Switch To A Mac

Switch To A Mac tag:,2008-01-31:/1 2011-06-18T22:32:51Z Help, Guides, and News on making the Switch To Apple Macintosh Computers Movable Type 4.13 Apple to offer free OS X Lion upgrade for new Macs via the Mac OS X Lion Up-To-Date program tag:switchtoamac.com,2011://1.2536 2011-06-11T18:50:03Z 2011-06-18T22:32:51Z

switchtoamac Snow Leopard from June 6, 2011 onward. The Lion upgrade will be available via Apple's Mac App Store. Apple highlighted this information in the June 6, 2011 Mac OS X Lion Press Release, the day they officially demonstrated the upcoming Mac operating system. ]]> From the Press Release
"The Mac OS X Lion Up-To-Date upgrade is available at no additional charge via the Mac App Store to all customers who purchased a qualifying new Mac system from Apple or an Apple Authorized Reseller on or after June 6, 2011. Users must request their Up-To-Date upgrade within 30 days of purchase of their Mac computer. Customers who purchase a qualifying Mac between June 6, 2011 and the date when Lion is available in the Mac App Store will have 30 days from Lion's official release date to make a request."

Apple has yet to post specific details about the Lion Up-to-Date program thus, consumers will have to wait for further information on how the upgrade will be handled by Apple. In our view, Apple will have to either clarify or remove the following statement as it implies that users will have to request the upgrade within 30 days even if Apple does not release Lion by July 5, "Users must request their Up-To-Date upgrade within 30 days of purchase of their Mac computer." In fact, it conflicts with the "30 days from Lion's official release" statement that Apple provides later in the program's description.

We believe the latter will apply, customers that have purchased a new Mac with Snow Leopard installed as the base operating system will have 30 days after Lion is released to request the free upgrade.

Check Apple's Lion Up-To-Date Page
Apple has created a dedicated Lion up-to-date page. which will be updated once an official Lion announcement date has been made, this will occur sometime in July.

Prior programs
In 2009, Apple made a similar offer to new Mac buyers via the Snow Leopard Up-to-Date program - that program offered new Mac buyers an upgrade from Mac OS X Leopard (10.5) to Mac OS X Snow Leopard (10.6) for $9.95, a cost to cover the shipping and handling fee for the Snow Leopard disc.

The Lion up to date program will avoid direct costs to consumers because the software can be downloaded (4GB in size) directly from Apple via the Mac App Store.

You can read Apple's OS X Lion Press Release here.]]> Forbes: Apple Gets Predatory With Lion OS Pricing tag:switchtoamac.com,2011://1.2535 2011-06-10T16:29:01Z 2011-06-18T19:32:05Z

switchtoamac OS X Lion operating system for the company's Macintosh computers. Apple announced at WWDC 2011 that OS X Lion will be available via the Mac App Store in July. ]]> Statements to note from the blog post
"Despite the 250+ new features included in this version, one of the most eye catching items is that the software price was cut drastically. The previous version OS X Leopard was available for $129 while OS X Lion version will sell for $30 when it is released next month."

"We believe that these measures are aimed at pushing Mac hardware sales as well as pricing it well under Microsoft's Windows 7 offering. Apple has consistently gained in the PC market, posing a threat to competitors like Hewlett-Packard and Dell."

"If Mac's momentum continues, its market share could increase at a faster rate in the long-term than what we expect, pushing up its stock value. The Mac division makes up 13% of our $430 price estimate for Apple stock, which is about 30% above the market price."

You can read the article here.]]> Town of Wellesley Massachusetts - 'Macs Apple of their eye' tag:switchtoamac.com,2011://1.2534 2011-06-10T15:14:40Z 2011-06-18T19:16:10Z

switchtoamac Some key information from the article

"The privileged populace of Wellesley tops the list of towns with the highest level of Mac-aholics in the state, according to a study by a local advertising firm."

"Westboro-based Chitika Insights studied traffic from Mac, PC and Linux-based computers statewide and found that almost 36 percent of computers in the affluent town were made by Apple, nearly five times the company's U.S. market share average of about 7.2 percent."

"The most Apple-heavy towns have little in common except that they tend to be wealthy and/or have a high student population. Wellesley is among the wealthiest towns in the state, with an average household income of $209,694, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey."

"The top of the Mac list also features Vineyard Haven, just slightly behind by several tenths of a percent at 35 percent Apple users; Needham at 32 percent; and Allston and Brighton at 32 and 31 percent, respectively."

You can read the complete article here.]]> WWDC 2011 - Apple's SVP of Product Marketing Phil Schiller, discusses the State of the Mac tag:switchtoamac.com,2011://1.2532 2011-06-06T22:40:55Z 2011-06-19T16:03:53Z

switchtoamac Key Metrics

Over 54 million active Mac users around the world
The Mac has experienced Year over Year growth of 28% versus a decline of 1% for the PC
The Mac has outgrown the industry every quarter for the past 5 years
Notebooks account for 73% of Mac sales, desktops 27%
Mac OS X was launched in 2001, 10 years ago
Mac OS X is Lion represents a major release of Mac OS X with over 250 new features

The following image captures are from Phil Schiller's presentation:

Phil Schiller mentioned that Lion contains over 250 new features. He then went on to describe 10 key features of Mac OS X Lion. I'll highlight those in a separate post.

Commentary
When I launched this site on January 1, 2006, just over 5.5 years ago, the Mac was just beginning it's significant market share and user base growth. Over the course of the past 5.5 years, I've made predictions about the Mac, called out the underlying engine of growth (switchers and those new to the Mac), provided commentary, and analyzed key aspects of Apple's strategy that have benefited the Mac.

In an earlier post from today, I took the position that Mac OS X Lion, iOS 5, and iCloud are keys to what I call the Unified Apple Platform:

"We're on the cusp of the Unified Apple Platform. Mac OS X Lion, iOS 5, and iCloud lay the groundwork for the next decade of Apple innovation.

Just as many questioned my stance in early 2006 (and as early as 2005) that the Mac was about to embark on a major growth phase, time will tell if my Unified Apple Platform prediction is within the realm of possibility.
]]> WWDC 2011 begins today - Mac OS X Lion, iOS 5 and iCloud unveiling sets the stage for a Unified Apple Platform tag:switchtoamac.com,2011://1.2531 2011-06-06T13:36:17Z 2011-06-18T19:32:53Z

switchtoamac The Unified Apple Platform
Apple is a platform company that sells hardware, expect today's product announcements to align with this strategy. In my view, we'll see how Apple is starting to coalesce their operating systems into a unified platform. You'll see deeper tie-ins between the Mac operating system, Mac OS X Lion, and the operating system for iPhone, iPod touch and Apple TV, iOS. Today's iCloud unveiling will bridge these two operating systems closer together such that it will change the paradigm of how users work with the two operating systems. Apple is all about the user experience so don't underestimate how iCloud will enhance Apple's user-centric focus to product features and design.

We're on the cusp of the Unified Apple Platform. Mac OS X Lion, iOS 5, and iCloud lay the groundwork for the next decade of Apple innovation.
]]> Apple CEO Steve Jobs to introduce Apple's next generation software Mac OS X Lion, iOS 5, and iCloud during WWDC Keynote Address on Monday, June 6 tag:switchtoamac.com,2011://1.2530 2011-05-31T14:34:22Z 2011-06-18T19:34:13Z

switchtoamac "Apple CEO Steve Jobs and a team of Apple executives will kick off the company's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) with a keynote address on Monday, June 6 at 10:00 a.m. At the keynote, Apple will unveil its next generation software - Lion, the eighth major release of Mac OS X; iOS 5, the next version of Apples advanced mobile operating system which powers the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch; and iCloud, Apple's upcoming cloud services offering."
Apple has over 100 technical sessions slated for the event but has not announced specifics of these sessions. This is in stark contrast to Apple announcing session details ahead of WWDC in years past. Given the nature of these three software releases, perhaps they release information later this week or continue to keep details under wraps until next Monday.

You can read Apple's Press release here.
]]> Amazon launches a Mac Download Store - software and games for your Mac tag:switchtoamac.com,2011://1.2529 2011-05-27T17:19:11Z 2011-05-29T17:22:43Z

switchtoamac Mac Software Downloads service has over 200 software and game titles available for purchase and download for Mac. Interestingly, Amazon's service boasts several titles not available from Apple's store such as Microsoft's Office for Mac 2011.

The Mac download store does not require the Amazon Game/Software Downloader to be installed on your Mac (required for Windows PCs) thus, the Downloaded will automatically launch and download the purchased software to your Mac Desktop.

Amazon will also track your purchased games and software under the 'Your Games and Software Library' under your account thereby allowing to download the software at a later time.

Save $5 on your purchase
Amazon is currently offering a $5 savings on any Mac game or software product through June 1, 2011. To save, click the "Buy and download" button on the product you have chosen, then enter the code SAVE5MAC in the "Gift Cards and Promotions" box. There is a limit of 1 discount per customer.]]> AllThingsD - The Mac is kicking ass tag:switchtoamac.com,2011://1.2528 2011-05-24T13:57:22Z 2011-06-19T16:01:38Z

switchtoamac Key references from the post:
"Mac shipments grew 27.7 percent in March, a period that saw a 1.2 percent decline in total PC shipments, according to IDC data reported by Needham analyst Charlie Wolf. And that growth occurred in every single major regional market."

"In Europe, Mac sales were up 10 percent year over year, while the PC market was down 17.5 percent; in Asia they were up 69.4 percent, while the PC market was up just 8.8 percent. And in Japan, Macs were up 21.1 percent in a PC market that declined 16.1 percent."

"The story was pretty much the same in the PC market's various segments. Mac shipments to business grew at a "torrid" 66 percent pace in a market that posted just 4.5 percent year over year. Shipments to government spiked 155.6 percent versus the broader market's 2.3 percent. And shipments to the home market grew 21.6 percent, while those of PCs slipped 6.5 percent."

"That's some extraordinary growth, particularly since it's largely organic. "... Shipment growth has resulted solely from an outward shift in the demand curve rather than from a relative reduction in Mac prices," Wolf observes. Interestingly, the average price of a Mac has fallen at just 1.6 percent annually since 2005."

According to Wolf, "The Apple Stores have played an important supporting role in providing convenient destinations and support resources for Windows users new to the Mac."

Read the full article here.

Related posts:

]]> Where in the world are Mac sales growing? Everywhere. tag:switchtoamac.com,2011://1.2527 2011-05-23T16:41:55Z 2011-06-19T16:02:56Z

switchtoamac Digging into the numbers we learn:

The Mac has outpaced Windows PC growth for 20 consecutive quarters.
Mac shipments grew 27.7% year over year in Q1 2011 (Apple's fiscal second quarter) versus a 1.2% decline in total PC shipments.
Mac sales grew faster than PC sales in every regional market.
Asia, Mac shipments grew 69.4% vs. Windows PC growth of 8.8%.
Japan, Mac shipments grew 21.1% vs. Windows PC decline of 16.1%.
Business market - Macs shipments were up 66% versus 4.5% for Windows PCs.
Government market - Macs shipments were up 155.6% versus 2.3 for Windows PCs.

View the full article here.]]> Corporate Mac sales surge 66 percent as Apple makes significant enterprise headway tag:switchtoamac.com,2011://1.2526 2011-05-23T14:25:33Z 2011-06-19T16:03:30Z

switchtoamac
According to Wolf, "Mac shipments in the business market grew at a torrid 66.0% pace, an order of magnitude higher than the 4.5% shipment growth rate of the business market."

According to the summary posted by AppleInsider, "when analyzed by market segment, Mac shipments grew 94.7 percent in the "very large business" category, 75.5 percent with "large businesses," 58.1 percent with "medium businesses," and 90.4 percent with "small businesses." All of those totals well exceeded growth in the overall PC market."

There are some intriguing charts and data points in the article. Most notably (sourced from AppleInsider):

Last quarter, Mac shipments in the worldwide home market grew 21.6 percent, while the overall PC market dropped 4.4 percent.
Apple also saw a whopping 155.6 percent growth in Mac sales to governments, compared with just 2.3 percent for PCs.

Commentary
I have long-held the position that it was only a matter of time before Apple experienced significant growth in the enterprise. We are now seeing that growth take hold. Expect this to continue due to the disruptive nature of the Apple product line and employee preferences. Just imagine how today's teens and college students will transform how business approach the use of Macs in the enterprise over the course of this decade as the individuals enter the workforce.

You can read the article in full here.
]]> Parallels Transporter an app that makes it easier to switch from a Windows PC to a Mac tag:switchtoamac.com,2011://1.2525 2011-05-22T16:05:07Z 2011-05-29T16:10:17Z

Parallels Transporter, an app available on on the Mac App Store from Parallels, Inc, enables the switch from PC to Mac that much easier....

switchtoamac Parallels Transporter, an app available on on the Mac App Store from Parallels, Inc, enables the switch from PC to Mac that much easier.

According to Parallels, "The Parallels Transporter app is designed for Mac users who may not need to run Windows on their Mac at all; it is a simple way to bring everything you need from your PC together on your Mac without wasting your valuable time or incurring the expense of hiring a technology service to do the work:"

The key to this software is the Parallels Transporter Agent that can collect data from a Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, and Windows 2000 computer. It then uses a wireless network or an external storage device to transfer the collected data to Parallels Transporter on your Mac. Parallels Transporter residing on a Mac receives the data from Parallels Transporter Agent and copies it to the appropriate location(s) on your Mac.

Thus, you're able to move over files from a Windows home directory to the analogous folders on your Mac thereby enabling access locally on your Mac. The process is automated.

Parallels states, "In addition to moving pictures, music and documents from a PC to corresponding Mac folders, Parallels Transporter also moves Windows programs and other files into a virtual machine on your Mac in case they are needed."

So in summary, Parallels Transporter enables you to:

Access your documents created in Windows right on your Mac.
Find all your files from your PC in the proper folders on your Mac.
Use all of your Windows browser bookmarks in Safari (or any other Mac browser) on your Mac.

Pricing and availability
Parallels Transporter is available from the Mac App Store for a limited time price of $0.99, a significant savings versus the the standard $39.99 retail price.

Commentary
I don't see why Apple hasn't built such an offering from within the Mac OS X operating system. I called for such a feature as far back as July 2006 in my post, Desired Feature in Leopard: Windows Migration Assistant.

Read more here.
]]> Verizon adds Mac compatibility to 4G LTE broadband modem tag:switchtoamac.com,2011://1.2524 2011-02-02T16:32:59Z 2011-02-02T16:54:03Z

switchtoamac VZAccess Manager for Mac (version 7.2.4) introduces compatibility with the Pantech UML290, one of the network's two 4G LTE USB modems. Mac support for the LG VL600, is pending. ]]>

This is welcome news for Mac users as they will have access to Verizon's high-speed LTE network in over three dozen markets across the United States.

Mac requirements:

Mac OS X 10.4.7 or higher (Tiger), Mac OS X 10.52 or higher (Leopard) 32-bit, OS X 10.6.2 or higher (Snow Leopard) 32-bit
PowerMac G3 or newer with appropriate device interface

Key Features of the Pantech UML290 4G USB Modem:

4G Technology
Up to 10X Faster than 3G
Backwards Compatible to 3G
Fold-away USB Connector
External Antenna Connector
LED Service Status Indicator

The UML290 costs $99.99 with a 2-year contract or $249.99 full retail. The 4G monthly access fee costs $50 per month for up to 5GB of data or $80 per month for up to 10GB of data.]]> Q1 2011 Mac Analysis - Apple ships record 4.13 million Macs but growth rate slows for second consecutive quarter tag:switchtoamac.com,2011://1.2523 2011-01-19T23:38:28Z 2011-02-02T16:52:50Z

switchtoamac Mac shipment and growth rates
Apple shipped 1.227 million desktops and 2.907 million portables totaling 4.134 million units during the quarter. The earnings report highlighted this new record and the fact that shipments increased 23 percent on a year over year basis. Here's what Apple stated in their earnings press release:

"Apple sold 4.13 million Macs during the quarter, a 23 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter."

This metric sheds some light on growth but it doesn't tell the whole story. When the numbers are analyzed (via the graphic below) we can see that the Mac growth rate has slowed for the second consecutive quarter on both year-over-year and quarter-to-quarter (sequential) bases. In fact, the sequential Mac growth rate hasn't been this low since Q2 2010 when shipments declined 12.46 percent. Let's look at this another way, by disregarding the routine Q1 to Q2 shipment decline over the 2010 - 2006 period. If we do, the Q1 2011 sequential Mac shipment growth rate was at its lowest since Q1 2009, a period of two years.

So what does this tell us about Mac growth?

Mac shipments are increasing.
A new Mac record has been achieved for three straight quarters.
Portables are outselling desktops by more than a 2:1 ratio.
Mac growth has slowed for two consecutive quarters.
Mac growth has slowed over three of the past four quarters.

Is the iPad cannibalizing Mac growth?
During the earnings Q&A with analysts yesterday, Brian Blair of Wedge Partners and Apple COO Tim Cook had a Apple reports record 1Q 2011 earnings: a record 4.13 million Macs shipped tag:switchtoamac.com,2011://1.2522 2011-01-18T23:03:37Z 2011-01-19T17:30:58Z

switchtoamac ]]> From Apple's Press Release

CUPERTINO, California--January 18, 2011 -- Apple today announced financial results for its fiscal 2011 first quarter ended December 25, 2010. The Company posted record revenue of $26.74 billion and record net quarterly profit of $6 billion, or $6.43 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $15.68 billion and net quarterly profit of $3.38 billion, or $3.67 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 38.5 percent compared to 40.9 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 62 percent of the quarter's revenue.

Apple sold 4.13 million Macs during the quarter, a 23 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. The Company sold 16.24 million iPhones in the quarter, representing 86 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 19.45 million iPods during the quarter, representing a seven percent unit decline from the year-ago quarter. The Company also sold 7.33 million iPads during the quarter.

"We had a phenomenal holiday quarter with record Mac, iPhone and iPad sales," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "We are firing on all cylinders and we've got some exciting things in the pipeline for this year including iPhone 4 on Verizon which customers can't wait to get their hands on."

Commentary
Apple is indeed on fire as customers are adopting their products across the globe. This is clearly benefiting the Mac product line as Apple continues to set quarterly records. It's the Mac's third straight record quarter and the first time crossing the 4 million unit threshold. Here's a breakdown of Mac sales for the quarter:

Source: Apple 2011 Q1 Press Release

I'll provide analysis of these numbers over the next day or so.

You can view the full Press Release here.
]]> Apple Retail Stores to eliminate restocking fees and add personal Mac setup service? tag:switchtoamac.com,2011://1.2521 2011-01-10T20:25:03Z 2011-01-10T20:27:36Z

switchtoamac From 9to5mac's report

"Typically, when you return an opened product to an Apple Store you will be charged a 10% restocking fee. Well, come Tuesday, this will all be in the past as Apple is cutting restocking fees from their retail chain. We'll have to see how Apple deals with people trying to return their scratched up iPods and what the policy with iPhones will be. The 14 day return period still applies but for example if you purchase a 16 GB iPad and use it for 3 days, then want to upgrade to the 32 GB model, you won't need to pay an additional 10% restocking fee."

Commentary
Last Thursday, Apple rolled out the Mac App Store. Today's report sheds additional light on Apple's strategic focus on the Mac to start 2011, a focus we welcome and fully endorse.

If the report is true, it will align with a similar setup service that Apple Retail stores offer for iOS devices. In my view, this will help switchers and those new to Mac to lower their Mac learning curve.
]]>