Apple has been doing a lot of talking about the Mac today. It invited representatives of media organisations to its labs for a frank conversation about where it intends to take premium Mac hardware going forward. In particular, the Mac Pro is finally being overhauled and will be relaunched next year.
During the discussions, Apple revealed there are now almost 100 million people using Mac computers. MacBook laptops are still by far the most popular, exceeding desktop shipments by a large margin. 80 percent of all Mac sales are now part of the MacBook family, leaving only 20 million users of the iMac and Mac Pro combined.
The information is more interesting when compared to Microsoft’s Windows ecosystem. As noted by The Verge, Apple’s “100 million” figure is exactly a quarter of Microsoft’s most recent claimed user base. In September 2016, it revealed Windows 10 is used by 400 million people worldwide.
This indicates just how large a lead Windows continues to extend over Mac. While Windows 10 is unlikely to have reached significantly more users in the months since September, it also represents a single version of the software. Older releases, such as Windows 7, 8.1 and even XP, continue to remain hugely popular.
While Windows covers a much broader spectrum of devices than Apple’s Mac products, the figures could reflect Apple’s apparent lack of interest in laptops and desktops over the past few years. It hasn’t updated its Mac Pro since 2013 and even last year’s new MacBook Pro wasn’t as well regarded as the company expected. Apple’s attempts to pitch the iPad Pro as a device for professionals may also have impacted Mac sales.
The company has faced new competition too. Google’s Chrome OS has proved to be highly disruptive in key market segments, causing trouble for Microsoft and Apple. Last year, Chrome OS devices outsold Macs in the U.S. Although a typical MacBook customer isn’t likely to switch to a Chromebook, the rise of Google’s still young platform highlights the stagnation of Apple’s aging ecosystem.
Apple is now working on building new products to demonstrate it is still committed to the Mac. The Mac Pro, likely to launch in 2018, will focus on delivering a high-performance workstation to the professionals who have been demanding it for years. The company now needs to balance development of the new range with releasing it before customers look elsewhere.
New “pro” iMacs are also on the way and Apple has hinted it may release an update to its compact Mac Mini, last updated in 2014. The company seems to have committed to a new period of desktop innovation, although one popular Windows feature still remains out of bounds. Apple has confirmed it’s still not going to be offering touchscreens on laptops and desktops, insisting they’ve no place on this class of device.
