Microsoft marketing sees Windows PCs destroy Apple Macs
The latest U.S. sales figures for computers are in, and they show that while Windows PCs continue to sell in increased numbers, Apple Mac sales are trending down. Is this purely because of the faltering economy, or are the benefits of that ‘I’m a PC’ marketing campaign from Microsoft finally showing through?
It seemed for a long time as if Apple was on a roll that would never come to an end. Macs are cool, Macs look nice, Macs offer an alternative, blah, blah, blah. While those platitudes may all be based in fact, it seems different factors have conspired to hit Apple where it hurts – in the sales department. And Windows PCs are selling better as a result.
According to Reuters, the latest sales figures released by the NPD Group show that sales of Mac computers fell 16 percent during February. While sales of Windows-based PCs rose 22 percent in the same period. In terms of revenue, Windows PCs rose a tiny 1.4 percent but Apple Macs saw a colossal drop of 23.3 percent.
There are three likely reasons for these results. The economy, the increasing popularity of netbooks, and Microsoft’s recent ‘I’m a PC’ marketing campaign which was intended to fight back against the image foisted on Windows users by Apple’s ‘Get a Mac’ adverts (pictured above).
The economic recession has to be the main culprit for these sales figures. While the average Windows-based PC costs $555, the average selling price for Macs is around $1,500 currently. While that kind of difference in ASP may not be a problem in a growing economy when people have disposable income, it becomes a huge problem when we hit a recession. Why anyone would spend that sort of money on a computer at this point in time is beyond me.
The ASP of Windows-based PCs is brought down by the amount of netbooks there are now on the market. And these low-cost, ultra-small laptops are increasing in popularity. Unfortunately for Apple, the nearest it has to a netbook, the Mac mini, is still expensive and actually not very good.
Then there is marketing. While Apple adverts seem to have disappeared over the last few months, few people can have failed to notice the ‘I’m a PC’ campaign, Microsoft’s answer to Apple’s ‘Get a Mac’ campaign. Microsoft Watch thinks these ads are the single biggest reason for Windows-based PCs battering Apple Macs in the sales department.
Whatever the reason, Apple clearly has a problem, and Microsoft is capitalizing on it.
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