it might have pulled in a bunch of the music crowd but I really think this started happening before the iPod, I was impressed with the g3 and the stable operating system well before the iPod was even out.

The bottom line is that Macs are considerably better computers than Windows based computers. It's not only the clear superiority of Mac OS over Windows, the hardware is also better. Put a top of the line Dell or HP laptop alongside a MacBook Pro and anyone can see that the Mac is the better computer.

The argument in this blog is what is causing consumers to wake up to the fact that Macs are clearly better. Is it the halo effect, a friends recommendation, a visit to an Apple retail store, or ????

That's not the right argument to be having.

There are much better arguments to debate such as, "Is there any chance that Microsoft could ever catch up?

Yes davesmall, the OS is better. I agree completely, but the comment that the hardware is better is rather silly.

Over the last decade Apple has moved towards more PC hardware versus their proprietary hardware and now people say their hardware is better than a PC's? huh? IT IS THE SAME HARDWARE!!!!

You can say that Apple may choose better components than compared to Dell, HP, etc. But this DOES NOT APPLY to boutique PC builders such as Falcon Northwest, etc. Nor can it apply to folks who build their own systems.

My wife uses a Falcon-NW pc and I built my own. I also use a (last season) mac mini. I would easily compare my hardware to anything Apple sells.

I have no issue with supporting the Apple brand, but come on folks, use better comparisons when posting.

In regards to this Halo effect. I would never use an iPod (until the sound quality is improved) as the sound quality is substandard compared to many of the better DAPs on the market. I like the iTunes/iPod usability, but my ears cannot deal with an iPod. I actually tried THREE different iPod Touch models (3 stores, 3 different weeks) and all of the had horrible HISS. Heck, even now Jobs won't release the S/N ratio of an iPod.

Fix the sound quality and use superior components and I would buy one Mr. Jobs.

Mac

- Can EASILY boot into Mac OS X, Windows and Linux (it's like having multiple machines) - Actually sleeps / hibernates (Safe sleep) when you close the lid - Does not have to be shut down when transporting (macs OS has better retention of battery charge than windoze) - Thinner than wintels of similar specs - Lighter than wintels of similar specs - Has a smaller power supply (1/2 size of typical wintel) with better cord management - Has better battery life when running OSX - Does not have fans on the bottom - Quieter for non-intensive usage - Does not slow down even if you install tons of apps (windows slows down if even if you install programs without using them)

Yes, Apple with its better OS translates to better use of the hardware. Add on top of that better design of the hardware, and the Mac is a clear winner (for the well-informed, unbiased people). That's why Apple is currently ranked the third, behind hp and dhell, when it comes to numbers of computers sold in the US.

one or the other?

It seems like they're saying there isn't a halo effect at all, and that it is all because of those other reasons.

And then people here are saying that it has nothing to do with anything but the "halo effect".

I would think it is more a mix of things. The halo effect helps, but I don't think we can deny that things like the Intel switch and Boot Camp/Parallels haven't helped (I mean, I absolutely know a number of people who have bought Macs thanks to the ability to install and run Windows apps when they need to).

Having the safety net of dropping a couple of grand on a computer you've never used much before and being able to go back to what you know is great. Many friends of mine, many, would not have bought their Macs unless they 'd known they could get rid of OS X and run Vista if they wanted to. Have they? No, but they wouldn't have bought a Mac if it couldn't run windows. Myself, I hate consoles, but I like games. So I need a PC. But that's all I need windows for. Having boot camp allows me to reboot the Macbook Pro and play half Life 2, or Colin McRae DiRT, and to those who poopoo the iMac and Macbook Pro's video cards, it's extremely playable with the latest games, you just have to pick sensible video card options. It's good enough, really. In exchange for upgradability, which you don't have, you do have higher resale, I've found it cheaper owning macs and selling them in 9 months time just before the new model hits. I got the cracked version of Tiger running on my PC, used it for awhile, but it wasn't perfect, I needed a real mac for everything to work. Having intel macs made me try the cracked Mac OS, then got used to it, couldn't go back, had to buy a real mac. I couldn't afford to have a G5 and a quick Windows machine for games, so I didn't. My girlfriend is about to by an iMac, but she sort of likes my mac, but not 100% sure she wants to leave windows behind forever. I know she'd never get a Mac unless she had the option to run windows should she need to, but I'm sure she never will. Intel Macs are one of the best things to happen to Apple, because the systems do reach people who would never have considered a Mac before. PowerPC machines didn't' do this nearly so much. Most mac owners have had PC's in the house too, in my experience, now there is absolutely no need to.

I returned to the Mac platform after being absent since the early release of OS9 when the first Intel-based iMac appeared. I knew full well that I wanted to return to Macs, but I needed an excuse to make the transition. Being in tech my entire life, I *knew* someone would create a dual-boot capability and down the road virtualization, so I bit.

Yes, I have an iPod. But that $250 device didn't influence me to buy a $2300 iMac. The promise of ridding my desk of multiple computers did.

Dual boot/virtualization works so well, that my work computer is now a Mac Pro, and I carry a MacBook Pro. My colleagues see how well I function, and that I carry a Mac, and I evangelize the h*** out of it. When it's all said and done, our CIO (at a regional 4 year university) and the dean of my college now have Macs on their desktop. Sadly, they run XP and Vista in bootcamp 95% of the time, but hey, at least they're onboard with Mac hardware....

And, my continual response to IT and CS faculty, staff and students is:

With this machine, I can run any OS and any piece of software: Solaris, linux, BSD, Vista, XP, NT, Windows Server, 3.1, DOS, and Mac OS X. Which of those do you run on your Dell?

As a webmaster, I then demostrate testing new pages between Vista running IE7, XP running IE6 and various version of FF, Mac OS running FF and Safari, by simply dragging and dropping. Jaws drop.

Then, I demonstrate that with Mac OS consumer OS that is installed on every unit, from Mini to MacPro, I can set up the standard Apache/MySQL/PHP development environment with a single download an the clicking two buttons, and brains start to turn on.

s**** the halo effect. What about the Angel effect?

get out much.

Just last week I was with two major silicon valley clients and noticed several people with mac laptops. I NEVER saw this before.

I asked if they worked a lot with Apple and hence the reason for their laptop choice given that one company has a deal with IBM and the other with Dell for company laptops.

They all responded no. In fact each made the conscious decision to buy the mac on their own and each was running Parallels.

Made me rethink whether or not I should be doing the same...

I think Parallels does help, but not in the straightforward way that people think. I think it helps convert people who never end up buying it.

It goes like this...

PC User: "Why would I want to buy a Mac?"

Mac User: "Well, they have Intel processors now, and can even run Windows applications with an add-on, and they are secure, solid, and trendy."

PC: "Wait, I can run my Windows-only apps when I need to? And my games."

Mac: "Yeah, sure. Apple designs things to work so elegantly it's almost like magic. With an Intel processor, of course you can run your apps."

PC: "Oh, I'll take a look."

(Goes to Apple Store)

Mac: "How was it?"

PC: "I didn't realize how slick and fast Macs were these days. The iBook is a h*** of a laptop for $1100."

Mac: "Yeah... So, did you get it with Parallels"

PC: "Nah. The native Mac apps looked better to me, and I can run everything I need anyhow. The iLife and iWork it comes with covers most of what I need for free..."

Mac: "Yeah. Let's go see where your Apple sticker will look good on your car."

You said,"but the comment that the hardware is better is rather silly. " Actually studies have shown that Apple hardware has a better reliability than normal Pc machines. 2years run time vs 3-4 for Apples.

Now, you build your own machine. Fine. Totally different story. Period. And yes, even though a hard drive is a hard drive, the specs can be quite different, even from the same mfg. I know, I used to work at a company that made and used electronics. You make a product. One company requires a "less than 5 % failure rate" and another company requires a "less than 1% failure rate". Its the same machine but we use more reliable parts (lower failure rate). It costs more but sometimes not that much. It all depends on what the customer is willing to pay for. :-)

en

I would submit that your major clients are not the average, everyday consumers who formerly were driving the Wintel juggernaut and are now leaping in droves (ok, small droves at this point, but significant numbers nonetheless) to the Mac.

Most people don't really care whether they can run Linux/Unix/OS X/Windows on the same computer (though they should)... but there is definitely a 'security blanket' feeling to the knowledge that you really don't have to buy your software all over again, or 'get used to' running Office on Mac instead of PC.

Also, I don't think anyone here was alleging that it's solely the 'halo' effect. It's definitely the catalyst though, and the ZDNet dudes are totally off-base claiming that there is no halo effect or that it's minor. The average geek/tech, yes there is probably a less pronounced halo effect and more 'rational' reasons to be on the Mac. The average consumer, however, is what is largely driving the rising Mac market share (after all these years of languishing at 3% or so).

Unfortunately I do know people who bought a MacBook and promptly had a tech install BootCamp and XP on it. It was so bad that when one of their family members booted into OS X they had no clue how to get back and thought the machine was broken.

Sad but true, there are people buyig Macs to run windows on. Go figure.

WRONG Halo effect as it is defined is misleading. If it was a Halo effect all of the surge in cinsumers buying MACS would be for ONE REASON ONLY hence the term "halo effect. Or a term used by analysts who don't know why what they projected is way off base. In other words it is an excuse for their own stupidity.

Its a DOMINO effect. There are MANY reasons people are choosing MAC products now and each consumer has a different set of reasons, COmpatibility, Stability, Ease of maintenance (lack of Viruses, etc) Cool design, A name brand that consumers stand behind as quality, Performance, etc... etc...

The list goes on and on and on. In the end no one person can stand up and say "This is the reason people are switching." Why? Because each consumer is different and has different wants and needs.

The analysts TRY to GUESS but in the end you can never truly know exactly why a certain arket reacts the way it does.

DOMINO effect is what you are seeing. Anything else is just conjecture and hearsay.

It's cool that more people are buying macs...even if it's driven by the wrong reasons (e.g. status).

What's a compelling reason now to buy a mac is that it CAN run windows, so the average consumer's not worried about compatibility anymore.

I think you and I are on the same page. I was responding to the article and the first few posters.

To think ZDnet could publish an article so blatantly false is amazing. Of course there is a MAJOR halo/domino effect going on here.

It is easier than ever to run windows based software on your mac and more and more high tech/business people are being exposed to Apple goodness via the iPhone. iPods were cool but I don't think many caused people to consider buying a mac. The iPhone is definitely such a device because it runs a version of OSX and runs crisply and smoothly.

Being able to run Parallels or VMware allows people with a real preference for macs to do so in the workforce and expose more of their colleagues to the benes of OSX.

I think Apple's market share will continue to grow at a surprisingly fast pace for a while.