of software + hardware + business application. Mac provides incredible stability + ease of use. So I don’t get why all these poison and negativity….I wish people used all their energy for better use then the world would be a better place (rather than making steve jobs richer…after already making Gates rich in last decade). I don’t get it…what do you people achieve at the end of the day…if you guys are paid by Job/Gates then I guess, you are doing great…but otherwise…you all are big bunch of morons!!…this is just a computer…not your life! Apple or PC none of them can make ur life better…they are just tools to achieve means. NOTHING MORE!…go get some perspective in life!

These comments should be bettered filtered. This is like reading a blog on a videogame spot by 12 year olds.

To “maddawg-DC”

So we Mac users are “iTards” but you can’t even capitalize the first letter of your sentences, nor spell the word “aian’t” which, by the way “aian’t” a word.

Windows-created for use by people like “maddawg”

I admit it: I used a PC in my doctor’s office to surf the web while waiting for my appointment instead of my Macbook. I apologize that my actions have constituted a 1.45% [sic] drop in OSX market share for the month of February, a 39 point drop in the Dow Jones, and a $3.00 intraday drop in Apple’s stock price. Rest assured that I will redouble my Mac-using efforts and restore balance to the Apple universe.

I will never understand this. I have used every operating system produced for a personal computer. In terms of flexibility, security, and design for high productivity, from best to worse are Standard UNIX variants (Solaris and SGI Irix are the best), MacOSX, Linux, and in dead last, MS Windows. In terms of good UI design and usability, the order is MacOSX, CDE, and again dead last, Windows. If you have work to do, one uses UNIX (which includes MacOSX) or Linux. If you want to spend more time keeping your OS up and running than anything else, you use Windows.

I believe that the only reason Windows retains so high a market share is that alomst all PCs come with Windows pre-installed and consumers simply go with what they know, without caring that there are much better alternatives.

Microsoft’s equity investment in AAPL in the late 90’s was $150 million - preferred non-voting stock that was later converted to 18.2 million shares of common stock, all of which was sold in 2003. AAPL had about $4 billion in cash, so MSFT wasn’t saving the company, but both companies benefited. MSFT got some cover in the antitrust battle and AAPL benefited from the impression that MSFT would still develop software for the Mac at a a time when AAPL was in trouble.

People ranting about the “instability” of XP or Vista need to get a clue. Just like patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel, ranting about Windows’ “instability” and the “elegant design” of the Macs is the last refuge of an AAPL fanboy.

lmao….

u mac iTards never cease to be imbecilic!!

elmer writes a story about mac share gains…and you cry like lamer noob b#$ches….elmer writes a story about mac share declines and you cry like lamer noob b#$ches….

it all goes to show…U R AS DUMB AS YOU WANT TO BE and apparently you all want to be severely stupid.

millicent…way to go with your comment…i couldn’t have said it better myself.

elmer, keep on stating the facts…you can’t get any more responsible a reporter than that!!! keep up the good work!!

as far as vista, anyone that gets a blue screen of death has bigger computer problems than the operating system…i’ve yet to get one and i guarantee i use it more heavily and for more functions than all of your computers put together. learn to operate and configure a system properly and you’ll surely get rid of the ‘user cannot use this system because he/she is likely an imbecile, BSOD’. it really is that simple….

all i have to say is….’an iTard is as an iTard does….!!!’

lmao…although i’ve used apple for over 20 years….i still laugh till it hurts when an iTard thinks they know anything about computers while bashing non-macs…. :)~

p.s…windows aint going anywhere, least of which is a death like the dino’s….what? you still can’t see the writing on the walls; in the skies; in the books; on the tele’s; on your computer???

it must really suk to be an iTard!

i think it was Mark Twain that said there are liars, damn liars and statisticians

@ George

“Don’t you love statistics. Or the mis-use of them!…The ‘trend’ went from 7.57% to 7.46%… a drop of .11%.”

Apparently you don’t love statistics and do misuse them, or at least the basic terminology. Granted the media outlets frequently get this stuff wrong so here’s a lesson for all interested.

That change you describe as .11% is really a change of .11 percentage points (7.57% - 7.46%) = .11

A decrease of .11% from 7.57% would be a numerical decrease of (7.57 * .0011) 0.00833 percentage points for a result of 7.56%.

To use a simpler example. Lets start with 5%. Getting to 6% (or 4%) is a 1 percentage point or 20% change in value.

“Percentage points” are the simple difference between two percentage values.
“Percent” is an expression of a ratio i.e. division.

Isn’t it tragic that people argue about computer operating systems when in reality the vast majority of people don’t care if one is slightly better than the other as long as it generally works?

Honestly guys, grow up. No-one really cares if you prefer OSX or Windows.

Numbers like these are important. I’m glad we have them and I don’t doubt their accuracy. The problem is that they don’t provide nuance. For example, I wonder what the stats would look like if we eliminated sales to corporations and only measured retail sales to individuals? After that, what if we went in and cut all of the individual sales to people who bought a specific box because they needed to fit into their corporate infrastructure, or needed to run some app specific to their organization?

Apple is not targeting the enterprise, so it doesn’t seem fair to measure their success against individuals in business or IT who are deciding which platform dozens, hundreds or even thousands of people at a time are going to use.

Most people do not understand the issue. Apple controls the software and hardware so naturally it will be more stable. If you could pop any computer card or millions of different software or driver software into your Mac, you would have a Windows PC.

This by the way is what keeps the price high. Think about it, if Apple were to have to create 100 million Mac’s a year they would be a company way out of control. You can only create 100 million computers a year by out sourcing the hardware to HP/Compaq, Leveno, Dell, Acer, etc

People should really give Microsoft credit for doing as well as they do based on the massive number of different combinations of Hardware/Software/Device Drivers that they do support.

JC,

I am a Unix and linux systems administrator. I have built every computer I have ever owned, besides the macbook I am typing this on. I have upgraded and repaired PCs for a living. I am reasonably knowledgeable when it comes to computers.

Why do I own a macbook? The operating system is simply better then Windows Vista. The GUI is easier to use, it is more stable, its free backup software is better, and it is Unix at its core, making it more more useful then a windows box for me. Of course, I also run xp on it with parallels so I can use quicken and office.

Btw, you can install Leopard on a PC if you really want your own high end components and want to run a better OS. Look up osx on a pc in your favorite search engine.

As far what operating system to use for real work goes? Unix of course. Since Mac OS is unix based, it can run as your webserver, your java server, your database, you can program on it, use it as your revision control system, your gateway, your firewall, and much more. All for free, too.

Month-to-month variations in this statistic are generally just noise. It’s the longer trend that’s interesting and relevant. And in both cases, Mac and iPhone are on the rise.

As for walwus, every mfr limits the use of their product; they just draw the line at different points. Apple puts their line where they think it’ll start to degrade the overall user experience for the mainstream user, and they’re usually right. If you don’t like that for whatever reason, there are other choices like Linux or even Windows on PCs, and other phones or music players or settop boxes. Or you can hack the Apple product at your own risk.

But if Apple was to move off their line, they compromise their brand - that their stuff just works. And of course, they are sometimes off a bit, and give up a few million here or there, but they more than make up by having built a brand that stands for something worldwide.

Charles Jade at Ars Technica’s Infinite Loop has written up the same Net Applications data and added some useful graphs. See here:

http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/03/02/mac-os-x-market-share-dips-in-february-08

Some idiot posted a comment here saying that Microsof bought 45% of Apple Stock in years past. Are you kidding? That never happened and is easily provable as being false. Majority shareholders are a matter of public record and Microsoft isnt one of them.

You people say that apple fans are crazy. I think the truth is that there is obsessive behavior being displayed here a by PEOPLE. Some for, some against, but obsessive nonetheless.

Microsoft did keep Apple afloat by buying a considerable amount of stock. Between the blunders of Apple’s management before Jobs’s return and the success of Windows 95, Apple was almost dead.

So why did Microsoft do it? Perhaps they were concerned about anti-trust problems, but I think a more likely explanation is that Microsoft still makes a lot of money off of Mac users, thanks to Office. Shortly after Microsoft’s intervention, they released a Mac version of Office 97, Office 98. The big Apple vs. Microsoft conflict these days has nothing to do with the operating system. The real conflict these days is between iPod/iTunes/QuickTime and Zune/Windows Media.

I missed old Apple PC. I want to go with MAC unless Bill Gates fix his Vista.
I can hear music with my mobile phone, so I am not gonna buy i-Pod. Now many people are driving Toyota. So Dave, Do you think that they gonna buy PC if Toyota makes PC?

Thier market shares are still low compare to MS and NOKIA. So they are so sensitive I think.

#1 Reason why I will never buy a Mac: I like to build and customize my own systems using high quality parts. Why would I bother overpaying for Apple’s product when I can build and overclock a system that will easily outperform any Mac on the market? Furthermore, I can do so for about 50% of the cost of even the cheapest Mac.

My general impression of Mac users is that they are the people who can’t fix their own computers when things go wrong and so are willing to overpay for the supposed “piece of mind” that accompanies ownership of Apple products. In these days of seemingly endless public outcry against anything proprietary in the computer sector, I find it funny that so many people are willing to support a computer company that gives users ZERO post-build control over hardware customization.

That being said, anyone who is still complaining about Vista has one or both of the following problems: (1) a computer with specs that are incapable of running the OS effectively and efficiently; (2) a general lack of knowledge for troubleshooting the occasional problems that crop up with any complicated OS.

I’ve been using a PC for the past ten years both at home and at work. I got into the computer world late in life. My next computer will be a Mac.
Just think about the possibility of all those millions of kids with ipods. You can bet that a huge number of them will eventually buy Macs. Take a look at what’s happening to Dell. Mac is where it’s at and where it’s going.

I guess most of comments were made by Apple’s employees. They are promoting their products. IPhone made Apple top 10 mobile phone maker. However, Apple will be gone as Bird, ZTE, and Konka in China did before.

Again, most people who “hate” macs or think one should run windows on them, are people who have never used one. Even P.C. magazine reports mac os as a superior product, and as far as hardware goes, you get what you pay for.

And why does market share matter in the slightest?

It is an artificial measure of nothing in particular that I can see. By that silly metric, 99% of all products, stores, books, services, and publications are failures.

Apple makes products that millions and millions of people really like, and pay money for.

How is that lackluster?

Zato, that is my point. If any other company tried to pull the same marketing scam (my opinion) that Apple does when it comes to their products no one would buy them. As far as I’m concerned, people that buy Apple products are being suckered out of their money because if you want to use an Apple product then you MUST use it how they say to use it. No custimization allowed! I just think that’s crap no matter how good people think their technology is. And this goes for all printer companies as well. Specialized cartridges for each printer is a complete rip off but it’s how they make their money.

BTW, I thought up that entire arguement myself and to me it makes sense and, I have no need to troll MAC sites, hater or pro.

ALso, just because a company has performed well does not mean that it has performed as well as it can or should. Apple would have much more control of the market share if they would have opened up to the corporate side years ago but they decided to focus more on the indiviual user. And does anyone else remember when Microsoft bought like 45% or more of the Apple stock just to keep Apple floating? That’s the only reason Apple is even still in the game at this point. (Not a Windows fanboy just pointing out a fact.)

Don’t you love statistics. Or the mis-use of them!

What is the +/- (margin of error) on these ‘Trends’?

What does ‘1.45 percent off’ really mean? The ‘trend’ went from 7.57% to 7.46%… a drop of .11%. With a +/- standard deviation of (guessing) .5%.

Nice story about nothing…

- - -

ex ped: Good point! I’m surprised nobody has made it before now. Since Net Applications doesn’t supply us with any statistical information with which to judge the significance of these fluctuations, your guess is as good as mine.

@ David Alfoso: So having Sarbanes-Oxley-compliant software on a system equals “business” and “real work”? Aha. Well, is this why airlines, utilities, nuclear plants, armed forces, data centers and almost every other mission-critical application the world over is based on Unix and Unix derivates? So, if you really think that Macs are “toys for manipulating pictures” I could as well say that Windows PCs are for gamers, masochist ERP users and day-traders. But business?? Nah. I sure do more “business” with my Macs than a lot of you Windows users pretend to have…

Walwus, I want to be nice, and it’s clear from the way you’ve addressed me that you do too, but help me out by making reasonable arguments. Repeating BS you’ve read at Mac hater internet sites does not count as a reasonable argument. Apple is a business and has been for over 30 years. They’ve sold over 100 million iPods, 200 million computers, and made payroll every period for all those years. If even 10% of your argument was true, that success never would have happened. There would not be millions of satisfied customers, and I wouldn’t be writing this.

Macs ARE “IBM Compatible” these days. They have the same Intel processor as PC’s do. That’s why BootCamp works.

While inertia and ignorance play a role, the biggest reason why people aren’t switching to Macs is because the software they want to use runs only on Windows. This is a good reason not to switch. Developers don’t want to develop for the Mac because there are so few Mac users and there are so few Mac users because developers don’t want to develop for the Mac.

The only way I see Apple changing things is if they can get Mac OS to run Windows programs natively, which possible, but not easy. Until then, I will be booting my MacBook into Windows when there isn’t a Mac version of the software I need.

I have a MacBook with Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard) and Windows XP installed. I have also used Linux as my primary operating system in the past.

Linux is the most stable, Mac OS is close behind, and Windows the least, although still quite usable. (I have not used Vista.) However, Linux applications lag far behind the system itself. Mac applications are pretty good, but there aren’t as many of them. (Just try to find a decent personal finance program for the Mac.) Windows runs everything, but not everything is worth running.

As far as hardware goes, Apple tends to use better quality hardware than most PC manufacturers. My Macbook has a better fit and finish than any PC notebook that I’ve used. If you have to replace your PC every year or two, is it really less expensive?

Having started on a Mac, and then onto a Windows/IBM compatable machine, I can say there are arguments for both. In the end it comes down to one arguement: stability vs. robustness. If you want a system that doesn’t ever crash, and makes videos easily, go with Apple. If you want to do everything everyone else is doing, go with Windows (but not Vista!!). With so many thousands of programs and programmers using and writing for Windows, it’s kind of a no-brainer. For entertainment development, go with Apple. For everything else on the world wide web, go with Windows.

Nic, Minneapolis MN
save yourself some desk space and instal windows on your Mac..

“Steve Jobs doesn’t make stuff for suckers, that’s Microsoft territory.” - Zato Gibson
I posted this earlier somewhere else but want to use it to respond to Zato.

Why is it that everytime I read an article or comment on everything Apple, everyone talks about how they want email, video sharing or music on their phone but no one talks about the lack luster PHONE SERVICE, that comes with them. I mean these products are Phones first and everything else second. Why are consumers forced by Apple to accpet their product on the basis that they sign up for a 2 year contract with AT&T only? It’s my money, why are you (Apple), telling me where to spend it? What if Ford decided to make the iPhone equivalant of a car? It would be sleek and shiny, and have many bells and whistles to ooh and ahh over but in order to purchase you sign a contract to only purchase fuel from BP, tires from Ford, and the car would only be drivabale in 60% of the country and you couldn’t drive it overseas at all. Also, if you tried to change teh battery, oil ro spark plugs yourself they void the warranty, and, of course this would all be over priced. No one in their right mind would buy such a product, even if it did have better techology then 50% of the market, much less staunchly defend it everytime someone attack the idea or the company. Of course, I could be wrong…that’s what rabid Apple fan boys are doing now.

Seems to me Zato that Steve Jobs and PT Barnum are exactly alike.

quote”I love GWB.
I love Fox News.
I think the mainstream media is incredibly liberal, as is NPR, CNN, NYT, WaPo and many others whose market share makes Fox look like beggars.
I believe in low taxes for all - not just the poor.
I believe that risings tides float all boats.
I am NOT a gamer.
Oh….and I own four Macs, four ipods and an Apple TV.”

END quote

OMG the wprld is coming to an end…..

A PC GAMER/LUSER wrote: “If you can’t distinguish Steve Jobs from P.T. Barnum, then you are an Apple owner.”

I don’t think anyone would have that problem, Gamer. But by implication you discredit PT Barnum, and I think that’s a mistake. PT was a great American philosopher, and a major influencer of American Business. His penetrating wisdom, i.e. “Never give a sucker an even break”, is the very foundation of American Business. Do you know what it means? It means that you should never allow a “sucker”, an egotist, the opportunity to “win”. This is a Cosmic Law, and PT was One with Cosmic Law. As you know, Gamer, egotists are all about “winning”. Gamers are like that too, come to think of it. Steve Jobs doesn’t make stuff for suckers, that’s Microsoft territory.

Net Applications’ survey is a measure of web activity, and hence a proxy for installed base, not market share. The phrase “market share” shouldn’t really be used without “web browsing”. The figures do fluctuate significantly.

The Mac share “dip” in Feb is likely due to higher (Windows) web surfing at work as people return after the holiday period, nothing more. It is almost entirely unrelated to any change in new computer purchasing habits.

But the article is careful not to draw any conclusions.

I was in the Chicago Apple store today and the checkout line was backed up through three rows of stantions… no other store on Michigan avenue was so busy. I asked how the iphone was selling (as the guy next to me was buying 4 of them - yes FOUR) and I was told they completely sold out of the new 16 gig iphones and only had 8 gigs left for now… THAT’S why I own Apple stock… because even in this crappy economy - they’re still setting the sales pace. The share price is wayyy undervalued and they have $18 Billion of cash on hand. Watch this stock play out in ‘08 and ‘09 with many happy returns on investments.

This “certain people use OS” thing is ridiculous. On my desktop, using the same mouse and keyboard are a Mac, and a PC, each with their own monitor. They both have their uses; it’s nice to be able to drop to a Unix shell for certain things, and nice to be able to drop to a “DOS” shell for certain things (please note the quotes). It seems to me that I do have far less problems with the Mac machine however, and tend to use that a bit more (Though I browsed to this page on the XP machine). The message with the comments like “If you have an inferiority complex and hate successful people like Bill Gates and successful companies like Exxon and Walmart and think that anyone who makes money is a pig, then you lean toward Apple.” is laughable. Apparently, everything needs to be turned in to some kind of a status symbol. If you drive a Ford, do you hate Carl Rove? If you drive a BMW, do you hate Bill Clinton?

I love my PC, I love how unstable the Windows OS is. I mean, who really wants to spend their time USING a PC instead of FIXING a PC? Certainly not me.

Alright, note the extreme amount of sarcasm. I’ve been a PC owner all my life, once it comes time to finally update my laptop again, I am definately buying a Macbook.

Elmer, you moron, you are at it again. OS X moving a few hundredths of a percent point, on a NetApp survey, from one month to the next is not statistically relevant to determine market share.

You need to get another job maybe covering politics because your understanding of technology is lame.

Macs have their place, as do PCs. What they both have in common is that they are both a tool to accomplish a task. Nothing more, nothing less.

Use the right tool for the job and leave it at that. I use both. They are machines, not a guide to life.

A previous poster said “Clearly most business customers use Windows out of habit, not because of performance or useability”.

Name one enterprise management tool for Macs. How can you deploy software, manage settings, audit systems, comply with HIPAA or Sarbanes Oxley security and audting requirements on Macs? Are there trading platorms, ERP databases, Health Care Management Systems on Macs? Can you run Citrix server on a Mac? YOU CAN’T. Macs are toys for making videos, listening to music and manipulating pictures. Whe the worl needs to get real work done they use a PC.

Net Applications numbers can be considered an indicator of installed base. It definitely cannot be used to gauge market share. Supposing internet usage averages the same per Mac as per each PC, you still have the longevity of each platform to consider before you even make a judgment as to whether the numbers even represent the installed base of each platform.

To illustrate how meaningless these numbers are consider the market share listed for the iPhone in comparison to the “Other” category. It shows the iPhone has a larger market share than all other web enabled phones plus all XBox 360, etc. We know this is not true.

So, these numbers may indicate internet usage per platform, but they sure don’t say anything about market share.

Windows Vista works but it’s still the same bloated, inefficient, over priced system that Windows has always served to the masses. Agreed that Leopard is not as friendly as Tiger on the Mac side, but at least I don’t get the blue screen of death every other day like I do on Vista. I really hope this current migration away from Windows product either causes Microsoft to make their product better or causes Mac to create incentives to entice the business customer. Clearly most business customers use Windows out of habit, not because of performance or useability.

Vista?

She should have died hereafter;
There would have been a time for such a word.
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

Was MacGuyver a Mac or PC? How about Ronald McDonald?

If you have an inferiority complex and hate successful people like Bill Gates and successful companies like Exxon and Walmart and think that anyone who makes money is a pig, then you lean toward Apple.

If you thihk the biggest phony in the world, Bill Clinton, was a great president, then you definitely want an Apple.

If you believe that global warming from elevated manmade emissions is a fact and drive a 1975 VW, then you want Leopard.

If most of your poster women are ugly as dogs, then you definitely have an Apple.

If you can’t distinguish Steve Jobs from P.T. Barnum, then you are an Apple owner.

If you think you have all the answers to everything, then the only computer for you is an Apple.

If you look in the mirror and see a little man, desperately wanting to be more important than you are, then you have been using Apple’s for years.

So, after the big release of the new, all world OS - people who have actually bought this pipe dream are apparently telling others that it ain’t all that it’s cracked up to be.

And that doesn’t say a thing about the new hardware.

Hell, if it is that great, why aren’t sales continuing to rise?

Could there be problems in paradise?

Stay tuned.

Apple stock is down $77.94 from its high of 202.96 on December 27, 2007. That represents a fall of 38.4% since the introduction of the all world OS.

Some great company. Some great OS.

The only thing keeping Windows afloat is the fact that the monopoly that Microsoft still maintains is that Windows comes standard on all IBM compatible machines. Vista is an enormous failure, and it will take more than pointing the figure at Intel to crawl out of it. Apple will grow 100 fold within three years because of Windows failure to continue and innovate. Windows is a dinosaur and it’s only hope is to die like one.

To all you Mac fan boys, lighten up on Philip. Besides, if you feel his column is biased, why on earth are you guys still reading it? Just ignore him and his column and sooner than later he’ll be a voice in the wilderness.

If you are member of a cult, you are a Mac. All others are PCs.

Previous comments regarding this article are a bit like a tempest in a teapot - not much to say and saying it very loudly.

I have been following the NetApplications data since they started in October 2004, and they occasionally do show a decrease in MacOS market share, but after a 12 month cycle, Mac share of internet users is always higher.

So, chill out - the Mac is doing fine and certainly the sky isn’t falling.

I love GWB.

I love Fox News.

I think the mainstream media is incredibly liberal, as is NPR, CNN, NYT, WaPo and many others whose market share makes Fox look like beggars.

I believe in low taxes for all - not just the poor.

I believe that risings tides float all boats.

I am NOT a gamer.

Oh….and I own four Macs, four ipods and an Apple TV.

I once had a Financial Advisor who put me into a speculative currency investment called a TED spread (the details don’t matter here). Every other week or so, he would call me to tell me it “went up a couple of ticks”. By the time I decided to sell it, I figured I must have made a bundle. Much to my chagrin, I had actually lost almost 20% of my investment.

A similar (but reverse) style seems to be true with your reporting on Apple, PED.

Apple has moved from a share of below 3% to about 7 1/2% in virtually the blink of an eye. But you only seem to report the news when something “is down a couple of ticks”.

Talk about unbalanced reporting! PED, perhaps it’s easier to see this analogy than Marcos’ toilet?

ex ped: You write:

–But you only seem to report the news when something “is down a couple of ticks”.–

It may seem that way to you, but that doesn’t make it so. FYI: “Survey: Mac OS hit record 7.57% in Jan.; Windows lost a little ground“

Here’s a simple way to figure out if you’re a Mac or a PC: If you’re a fan of George W. Bush, you’re a PC. If you’re a GAMER (i.e. you are 12-35, live in a basement, and spend at least 12 hours a day killing aliens on a computer), you’re a PC. If you love Fox News, you’re a PC. If you think Ann Coulter is HOT, you’re a PC. If you think a Mac vs. PC story in Fortune is fair and balanced, you’re a PC. All others are Macs.

Yes, irresponsible. The net-centric view is reflected in the lead, but the headline, which most of us see via various portals, does not reflect the narrow scope of the survey.

A net survey doesn’t take into account all the IT monkeys who use MS .net services that are deliberately not Mac-friendly. The only way I can access all the services of my son’s school district, for instance, is with XP or Vista running on my Mac mini.

And since when is it a month-to-month digest of OS use? How about giving us the stats every week so we can get all bipolar about the results?

Mention the fact that this company, circling the drain at the turn of the century, has now more than doubled its real market share (with Mac unit sales climbing each quarter), and how it doesn’t square with this narrow view.

That’d be responsible.

Nice job, otherwise, I guess.

funny my wife has a mac and runs windows mostly especially for internet. Why, iTunes perhaps…because she likes the hardware? Whatever that’s nopt going to register as a mac in Net Applications. I see this a lot on the train. Macs running windows.

you two are idiots. the author did not come up with these numbers for market share. the net applications formula may be flawed but it does provide the best estimation of market share by operating system. furthermore, whether or not the method is flawed it uses the same formula each month so a monthly comparison is perfectly valid. its just like polling for an election, you obviously cannot know all the information but you make your best interpretation from the sample

Well done Marcos!

I’m going to copy and paste your comment everytime PED posts from this website.

WHAT? I can’t? If Ped can copy and paste … so can I.

Well put, Marcos!

This study and your reporting of it is so far into the reality distortion field you purport to avoid that it is laughable and at the same time damaging. Conclusions taken to derive the measure of market share as a consequence of hits on internet sites is not responsible journalism. Its something akin to a restaurant review taken by diners exiting their toilets a day later.

ex ped: Marcos, You are right that using hits on Internet sites is hardly the best way measure market share — something the piece you object to so strongly makes clear, I believe. But to label it irresponsible journalism goes a bit far. For all their faults, Net Applications’ surveys are regularly cited in both the mainstream media (e.g. Wall St. Journal, New York Times) and the tech press (e.g. Wired, Ars Technica, Computerworld).

Meanwhile, I’m not sure how to parse your restaurant analogy. Is OS X the meal and its users’ web hits the sewage? What exactly are you trying to say? –Philip Elmer-DeWitt