Apple has been a niche player for many years. Its market share has
been reduced to the point where most people don't see Apple as a
major threat on the PC landscape.
A niche player faces many challenges, one of which is expanding
market share. Apple has had some success with this since the return
of Steve Jobs. Niche players also benefit from their small size,
which allows them to react to market conditions more quickly.
Apple has, it seems, hit a wall in growing market share. The
numbers seem to stay stubbornly at less than 10% of the overall
market.
Traditionally, Apple has approached growing their market share by
trying to attract new users and winning the occasional convert. This
has resulted in an "our system is better than their system"
mentality. Comparing clock speeds, user interfaces, and software
bundles is the norm in these debates. Inevitably, many users come to
the conclusion that, while Macs may be superior, Windows (at least in
theory) is more convenient.
Apple needs to tip the scales in their favor. They need to expand
their niche in a more sensible way than simply trying to outdo the
competition on the same playing field. Clearly, Apple has taken the
lead in hardware design and has the results to show for their
efforts. Now they must move beyond this and into other lucrative
areas.
One aspect of a computer that has so far been completely ignored
by all computer makers is environmental impact. Apple could easily
take a lead here.
Currently, computers are not the most environmentally friendly
things on the planet. They are made up of many troublesome compounds
like lead, cadmium, and mercury. The safe disposal of a computer is
not easy. And while there are several companies that specialize in
recycling computers, they are fighting an uphill battle without the
help of the manufacturers.
If Apple took the lead in creating a much more environmentally
friendly machine, it's likely that they would appeal to a larger
audience. Many people might be swayed into buying a Macintosh if it
had a green reputation. For example, many people are already willing
to make some sacrifices and pay a premium for a more environmentally
friendly car like the Honda
Insight or the Toyota
Prius. These same folks could probably be swayed into paying a
slightly higher price for a Mac.
Crazy? Not really. No other computer maker is playing in this
space. Apple would pretty much have a monopoly on green
computers.
Even without a drastic redesign, Apple could benefit from playing
the environmental card. Macs already consume less power than their PC
competition. Multiply this power saving a thousand times over, and
Mac users are already saving energy left right and center.
Even if this is not a viable niche, Apple needs more innovative
ways to grow market share.
Stephen Van
Esch is the founder and president of
the
E-learning Foundry, an online training
resource for Mac users. Steve loves the Mac and is doubly bilingual,
since he's also fluent in Windows and French.
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