Game over? Apple world domination nears
March 9, 2012
In the final calendar quarter of 2011, everybody’s favorite Cupertino, California-based fruit company sold more than 15 million iPads, which is more than any single brand of traditional desktop and portable computers in the same period. This year Apple is expected to sell 60 million tablets, a 50 percent jump over 2011, and I think we can expect another year of double-digit Mac growth, as well. So, is the end nigh for Microsoft, HP, Dell, Acer and Samsung?
The alpha has roared and it’s just a simple matter of math, adding two numbers together to arrive at one gloriously ginormous sum. Whereas some still argue about whether or not Apple’s iPad is a computer, the bean counters are starting to fall in line with the reality on the ground — the Mac plus iPad make Apple the world’s biggest computer company and not by a little. 
Once upon a time, a PC was a PC and the Mac definitely wasn’t. With an ever growing number of consumers and enterprises, one user at a time, choosing iPhones, iPads and Macs over Microsoft products, the distinction is fading. Pissy aspersions from me aside, this is good for users, businesses and Apple, especially Apple. 
And, the soundbites continue roll. Walter Isaacson’s biography of the iconic CEO ships on Monday, for those that got in early, yet the web is already awash in quotes. That said, although I ordered the hardcover version months ago, it wouldn’t ship until October 27 and I’ve since canceled that, purchasing the Kindle edition instead. 
What’s eating you? If you’re a Windows PC manufacturer, chances are the answer is Apple. Cupertino all but owns the rapidly expanding tablet market, which is displacing PC sales, and is taking an ever growing share of the desktop market, having outgrown the industry for nearly six years. 
Users and pundits alike have panned Apple’s 2011 Back to School promotion, sparking some analysts to predict poor Mac sales. However, data from the real world points robust Mac sales, though the same survey raises questions about iPhone and iPad popularity at US universities. 
Yes, you can get a “new” PC for under $500 and will find people giving these faux baubles in the rough away at yard sales — you’ll find them sitting next to rusting gas grills and dusty exercise bikes. However, like a kitten or puppy, there’s no such thing as a free PC and cheap is usually just a byword for migraine. Nevertheless, if you’ve got the money, get a Mac. 
Here’s an odd data point, something the rest of us probably didn’t see coming. Nevertheless, here in North America, more than 400 professional software developers have spoken and they’re not speaking the language of open source or GPL or are they? 
Who’s the lowest cost producer in the tablet space? More than a year after the iPad shipped, competitors can’t match up on price or build quality, let alone Apple’s massive and growing lead in the app space. Though there’s no inherent app advantage for Cupertino in notebooks, their design and supply chain advantages are proving decisive. 
If you made this stuff up, it wouldn’t be more ridiculous. How many steps does it take to set up — go ahead, take a guess — a Windows XP or Vista machine on McDonald’s free Wi-Fi? Even the most jaded Windows hater will be shocked at how profligate Redmond’s apologists really are. 