Consumers Crave Apple's Macs
Consumers are becoming more comfortable making the jump from Windows-based PCs to Apple's Macs. This growing comfort is pointing to big holiday's sales of the tech company's computers. — Shares of Apple (nasdaq: AAPL - news - people ) rose 1.5%, or $2.88 …
Context & Ripple Effects
This lands ten months after a firm counted Mac sales growth above 100 percent in January, evidence that the switcher wave was already building before the iPhone launched; the Forbes piece extends that arc into the holiday quarter, when consumers are reportedly comfortable enough with the jump from Windows to make Macs a gift purchase. The Financial Times' syndicated pickup of the same story under a 'lures hackers' headline shows how far the narrative travelled — and flags its flip side.
Around this demand signal sit several unconfirmed threads: reports citing sources near Apple's Asian partners point to new products including a 'super laptop', and CNBC's Jim Goldman has reported a source saying Apple will launch a $1500 sub-notebook at Macworld in January — all still rumor, not announcement. What is confirmed alongside the sales story: Apple previewed its new W. 14th Street Manhattan store ahead of opening, and shares moved up 1.5%, or $2.88.
First-order effects
- Windows-based PC vendors head into the holidays competing against a Mac lineup that consumers now treat as a safe switch, putting their seasonal volumes directly at risk.
- Apple enters the December quarter with investor sentiment already repriced — the 1.5% share gain reflects the market banking strong Mac unit demand.
Second-order effects
- The FT-framed finding that rising Mac popularity makes OS X an increasingly tempting hacker target pushes Apple toward a security posture it never needed at niche scale, and gives antivirus vendors a new growth market.
- Retailers and resellers gain a premium gift category with proven pull, shifting holiday shelf space and marketing dollars toward Apple at PC makers' expense.
Third-order effects
- If the switcher pattern holds past one season, the PC market starts segmenting by brand and design rather than price-per-spec — the dynamic behind fashionized computing — with Apple positioned at the premium end.
- A successful Macworld sub-notebook launch, if the reported rumors prove true, would extend the halo from phones and desktops into ultraportables, pressuring every PC maker's high-margin line.
The trend: Personal computing is tipping from a Windows default toward brand-led consumer choice, with the Mac converting mainstream buyers faster than incumbents can respond.