| [8:00 AM] Apple Fights Back Against Dell's Education Claims
Apple Computer issued a press release refuting Dell Computer's recent claims that they had overtaken the #1 spot in education sales. Apple's counter claims center around Dell not counting Apple's direct sales to the education market. Those direct sales constitute a major portion of Apple's education sales. According to Apple:
Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) today confirmed that it holds the number one position in sales to the US Education market as shown by recent data from leading Education market research firms, including Quality Education Data (QED) and International Data Corp. (IDC). Apple further stated that Dell's recent claims of being the Education sales leader rely upon vendor and channel surveys which do not fully account for Apple's large direct sales to the US Education market.
"Dell didn't incorporate Apple's direct sales into their Education market share calculations," said Steve Jobs, Apple's interim CEO. "If they had done so, they would have been reminded that Apple remains the Education market share leader."
QED's Technology Purchasing Forecast, 1999-2000, shows that K-12 classrooms across the US have more Apple hardware products than any other manufacturer and the majority of those classrooms intend to repurchase Apple products.
IDC's Q2CY '99 Education Market Report states that Apple leads in overall US Education sales with 22.2% market share -- higher than Compaq's 19.1%, Gateway's 17.2%, and Dell's fourth place showing at 15.8%, further substantiating Apple's leading position in the US Education market.
The Mac Observer Spin: One can say just about anything one wants to when it comes to interpreting data. However, we are inclined to believe Apple's claims on this issue. Surely the Wintel onslaught has gained considerable strength in the education market during the last 10 years, but Apple is still the darling of most educators' eyes. Perception is reality to many people, despite the philosophical debates that such a statement may evoke. It is important for Apple to maintain its perceived lead in the education market lest the lack of such a lead steer people towards the Dark Side.
This is likely not the last stone cast in this particular war. In any event, it's great to see Apple come back swinging, and armed with stats to back it up.
Apple
|