Why Apple will Overtake Microsoft in Marketshare
Update: To make things clear, as some people are crying about this… By “Marketshare” I’m referring to the “at home personal computer” market. And to Shawn at YourMacLifeShow, I’m not on crack 
With Microsoft’s new operating system that was supposed to save the world showed much lower sales than they would’ve hoped for/liked/asked for, they blamed it on piracy. I can see their point, and this is why: Microsoft is mad at the software pirates because it gives the user a chance to use their OS for free. They then realize they don’t want to buy it, and uninstall. But Apple is doing a great job through the Internet and TV to put Vista behind where it will be. When Leopard comes out soon for Apple, it will be interesting to see their sales versus predicted sales.
Television Marketing
This for me if first and foremost. Apple has done something Microsoft either can’t do or just doesn’t feel it necessary: hire a good advertising agency. If you think about, the best commercials are funny, like some beer commercials or inspirational, like a Nike commercial for instance. Apple definitely takes advantage of this by launching the “Mac vs. PC” ad campaign, and it was a huge success. It was so brilliant that local newscasts and other channels I get are ripping it off. All it really does is exaggerate the PC’s weaknesses and have an innocent “Mac” stand by and try to comfort the “PC”. Works? Yes. Microsoft on the other hand… Their “Wow.” ad campaign I’ve been seeing recently is just stupid. It’s just people in a series of computer unrelated events looking stunned and saying “Wow”. My friends love this commercial, but only because the play WoW. Microsoft totally missed the boat here. If in the first 10 seconds (most of the time its less) I don’t know what you’re trying to sell me, tell me, or whatever, I’m going to change to channel with either a show or at least better commercials.
Next in the TV marketing area is product placement. Microsoft probably thinks that they don’t have to bother, because the sets with just use PC’s anyways, but in shows like 24 and Studio 60 the MacBook Pros and everything are all over the place. I would imagine that they pop up other places too. This is a great tactic by Apple, because they realize that Microsoft doesn’t have to do product placement because they have the most popular and “default” product, but now Apple is taking that away. Very nice. The same channel that I watch 24 on (Global, basically a Canadian self advertising version of FOX) doesn’t run many advertisements for companies other than themselves, but the Vista ads are short little recaps of shows using a Vista interface and “Sponsored by Microsoft Vista. Wow.”
On the Web
One thing that Microsoft never has, and never will have is a good, functional, easy to use and well designed website. Apple, on the other hand has one of the best designed sites out there. Microsoft will never have that because they only design for their software: Internet Explorer. Their last version in FireFox? Oh god. If you own a huge corporation and shell out the same amount for a website coding and a haircut, something is wrong.
Furthermore, on the web you’ll be painstaken to find five die hard Microsoft enthusiast sites that a popular (they’ll be gaming- too busy to update), but you could find thousands of those for Apple, like Digg for example. But I’ll leave that one to you. 
The Score
So the two most important mediums of today, Internet and TV, what’s the score?
Apple: 2 | Microsoft: 0.
I read an article a while ago saying Apple will have the PC marketshare by 2012, and I agree. Maybe even sooner.
Leave a comment
Greg
February 20th, 2007 at 4:51 PM
The reason hollywood and TV use macs is because you can take a shot of the screen with out seeing the ‘vertical roll’ that you see on TV when the camera is pointed at a windows monitor.
Richard
February 20th, 2007 at 5:10 PM
‘vertical roll’ is compensated for on the video camera by adjusting the shutter speed. Apple monitors and PC monitors would appear the same on film.
Macs just look cooler then a beige box and dell just sucks.
Connor Wilson
February 20th, 2007 at 5:19 PM
They’re rarely showing the front/screen, just the big ol’ Apple logo on the back.
Jake
February 21st, 2007 at 10:49 AM
@Greg
“Vertical roll” only is with crts. Windows pcs that use lcds won’t have the vertical roll, just like macs with lcds. Has nothing to do with the manufacturer, just the technology.
Adam Turetzky
February 21st, 2007 at 11:40 AM
Until OS X is installed, and starts running, as the base OS for the millions of ATM machines and cash registers and bank teller terminals and kiosks around the globe, all of which count towards Windows market share because that’s what’s running under those interfaces, there will be no significant change in Apple “marketshare”.
If you take utility type terminals such as ATM’s and the cash registers at Wal-Mart out of the Windows marketshare rating I think you’d see a much different ratio between the two.
But for now, hundreds of millions of ATM’s and mall Kiosks and medical test stations and Automotive diagnostic machines all count towards the Microsoft Windows marketshare.
Go ask the teller at your local CostCo or Piggly Wiggly to reboot her checkout machine, you’ll see a familiar screen come up before the custom cash register interface takes over. Or go and unplug a CoinStar machine or self checkout machine and then plug it back in and see what loads up on the boot screen first.
fred
February 21st, 2007 at 2:15 PM
Never forget Microsoft owns alot of shares of Apple. Apple will never go over Microsoft’s empire, never
For the only reason : Steve Jobs is a good idealist, not a good entrepreneur. Bill Gates is not an idealist, he’s a pretty damn good business man and he will hire the best of the best to make it happen.
Not going to happen.
ankara nakliyat
June 6th, 2008 at 5:28 AM
good aarticle.
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