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Some iPod Fans Dump PCs For Macs
dereklam writes "The popularity of the iPod could be boosting Macs' popularity as well. News.com reports that 6 percent of iPod users have made the switch from PCs to Macs. An additional 7 percent said they are planning to dump their old PC for an Apple machine, according to the survey." I wish the linked story had more details; it's not clear from the results mentioned whether there's a strong causal relationship here.
Personally, I choose my peripherals based on my OS/Hardware, not the other way around.
I gues it was a smart move for the iPOd to work with Windows and Macs?
Works great on my Linux box BTW. Whew. Good thing too, girlfriend would think I was giving her a line of poop trying to explai why she's got to get me a different gift.
Looks like that marketing plan paid off after all. I always suspected Microsoft was wrong when they thought that capturing the media player market was significant to overall market-share.
I'd say I've been proved wrong.
I have been a user for about 10 years. This ends Feb 2014. The site's been ruined. I'm off. Dice, FU
Clearly the article lacks meaningful statistics
correlation is not causation...
I kinda think that's the point of the story. People finding the iPod a sufficiently good reason to switch their OS is not a run of the mill event. How many people switch just because there's a neat new scanner out on the market? Or for a new printer? (Not counting high-end RIPs, of course, since they're pretty much stand-alone.)
It isn't the iPod's doing. Its OS X. Its GUI Rocks. I'd run it too if I could get it for x86 processors. The amazing thing is, now that Processors are fast enough for the average user, the raw power of the CPU is less important and the GUI matters more. That's why people are _contemplating_ Linux or switching to Mac.
Thing is, if you bought an iPod it shows you're more inclined to buy well designed (visually) simple products.
The fact that you bought an iPod and not some of the more feature rich players shows that you wanted something that did the job with little fuss. Macs do this too.
ok lets settle this... the iPod is not the only way to listen to music, and the mac is not the only way to use an iPod. I wish most users could understand this. Of course I guess if you are going to drop the $10,000 to legitimatly fill your iPod you might as well also throw in a $4,000 computer to go with it.
Ya, maybe if you would stop maligning them for a second and actually think about what people other than yourself look for in a computer, maybe you would see why. You may not like Macs, thats fine, but guess what, you are not the ultimate authority when it comes to what people should like. Different people have different tastes. Oh, and as for overpriced, maybe you should look at an iBook sometime. They are very competitive with the rough equivalent of the pc notebook, so much so that a lot of people buy iBooks and put Linux on there(I can tell you are a Linux fan by your sig)
You are partially correct, it's flamebait, but it's not true.
Grow up.
Monstar L
Now of course I know correlation != causation but I had this thought.
:)
I'd imagine a small percentage (say 10%) of iPod users probably bought the most expensive model at the time be it the large 40GB iPod or the new iPod Photo. Whereas most of us don't have the money to drop on the latest and greatest iPod this group could purchase 1 or more if they so desired.
As another post pointed out it's probably people in this group (fat wallets) who are making the switch. "I can afford the $500 dollar iPod might as well as get the computer that goes along with it". So there's your 6%.
Personally I'm too entrenched in my Windows box, and I can't afford an iPod let alone a whole computer from Apple. Anyone want to get me an early Christmas Gift? Heck a belated gift if it's an iPod
--J
Because if you remember, there used to be a pretty big stigma against macs. People would go "Macs suck!!" without even researching anything about them. Hell, I even did it to and now I love my ibook. What the iPod has done though is increase awareness among the consumer that Apple products aren't that bad and that they are actually very good. Because of that more people have become curious of macs. -jadam
200 is a decent sample size for a survey. Most political polls range from 600-1000, and that's for the entire country. What would be more important to find out is if these people were solicited for their responses, or if they volunteered them.
Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
Maybe I'm not looking at this deep enough, but what does a piece of hardware for playing MP3s have to do with personal computers?
I'd say it comes down to integration. Yes an iPod works with Windows, and using iTunes no less. On the Mac, however, the experience is very different: iTunes is only a single part of the puzzle. Every one of the iApps, from GarageBand to iMovie, integrate together to make doing any of their tasks hugely easier. It is this that makes using the iPod on the Mac a far nicer experience than it is on Windows.
...if only I could afford to. $1500 for an iBook is a tad steep when you can get a P.O.S. HP or Dell laptop for $700, tops
?!? You'd settle for a (in your own words) P.O.S. Winbox when for $300 more you can get a "P.O.S." iBook? The top of the line 1.33 Ghz (with CD-RW/DVD-R) 14 inch iBook is $1499, while the 12 inch 1.2 Ghz iBooks are listed at the Apple Store new for $999 (with free shipping), or you can hit their "Special Deals" section and get a refurb 12 inch 1 Ghz iBook for $799... or a refurb 1.25 Ghz eMac for $649 .
Come to the University of Mars! Classes starting soon!
I switched from PC to Mac after I got my iPod. The iPod wasn't the main reason I switched, but it was the final argument. I was tired of all of the viruses, exploits, etc.. on Windows, as well as all of the other crap Windows users put up with every day. My switch to Mac had been slowly brewing from the day Mac OS X first came out.
And yes, I did try Linux, but I always wound up at the same point after installing it: "Ok, now what?" and never having an answer to that question.
Boobies never hurt anyone. - Sherry Glaser.
I'm a switcher too.. couple months ago I was about to build a new box.. last minute I walked into an Apple store and bought a 12" Powerbook. Liked it so much I sold my Dell laptop and bought my wife a 12" iBook. A month later an iPod.. I'm addicted. Everything just works. I still have my Unix, and an awesome GUI.. what more can you ask for? People don't realize that it's not just the eye candy. OS X has the best features. period. I can drag and drop text from anywhere onto anywhere, same with pictures. Spell checking is used throughout almost every application. And a lot of applications integrate with others, like iCal, etc.
It's just as plausible that sunspot frequency affects stock prices or hem lines.
Jeez, people, think a little more critically. Now, granted, brand quality may be a factor in these users' decisions. But it's a far leap to then suggest that it's the cause.
Fighting the War on the War on Drugs.
http://smokedot.org/
I am not normally this brusque, but I think the occasion so merits. Are you misinformed or simply incredibly stupid?
:@
I simply cannot understand how all iTunes (a free download) users could be iPod users (an expensive peripheral). Given that iTunes is bundled with the iPod rather than vice versa, and that unless you are particularly political in your choice of OS, the iPod as-good-as requires iTunes as its computer-to-peripheral interface, how can iPod > iTunes?
Further, you seem to suggest that iTunes requires you to buy all the music stored therein. I am worried that their are people reading this site who are this uninformed. My iTunes Library is full of >20Gb worth of MP3s, mostly ripped from CDs - I have one iTunes Music Store-bought AAC file. Therefore those who "choose not to pay fees to download music" (i.e. those who download MP3s) will find iTunes an excellent interface for their "borrowed" collection.
Sorry for the tone, but sometimes...
iqu
Yeah but people are stupid.
Can't really convince people to buy more stuff from you unless you've sold them one thing first...
Have you seen the iRiver's remote? It has a separate backlit LCD that shows you the track that's playing, time, etc. You can even navigate the menus through the remote. It's very useful if you're in a confined space.
The iPod's remote, by contrast, costs $40 and has six buttons and no display. I wouldn't consider it in the same league.
For more information, click here.
Only problem is 5.
They're not priced higher than most competitors with comparable features and capabilities.
They're perceived to be priced higher because they don't offer a low-end (POS) to match up against the competition that are driven by the low-end market that those other manufacturers pander to. On top of that, there is no other company that offers the ease-of-use, integration, stability and security that Apple can offer out of the box.
Before the flaming starts, I don't care about what you can scrape together in your home from scouring the universe for inexpensive components because you don't include the value of your own time for those projects, if you did then your "built it myself" boxes are far more expensive than any other machine out there. This is about features and hardware by valid retail/internet manufacturers.
They don't have to put anyone out of business. They just have to sell a few million machines a year. Comparing Apple to most other computer companies is like comparing a Diamler/Benz to a GM. People by other brands because they need a car. People by a Benz because they want a Benz.
"Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival."
--Dr.W.Edwards Deming
I had always thought that Mac users were a rabid, elitist group
:) I thought similar until about 6 months ago when I bought an iPod. The sheer quality and superb design work... when I look at it, I picture a team of dedicated designers who love what they do and are proud at the masterpiece they've created (so much so that they set their prices a little higer than others). I'm sure that's Apple's intention.
:)
I'm glad you've seen the truth
About a week or two later, I went out and bought a Powerbook, first Apple computer I've ever owned, and from my experience so far it defeinitely won't be the last
Back to the original point though, since getting the Apple products I've asked (after research of course) numerous questions to the Apple community on the official community boards at apple.com (Dr Smoke rocks) and mac-forums.com - both have resulted in very kind, helpful answers, usually perfectly presented/formatted, in clear English and backed up with facts+links. I've been truly stunned at just how nice, and helpful, people in the "Apple Community" tend to be.
You know, at the risk of sounding mildly troll-ish, some areas of the Linux community would really benefit from that kind of attitude. It could push Linux forward a long way.
There is a little elitism and OS-mockage in some of the posters, just like with any other OS, but no more than others.
If you wanted one basic app do do all of the above list you would want iTunes. You != Everyone, in particular Everyone != tech savvy.
The import process is a pain in the behind
You put in a CD and push the button on the top right hand side that says import. Or, if you are particularly lazy, you set the preference that says "import songs on CD insertion". How is this a pain in the behind?
It's a bit of a resource hog
Does it hog more resources than EAC, Nero, and JRMC all running at once? Genuinely curious.
and the interface is nicely non-standard
Or if you wanted too look at it differently, Windows interface is non-standard. As many other comments have pointed out, this is an Apple product ported to Windows made to function as closely as possible to OSX, so, the interface is actually pretty close to "standard" to OSX.
If you are one in a million, then there are six thousand people who are just like you.
Normally I would find this story odd, except after I read it, I realized I too was one of those people. =) (Well okay, being a *NIX junkie helps too. =))
So you're saying the cost of the software is bundled in? Please stop forcing me to buy software I don't want. That reminds me of a story my friends tells about a college roommate he had. The guy ran across a bargain on produce at a local stand, and brought back to the apartment 3 bags filled with it. He got a great price, but none of the guys in the apartment really ate any vegetables. It all rotted. Good deal, though.
I'd like a iBook deal that costs less and doesn't include iDVD or iMovie. If the cost is bundled in, and I'm not going to use it, it's not a good deal for me.
Quick comparison:
Lowest price preconfigured iBook I can find at the Apple Store:
1.2GHz PowerPC G4
512K L2 cache @1.2GHz
12-inch TFT Displays
1024x768 resolution
256MB DDR266 SDRAM
30GB Ultra ATA drive
Combo Drive
ATI Mobility Radeon 9200
32MB DDR video memory
AirPort Extreme built-in
Cost: $999
Dell Inspiron for same price, from Dell's site:
Intel® Celeron® M Processor 340(1.50GHz/400MHz FSB)
15.4-inch TFT display
1280x800 resolution
512MB DDR SDRAM (333MHz)
60GB Ultra ATA drive
24X CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive
NVIDIA® GeForceTM FX Go5200 (ATI Mobility Turbo is an option)
32 MB DDR video memory
Intel® ProWireless 2200 (802.11b/g) mini PCI wireless card
Cost: $999
So, for the same price, the Dell gives you a bigger display, with higher resolution, twice the memory, twice the HD space... but the iBook isn't expensive because I get iMovie and Garage Band?!?
I love how everyone defending Apple's prices compares it to Dell.
We think Dell is overpriced as well! Oh look, if you compare Apple with the most overpriced PC vendor, it doesn't look so bad.
Try comparing to eMachines AMD64 Laptops, which are amazing.
Why is sales up for Apple because of iPod PC -> Mac switchers. It is rather simple, Person has a PC. They buy an iPod. To Buy the iPod they may walk into an Apple Store or an Apple Reseller. While in the store they see the other produducts out there. A percentage of them like the product line and buys a Mac the next time they want to upgrade.
Most people when upgrading there PC they don't even think about going to Mac. I wasn't when I was thinking about getting a new Notbook a couple of years ago. Then while me and my friends were at the mall they wanted to rent a Tux and I didn't so while they were at the Tux store I went next door to the Apple Store and looked at what they had to offer then I decided I like what I saw. Then doing some more reshearch and cost comparison I decided to get the Powerbook because it was the best deal for what I wanted.
So the popularity of the iPod just basicly reminds people when they need a New PC that Macs are a possible solution.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
I am a Graphic Artist and a huge gamer. I work on a mac daily and then go home and play games on my PC. I personally like the interface and smoothness of the mac in comparison, but my big problem here are the GAMES!!! I believe Apple missed a HUGE opportunity in shunning the game market. If I could play the same games on my mac as on my PC I would definately have a MAC at home, but thats not the case. Apple left gamers lying in the mud only to be rescued by one Bill Gates and MS. IMHO there would be a much less of a divide between MAC/PCs if MACS were more gamer friendy... Just imagine if Apple bought Bungi, and Halo was released for the MAC first, I think that would have been more significant than the iPod in bringing poeple to the MAC side. So some1 please explain to me, because I fail to understand apple's stance on not making gaming a significant capability of Macs..
Me too. Oh sure, in any large group there are the trolls and rude people. But by and large you get very helpful responses from the Apple community. I think part of it is the perceived niche status. People who feel they need to stick together to help each other out often do try to be more helpful.
Another part of it is there are fewer resources available for the Apple crowd compared to the Windows crowd, so there seems to be a feeling of 'Well, this site is fairly rare, better make it a good one.' So you get fewer resources, but often the quality of them equals the best of the Windows resources. End result: You have what you need.
And there has to be a sociological aspect to it as well. Apple users must be a self-selected subset of society, a group that is similar to, say, BMW or Mercedes buyers. People who like well-crafted machinery, good performance, ease of use. The kind of person who is drawn to these qualities may also tend to be helpful to their fellow Apple- (or BMW-) owner.
That it's "cool" doesn't take away from the fact that it's a great platform and also has great design. I didn't buy a PB because I wanted to be "cool" (believe me, I abandoned that "dream" a looooong time ago) but because I, personally, loved the OS and the hardware.
Since when has elegance and 'sleekness' been bad?
Why do you even assume it's about image and self esteem or feeling better about yourself?
An iPod is undeniably sleek and elegant when compared to everything that came before it, and many that came after it.
The same with Apple computers.
There are TECHNICAL reasons why elegance is a worthwhile attribute for any device, not just mp3 players or computers. Sleekness requires definition, but elegance has it's own context:
Gracefulness.
You can also define things by the inverse, in this case elegance:
Clumsiness.
So if a computer is graceful and not clumsy, I think anyone would agree that it is better than a computer that is clumsy and not graceful.
GPL Deconstructed
I was completely agreeing with you until I got to the last paragraph. Macs, at least the white ones, are not overpriced. In fact, I comparison shopped for a thin-and-light and ended up buying a 12" iBook because it was the best value, even without factoring in OS X. And considering the fact that to truly equate a PC with an iMac you'd have to price out the CPU plus the 17" or 20" widescreen LCD, iMac G5s are probably a better value too.
"[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
As a former NeXT programmer/admin, I really hated to go back to Windows. NeXTSTEP was just so seamless and, well, pretty. I've eaven tried multiple distros of Linux, trying to get back to the "good ol days". Today, for the money and the apps I use, Windows is still the easiest.
But then I was given an iPod (4G 20GB). Just holding it makes me want to go "ahhhhh". The ease of use and functionality made me realize that Windows is just one big compromise. XP is much better than older versions, but it's just not the same.
My current laptop is a 5-year-old IBM ThinkPad. It has served me well. My next laptop will be a powerbook. I really like the ahhhhhhhhhh...
jdw
Three of my friends at college have made the switch to OSX over this past summer. One of them told me that the iPod was his "gateway drug" to becoming a Mac user. The other two quickly agreed that they became converts in a similar way. One saw an OSX demo in the Apple section of a Comp USA while buying an iPod and the other was introduced to Macs when asking a friend about his Mac and iPod before buying one.
Seeing as none of them are particuarly computer literate, I've helped a few of them with various applications. As a result I have become a proponent of Macs for technically-challeneged people. They are in a technological bliss I have never seen with the average casual user.
Instead of continuing the Linux crusade, I suggest techies push OSX on people. It will be an easier switch and will eventually help everyones anti-Microsoft cause. In the end it will even help Linux because software will be built with Windows/Unix cross platformity in mind.
http://brandonbloom.name