CNN ran a story on Apple’s new "Real People" ad campaign that contained some interesting quotes from an analyst. Apple’s campaign features Windows users who have switched from Windows to the Mac platform and are quite happy about it.
Most of the article features the same information that Mac and mainstream publications alike have been printing since Apple announced the campaign earlier this week. There were additional comments from Gartner Inc. analyst Charles Smulders that deal with Apple’s market share. In the article, Mr. Smulders is quoted as saying "Apple is in a better position to gain share in 2002 than 2001." From the article:
Apple also has increasingly turned its focus toward winning over PC users in addition to convincing fans to buy a new Mac.
"Apple has had very limited success persuading Windows users to move to the Apple platform," said analyst Charles Smulders of technology researcher Gartner Inc.
Apple’s U.S. market share was steady at 3.8 percent in 2001 and 2000, and down from 4.4 percent in 1999. Globally, Apple’s share fell dropped to 2.5 percent in 2001 from 2.8 percent in 2000.
But Smulders attributed that contraction to relatively slow sales of its desktop computers, which Apple refreshed this year with its iMac consumer desktop, a table-lamp-shaped computer with a swinging flat panel display, and the eMac, a cheaper consumer desktop that is essentially a souped-up version of the previous iMac design.
"With its iMac and eMac introductions, Apple hopes to stem the market share losses it has suffered in the desktop market," Smulders said. "Apple is in a better position to gain share in 2002 than 2001."
You can read the full article at C|Net’s Web site.
The Mac Observer Spin:
We have to agree with Mr. Smulder’s thoughts on Apple’s chances of growing its market share this year. In fact, we think that Apple has put just about all the pieces in place it needs to grow the Mac platform for the first time in many years. It’s interesting to see a mainstream analyst agreeing with us for once.
This is some great exposure for Apple, too. CNN’s audience is obviously not a Mac-centric one, and the message of stability and growth that is contained in the article is a good one for regular folks to see. This would be especially true for the regular Wintel-using folks that hang out at places like CNN.