Low End Mac Reader Specials
TypeStyler For Mac OS X is Now Shipping! Download The Free Fully Functional 60 Day Tryout at www.typestyler.com
Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how
to download and install a native Mac poker application such as Full
Tilt Poker Mac.
Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.
Compare products like desktop computers, apple laptops, apple macs, and LCD Monitors side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for new mobile phones, sat nav systems, or MP3 players. The Ciao online shopping community makes searching products easy for you.
Mac Musings
Mac Sales Up, iMac Sales Down?
The Spin Doctor Is In
Dan Knight - 1999.05.24 - Tip Jar
You gotta love the spin people put on things.
Apple retail sales more than double in April
That was MacChat's headline on May 20. Compared with total Macintosh sales in April 1998, Apple sold over twice as many units in April 1999.
But remember, April 1998 was pre-iMac, which wasn't announced until May and wasn't shipped until August.
And there were several alternatives to the Apple product. Umax was still actively marketing their SuperMac line, while Motorola and Power Computing models were being liquidated at very competitive prices.
But MacChat puts the best possible spin on things: Apple more than doubled unit sales.
iMac sales slow in April
The same day, c|net announced that the iMac had taken a beating in April. For only the second time since August, based on PC Data information, the iMac wasn't among the Top Five models. The discontinued Bondi iMac was #7, while the colorful iMac 266 was #11. I don't recall seeing how the new iMac 333 rated - nor any comment on the PowerBook G3 and Power Mac G3 Pro.
All combined, the three iMac models should have made the Top Five.*
The only explanation c|net could come up with was confusion as Apple ramped up a new model.
A more plausible explanation is the fire at the iMac factory in Mexico. This happened just two weeks after the iMac 333 was officially announced and undoubtedly constrained supplies for a while.
- * After I fished writing this article, MacNN published an article (Combined, iMacs reach No. 1 in April) claiming total iMac sales (all versions, all colors) eclipsed those of any other model - based on the same PC Data figures. It has rankings for all iMac versions and also notes that the Blue G3/300 was #16 in overall sales.
Retail PC unit sales rise 21% in April
Then I read the Bloomberg article. It noted that Apple was #3 in personal computer unit sales in April - despite the fact that the biggest segment of the Wintel market is now sub-$1K computers.
Yes, remarkably, with nothing but discontinued iMacs in the sub-$1K range, Apple managed the #3 spot overall.
In light of the "slow" iMac sales noted on c|net, this is even more remarkable. That means the total of iMac, Power Mac, and PowerBook sales surpassed total sales of all but two other personal computer brands.
On top of that, in a month that saw about 21% more computer sales than the previous April, Apple had more than doubled their unit sales. (That's from the MacChat article.)
On the whole, despite supposedly poor iMac sales, Apple did have a remarkable April 1999. But you never would have guessed it from the c|net story.
The Spin Doctor Is Out
By taking three separate articles based on the same sales data, comparing what they say, and removing some of the bias, we discovered the truth:
- With three separate models available, the iMac fell from the Top Five.
- Apple has really turned around in the last year, doubling unit sales over their pre-iMac days.
- More users are choosing Apple computers than all but two other brands.
- The Mac market is growing significantly faster than the general PC market.
After removing the spin, I think you can come to your own
conclusions.
Further Reading
- Combined iMac sales reach #1 in April, MacNN, 5/21
- Where the truth lies, The iMac NewsPage, 5/23
- Divide & conquer: April numbers read awry, The Apple Trader, 5/24
Dan Knight has been using Macs since 1986, sold Macs for several years, supported them for many more years, and has been publishing Low End Mac since April 1997. If you find Dan's articles helpful, please consider making a donation to his tip jar.
Recent Mac Musings
- MacBook Pro a Revelation, 02.08. After using G4 Macs for over a decade, spending a weekend prepping a first generation MacBook Pro was a real eye opener.
- Is the iPad Apple's True Successor to the 12" PowerBook?, 02.02. The iPad has the same 1024 x 768 display as generations of G3 PowerBooks, iBooks, and the 12" PowerBook G4 - but it offers a whole lot more than any laptop ever has.
- iPad priced from $499, 01.27. The 9.7" iPad has a custom 1 GHz Apple CPU, runs iPhone apps, ships in 60 days, and defines a whole new category of products.
- Record Mac Sales Culminate Five Years of Growth, 01.26. Mac unit sales have tripled since 2005, led by MacBooks - but don't count out desktops just yet.
- More in the Mac Musings index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: 'WallStreet' PowerBook G3, May 1998 - WallStreet offered 3 screen sizes and CPU speeds from 233 to 292 MHz.
- Group of the Day: Mac UK is for Mac users in the United Kingdom.
- February 9 in LEM history: 00: Think choices - Promoting the Macintosh - 01: Apple vs. Mac clones - 05: Apple and the $100 laptop - Yojimbo - Core Duo vs. G5 - 07: The story behind After Dark - Microsoft Office 2007
- Support Low End Mac
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- Do We Really Need Another Mac Email Client?, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 02.08. Mac users have a host of free and low-cost email clients to choose from. Does Brent Simmons' 'Letters' project make any sense at all?
- 42 Reasons a Netbooks Is Better than an iPad, Hard Drive Upgrade Value, Faster Netbooks, and More, The 'Book Review, 02.05. Also why the iPad can't compete with netbooks, 802.11n WiFi card for older Intel MacBooks and Mac minis, and a DJ keyboard cover for MacBooks.
- iPad Perfect for Handheld Computing, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 02.05. You can hold the iPad in one hand and operate it with the other, giving it real advantages over a laptop computer.
- iPad Targets Netbook Users, iPad 'Flaws' Don't Matter, In-page Search for iPhone Safari, and More, iNews Review, 02.05. Also FSF considers iPad 'iBad' for freedom, Touch Mouse app turns iPhone into wireless keyboard and trackpad, privacy screen for iPhone, and more.
- Touch Shifts the Apple Empire, Tim Nash, Taking Back the Market, 02.05. Apple dominates mobile computing, and it will be difficult for competitors to match the value of the iPad.
- 90% of Premium PCs Are Macs, OS and Browser Market Share, Chrome Browser to Dominate, and More, Mac News Review, 02.05. Also 27" iMac too popular for supply, eco-friendly 2 TB hard drive, Puppy Linux for PowerPC Macs, 6-core Mac Pro rumored, and more.
- iPad Should Support a Stylus, CoolBook Quiets MacBooks, Puppy Linux for PowerPC Macs, and More, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 02.03. Also the iPad as a genie in a bottle, Eudora Classic 6.2, notebook battery life, and more uses for 'obsolete' technology.
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
- Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, 02.02. Used 2 GHz, $700; 2.4, $999; refurb 2.53, $1,449; 2.8, $1,699; 3.06, $2,199; new 2.53, $1,610; 2.66, $1,839; 2.8, $2,109; 3.06, $2,550; more.
- Best G3 iMac Deals, 02.02. 500 MHz CD-ROM, $40; 450 MHz DVD-ROM, $60; 600 MHz CD-ROM, $230 shipped; 700 MHz CD-RW, $300 shipped.
- Best eMac Deals, 02.02. 1 GHz SuperDrive, $269; 1.25 Combo, $100; SD, $360; 1.42 GHz Combo, $299; SD, $439.
- Best Mac mini Deals, 02.01. Used 1.25 GHz G4 Combo, $369; 1.5, $399; Core Solo, $399; 1.83 GHz Core Duo SD, $439; new 2.26 GHz nVidia, $580; 2.53 GHz, $759; Server, $985.
- Best iBook G4 Deals, 02.01. 12" 1.07 GHz Combo, $200; 1.33 GHz, $259; 14" 1.42 GHz SuperDrive, $399.
- Best Titanium PowerBook G4 Deals, 02.01. 800 MHz Combo, $285; 867 MHz SuperDrive, $400; 1 GHz Combo, $549.
- Best 13" MacBook & MacBook Pro Deals, 01.29. Used 1.83 GHz, $570; 2.0, $599; 2.4 GHz, $800; 2.26 MB, $849; new, $925 after rebate; Pro, $1,108, 2.53, $1,399 a/r.
- Best Power Mac G5 Deals, 01.29. 1.8 GHz single, $399; dual, $479; 2.0, $549; 2.5, $609; 2.7, $799; 2.3 GHz dual-core, $709; 2.5 GHz Quad, $939.
- Best Mac OS X 10.0-10.3 Deals, 01.29. Mac OS X 10.0, $30; 10.1, $20; 10.2, $50; 10.3, $50; 10.3 Server, unlimited users, $130.
- More deals in our archive.
About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts
Navigation
Used Mac Dealers
Apple History
Video Cards
Email Lists
Favorite Sites
MacSurfer
MacMinute
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
Macs Only!
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac
Museum
DealMac
DealsOnTheWeb
Mac2Sell
ramseeker
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System
6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End
Mac FAQ
Abandonware
Petition
Mac vs. PC Info
Affiliates
The Apple
Store
Mac
Connection
B&H
MacMall
TechRestore
ExperCom
Crucial
Memory
batteries.com
MacMinute
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
Macs Only!
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac
Museum
DealMac
DealsOnTheWeb
Mac2Sell
ramseeker
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End
Mac FAQ
Abandonware
Petition
Mac vs. PC Info
Mac Connection
B&H
MacMall
TechRestore
ExperCom
Crucial Memory
batteries.com
