In news that will surely shake the computer world to its very core, it has been revealed that Apple has shipped less computers this last year than the previous one. Mother of God. We may as well all just surrender to oblivion.
Honestly, though, it’s not really a surprise. The idea that Apple could increase sales during this economy is an optimistic one. I’d say that the rise of low-cost netbooks (and tweeners like the HP dv2 I’m currently reviewing) have eaten up Apple’s growth. And Apple hasn’t done much to entice new customers — the new laptops are nice but aren’t significantly different from their predecessors. That is, except when it comes to price; in a slightly “let them eat cake” move, Apple raised the average price of their hardware during a year when people have less money to spend than they have for years. I’m surprised they didn’t post more of a decline.
Of course, Apple’s market share still increased, by 0.4% anyway, so I’m sure the Apple fans will cling to that stat like a WoW addict to his Gamer Grub. Maybe that’s a cruel way of putting it.
But look at the other stats on that sheet. What’s up, Dell? Just dropping 16% there?
The days of explosive growth are over, yet Apple’s 1.2% year-over-year drop is a pretty decent result when compared to the 3% decline in U.S. PC shipments. And gaining a bit of market share during this economy without offering a sub-$800 laptop is quite impressive. I don’t think that low-cost netbooks have eaten up Apple’s growth. I’d say that consumer spending is down in general and some Mac customers are delaying their purchases.
Being “recession proof” means making money in bad times when others are not. Apple is still making 25-30% PROFIT on its products, even if sales are flat, while others are doing good to break even. It’s not about volume, volume, volume, it’s about the bottom line. Apple is making tons of moola on it’s entire product line. And with the next gen iPhone down the pike I wouldn’t be betting against Apple crying Uncle anytime soon. Sorry.
But don’t take my word on it. Apple has gone from about 85 at the end of last year to the one hundred teens. Too bad you guys weren’t smart enough to buy Apple a couple months ago instead of spending all your time crapping on it.