Mac'em X

How Apple's Market Share Will Propel Stock to $500, Part 1

Ballmer's comments, as always, are misleading. Whenever someone carelessly tosses off "Apple 3% share vs Microsoft 97% share" (or whatever the actual numbers are), remember:

That 97% represents MS's share of the PC OS market, yes. But to keep things in perspective, what's MS's share of the PC *hardware* market? ZERO. It doesn't sell PCs.

Similarly, several PC hardware makers can boast of hardware shares that beat Apple's, but what's the PC *OS* share of all those makers *combined*? ZERO. They don't make an OS (other than, in some cases, a Linux variant with still-negligible share).

Apple does have something special going on: it holds a comfortable, profitable, and growing position in both PCs and OSs, something its competitors don't do (and IMO don't have the competence to do). Which, by itself, doesn't tell us Apple's going to $500 or even $250. But always put words by the bombastic Ballmer in perspective: He may prefer his 300 million OS customers to Jobs' 10 million OS customers, but he does NOT prefer his ZERO PC customers to Jobs' 10 million PC customers. Ballmer just "forgets" to mention that.

How Much Are Apple's 45 Million Users Worth?

Another positive iPhone sign: In Japan, iPhone carrier Softbank Mobile just reported a great quarter (thanks to iPhone, says the prez), while competitors DOCOMO and KDDI saw big unit sales losses.
www.mactivist.com/2009...

Microsoft Understands Making Money the Hard Way - Earning It

There are some interesting points in the article, Joel, and overall nothing wrong. Except for the title. Other than the passing comment that Windows 7 isn't so bad (compared to the reviled Vista, presumably), there's not a single note to suggest that Microsoft does (or doesn't) understand making money the hard way (or any other way). Did the part of the article about Microsoft get cut out somehow?

Do Mac and Windows Users Read Blogs Differently?

"Do Mac and Windows Users Read Blogs Differently?"

Yes. Windows users move their lips.

(Ba-dump-ching. Just a joke, all.)

Seriously, the data is interesting, yet not surprising. I have no doubt that Mac users will on average be heavier users of new services. I think the reason's simple: They're highly represented by individual purchasers who chose the Mac on their own, and have the freedom to use it how they like. Whereas while many Windows users will also fit a similarly independent profile, many, many more Window users will be using a machine chosen, owned, and managed by an organization, with accordingly less freedom of use.

That's not a dispersion on the Windows users, just an obvious nod to the platform's overwhelmingly huge presence in corporate deployments and other managed organizational settings.

Here's an Unconventional Idea: Sell Apple

Weird article. Whatever the benefits of Windows that propelled its rise, "made the personal computer the easiest it had ever been" is something *nobody* has ever claimed with a straight face.

The $99 iPhone eating into iPod sales? Sure – if the would-be iPod buyer wants a phone and AT&T contract to go with his iPod. And if he does, who wins? Apple again!

Strange.

Big in Japan: Apple Retail Experience

Jason: As a frequent user of the Ginza Apple Store (and countless other Tokyo electronics stores) myself, I agree wholeheartedly. The Apple Store is an oasis - "Come on in, please look and touch, check your email, surf the web, relax in the theater, sit in on some classes, bring your own Mac or PC or whatever and use the WiFi all you like." With zero sales pressure. Your ascribing this to *confidence* is a good call, I think.

I've found great service in other stores, to be sure – and when there's a friendly, knowledgeable person helping out at a big-box retailer, you have to award extra credit for knowledge of such a wide range of products. But it's very hit-and-miss, and in my experience a matter of lucking out and finding the right individual. At a typical big Tokyo retailer, I find plenty of floor staff who can only read specs off of labels or brochures, or toss up the easiest answer and skedaddle away.

I won't be surprised if you get some "Apple fanboi" guff from people who just don't believe a good experience like this can exist. Yet there's nothing miraculous about it; it's really just ongoing passion for good products and good selling, matched by ongoing action. The only mystery is why PC makers and Microsoft still can't or won't do the same.

Nokia Faces Uphill Climb in Launch of N97 Smartphone

A removable battery is indeed a nice convenience. But there is a trade-off: removability does add to cost, and reduces the battery's size and capacity somewhat.

For better or worse, Apple placed priority on removing those drawbacks. And while it hasn't been widely reported, the company knows that the decision will cost it the highly-sought-after Economyst market. "We'll just have to make do with the rest of the planet", Schiller replied after a grilling by shareholders.

Looks Like We're Still a BlackBerry Nation

@tommylee: "...I don't understand why analysts keep on insisting to draw an analogy between RIMM and Apple or any other phone maker for that matter. They are simply not in the same league."

Perhaps so - "same league" is a subjective term - but the products are in the same market, and analogies related to their shared market are understandable.

I prefer the iPhone and agree with you that it'll take the lead, for reasons including those you mention. But making comparisons between it and competitors is valid (and will remain valid even when the iPhone is firmly on top. : )

How Soon Can Apple's Market Cap Surpass Microsoft's?

To the author: Interesting short overview. If I may suggest a good follow-up article, how about a comparison of Apple's revenue, earnings, and cash position vs Microsoft's? A lot of people are amazed to find out that Apple is not at all a tiny also-ran...

State of the iPhone: Strong. Very Strong.

Tom B: You hit a key point smack on the head. With every developer and his hamster rushing into iPhone apps, with every headline blaring "1 Billion Apps Downloaded", Apple is building a massive army of iPhone programmers. And they're all going to realize that, intentionally or not, they've just learned how to develop Mac apps as well. Instant army of new Mac developers! The iPhone is shoring up one of the Mac's few remaining weak spots.

Is Apple Stuck in a Trading Range?

"Fan boy articles arguing for Apple market cap to reach 4 times US GDP should give risk-averse investors cause for concern."

Problem is: The article you quote DOESN'T argue that. It points to a past period of massive returns and argues for some future growth, but makes no claim that the SAME growth will come again.

Further, that article pegs the past growth at 5,460%; why are you quoting it as 57,400%? (Perhaps the author used the figure you quote, then later corrected it; is that the case?)

Other than the above, your article provides food for thought (though it'd be interesting to hear whether you think the Mac's "still plenty of room to grow its market share" factor isn't important). But as a humble suggestion, avoiding juvenile terms like "fan boy articles", and learning how to use "it's", will make future posts look more professional.

Apple Product Pricing Holds Steady: iPods, iPhone Sales Healthy

Some interesting info in there, TickerMine. Reporting the number of stores surveyed would make it even better.

(One complaint: For the love of all that's holy, it's "iPods". Not "iPod's".)

Looking forward to more -

Coming to America - Mitsubishi's All Electric Car

@whisperonthewind: Hmm, a perpetual motion machine! What a concept! : )

Microsoft vs. Apple: Monopolist vs. Innovator

@Chris Tom: "Mac'em X you are a fool if you think that the gaming class motherboards from Asus, MSI, DFI, Gigabyte, Foxconn or any major motherboard manufacturer are lower quality than what goes in a Mac..."

You'll want to recheck who your comment is aimed at. I said nothing about motherboards, video cards, or any such thing.

If gaming is your thing, then your dream gaming rig will certainly be something custom made, and not anything off-the-shelf from Dell or Apple or anyone. Build that custom machine! And you might as well top it off with a gaming OS, Windows.

Those of us wanting computers for business or other professional pursuits will often do better with a solid UNIX-based OS - and, for maximum software flexibility, on top of hardware able to run any OS. That might make for the ultimate professional machine, if not the ultimate gaming machine.

Why, it's almost as if different products were ideal for different people! Imagine that!

Microsoft vs. Apple: Monopolist vs. Innovator

Chris Tom says that for gaming, it's Windows all the way. That hits the nail right on the head: Windows is a *gaming platform*. OS X is a professional platform. Microsoft's greatest coup has been fooling the world into believing that its gaming platform is to be used in professional environments.

Unfortunately for MS, the world is wising up. And unfortunately for PC makers, even gamers are saying, "Wait a sec, with Mac hardware I can run *all* games, for Windows, OS X or Linux."