KC Computers

Apple vs. Microsoft: The Great Face Off

Written by admin on April 6th, 2011

Microsoft has lead the pack for quite some time now. Ever since people started using computers, Microsoft has been the reigning household name. The company was able to sustain growth and its market share despite the overwhelming number of competitors and the repeated controversies on antitrust. More importantly, it’s also important to emphasize how Microsoft managed to stay afloat despite the overwhelming growth and consumer reception that Apple has achieved. Throughout the years, the iPod and iPhone producer was able to transform itself into a profit-making machine and has developed billion-dollar offerings throughout the years. While the rest of the industry is still attempting to penetrate into this competition, it’s clear to see the two major players. However, the increasing presence of Apple as a direct competitor poses a serious threat to Microsoft. Experts are speculating: Is it time for Microsoft to take a bow and make way for another leader?

Measuring the Competition

The online community has always discussed the ongoing battle between Microsoft and Apple. However, it’s safe to say that many of these debates don’t provide actual data. Without actual data it’s almost impossible to conduct a good evaluation of the competition. Real facts can properly say whether Apple has been making comparable damage to Microsoft when it comes to sales monopoly and consumer market. Further, such information can also highlight whether the introduction of iPad and iPhone has affected the market for computers and their perceived functionalities. Basically, it all boils down to the sales figures. Sales figures tell a lot about a company’s current condition and the market for their products. The higher the sales figure, the better the company’s position in the competition. The internet is filled with countless news stories, business analysis and economic predictions. Using these sources, the following sections provide compiled information of sales figures and news stories on both Apple and Microsoft. These figures should be helpful in determining what’s the score between Microsoft and Apple.

Windows XP and Continuing Sales Decline

During the earlier part of 2008, a year or so after the introduction of Windows Vista, Windows users were been as accommodating to the upgrade as they were with other Microsoft products. In fact, many of them rejected the idea of converting to the upgrade. The number of users who switched to the new version accounted for less than 10% of the total number of users and around 5% of the same market is still using versions of the Windows system older than XP. As for the Windows 7, Microsoft similarly lost a considerable proportion of its user base. Consequently, Microsoft’s stronghold in terms of XP usage has also been declining over the years. In two years alone, more than 20 percent of its users have abandoned the system altogether. Nonetheless, this is not sufficient to suggest that the marketplace is completely rejecting Microsoft. While the decline in internet traffic from Windows-run computers (95.4% to 91.1%) is perhaps surprising, Microsoft is not alone: the same is happening for other competitors like Linux.

Apple and iOS-based Devices

Mac has been a revolutionary product for Apple. While Microsoft was having problems with Vista, Apple took the opportunity and launched aggressive marketing campaigns to increase the usage of OS X. Still, this is in comparative terms to the giant that is Microsoft.  Internet usage from OS X powered devices increased from 3.45% in 2008 up to 5% in the following year. Nonetheless, internet usage through OS X and iOS has also been increasing due to increased sales of both the  iPad and iPhone. Because of the innovative approaches given to both products, the market share for both has increased dramatically throughout the years. Currently, it is estimated that the market share for iPhone is around three times greater than the of the Android offering. For the first quarter of 2010, Apple has already managed to increase its market share by 2 percent.

There’s no telling who the clear winner is. With Steve Jobs momentarily leaving Apple and with Microsoft continued efforts to provide more innovative products, the battle is on!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 6th, 2011 at 8:01 am and is filed under Daily Life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.