Analysis Topic

With WWDC kicking off on Monday June 8, I wanted to post my expectation that Apple will release Mac updates in either September or October.  In the May 13, 2009 WWDC Press Release Apple stated it would be issuing a Mac OS X Snow Leopard 'final Developer Preview'.  Prior to this press release, I expressed my expectations of what Apple would likely do with respect to Snow Leopard at WWDC in a May 5, 2009 reply at the MacRumors Forums eight days prior to the Apple Press Release.  Here's what I stated:

It's widely understood in strategy that a firm that is known for delivering a certain value may end up confusing customers (or perhaps undermining its own credibility and reputation) if it attempts to deliver alternate value.  The attempt to simultaneously deliver inconsistent offerings will not serve a firm's strategic position.  Many continue to criticize Apple's premium positioning and pricing.

According to market research firm Net Applications, Apple's Mac OS market share rose to 9.81 percent during May 2009.  These metrics detail the computer operating systems that visit sites tracked by Net Applications.  Not only did the May 2009 increase reverse the decline observed in April 2009 but it also shows that Mac OS market share rose by over 25 percent on a year-over-year (YOY) basis.  In May 2008 Mac OS share stood at 7.83 percent, just a year later it checks in just shy of two percentage points higher.

On April 22, 2009 Apple reported earnings for its fiscal 2009 second quarter that ended on March 28, 2009.  Although Apple's CFO commented that the quarter was "the best non-holiday quarter revenue and earnings in our history", Mac shipments were the lowest in 1.5 years and experienced their first year-over-year (year/year) drop in 5.5 years.

Kindle is Amazon's Wireless Reading Device that works in conjunction with the Kindle Store to provide more than 240,000 books, top newspapers, magazines, and blogs.  The new 'Kindle for iPhone application' from Amazon allows iPhone and iPod touch owners the ability to read Kindle books using a simple, easy-to-use interface.

According to market research firm Net Applications, Apple's Mac OS market share rose to 8.87 percent during November 2008.  These metrics detail the operating systems that visit sites tracked by Net Applications.  Not only did the November increase reverse the decline observed in October but it also shows that Mac OS market share rose by over 30 percent on a year-over-year (YOY) basis.  In November 2007 Mac OS market share stood at 6.80 percent, just a year later it checks in at more than two percentage points higher.

According to data collected and metrics tracked by market research firm Net Applications, Apple's Mac OS market share dipped to 8.21 during October 2008.  Although falling versus September 2008, Mac OS market share rose by 24.77 percent on an annualized basis.  In October 2007 Mac OS market share stood at 6.58 percent as measured by Net Applications.

Apple released their fiscal 2008 fourth quarter earnings on Tuesday October 22 and reported that profits rose more than 26 percent to $1.14 billion on sales of $7.9 billion for the three-month period that ended on September 27, 2008.  Apple shipped 2,611,000 Macintosh computers during the quarter.

Apple will be conducting a special notebook event tomorrow where they are expected to unveil updates to the MacBook and MacBook Pro models.  For many, tomorrow can't come fast enough as the agony of holding out has been driving them crazy.

Whenever someone considers purchasing something new one of the initial reactions is to determine if the current model(s) will be updated in the near future. This true for automobiles, gadgets, electronics and of course computers. This post will provide insight into how Apple updates and refreshes their line of Macintosh computers with particular emphasis on the MacBook and MacBook Pro lines.