Source: Tom's Guide | Keywords: apple, microsoft, google | Themes: Laptops and Notebooks, Desktop Computers, Business
Apple is the brand with the biggest impact on consumers world wide. According to a survey conducted by brandchannel.com, consumers all around the world are keeping their eyes most closely on Apple. The computer and music company gained top reviews in virtually all survey categories, beating out other popular brands such as Microsoft, Coca-Cola, and Nike.
Voters ranging from business professionals to students agreed that Apple’s influence on consumer electronics as well as other types of businesses was on that they most respected. Creating such influential services such as iTunes, online high-definition movie rentals and products such as the iPod and iPhone, Apple dominated its competitors and is considered by most voters as the brand they "cannot live without."
"[Apple is] the only one I can think of that i truly couldn’t replace — in work or in entertainment. With any other brand that I love, there’s some other one I can turn to if it disappeared. But not Apple," said one voter.
Other voters felt that Apple clearly understood its customers, and is right on track with what consumers demand. Some voters even felt that if they were to be called a brand, Apple would be one that they would want to be seen as.
"Because I like to come at things differently. I chose to ’think different.’ This is what I offer my clients: a different way to look at and think about their business," mentioned a voter.
In terms of portable music players, Apple has been the number one choice on the minds of most consumers for the last several years. Even though their were plenty of other portable music players out on the market, Apple has remained successful due to its tight integration with the iTunes music player as well as its iTunes online music store — which remains the top choice for online music purchases today. A report by the Wall-Street Journal last year indicated that online music sales increased 50% year over year, and traditional CD sales declined at a rate of 20% a year.
With computer products, Apple too has gained significant market share in the past several years. With successful releases such as the MacBook Pro, MacBook, AppleTV and now the MacBook Air, Apple is clearly redefining itself year after year. But the company does take risks. For example, when Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced for the first time that his company would be switching over to Intel processors from a long tradition of Power, many analysts expected hardcore Apple fans to revolt. Surprisingly, Jobs announcement was very well received and proved to be a the right choice for the company in the long run.
Out of the top five brands that inspires the most from consumers, Apple also ranked as number one, beating out companies like Google, Sony, IKEA, and Starbucks. On the list of brands that consumers would most like to have revamped, Microsoft took the top spot, followed by the United States of America — yes, the country.
Apple’s impact on the computer industry is one that’s be gaining momentum ever since its very first desktops were introduced more than three decades ago. In fact, most felt that if Apple existed 100 years ago, the course of history would have been forever altered for the better.
In related news, Apple’s iPhone is set to reach another milestone later this year. Industry experts are expecting Apple to release its next-generation 3G iPhone in the June/July time frame. Apple is expected to begin production of the high-speed iPhone in May of this year.
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I think the results has to do alot with the type of people you ask, I and most people I know think Apples are for snobs that dont know any better. Overpriced and over-rated. They have had some good ideas but as far as I can tell as they grow there ideas and brains are getting Smaller. (like most Co. do). There more of a Nich still. But thats my 2 Cents
I agree, the only thing Apple has made in the last 10 years that impresses me, even a little bit, is the Iphone, simply because I like the large screen, I am used to touch screens, and it seems to be a good phone, atleast when the 3G revision comes out, to browse the internet.
I have to say most, emphasize most, Apple users are liberals.
Apple is the ultimate brand in the same way that Vista is the ultimate operating system and Ebola is the ultimate disease.
If Apple was around for 100 years, can you imaging how great Windows would be by now!
Just great...now I owe Steve a steak dinner!
Next time, note somewhere in the article that the survey consisted of less than 2,000 people, 74% of which are in marketing. Do you -honestly- think that constitutes the article title?
Didn't think so.
Wow...interesting comments. As a PC user who has switched, I can honestly say that 1) Apples are not for snobs, but people who prefer things that work and are straight forward 2) Both my home iMac and work Macbook Pro are the fastest, most stable computers I've ever owned/used...and I've been in the industry for nearly 15 years and have been using computers in some capacity (i.e. I'm ex-Navy)for more than 20. I don't bash PC's because I still use one on a daily basis, it's just that my PC is my Mac (via VMWare) and the flexibility it has brought me is AWESOME!
I'll be the first to admit, I was never that impressed with Apple before either. After all, I couldn't run almost all of my software in it and all they REALLY represented was just eye-candy, right? However, once I started playing with one at work...I saw how wrong I was. Do yourself a favor, open your mind and REALLY use one for a bit and you'll see why people like myself and (no joke) nearly half of my co-workers (all computer/software industry pro's) have either switched or will switch at their next computer purchase. You'll see why the Mac laptops are out pacing the industry in sales. You'll see why reports are that 40% of college students are saying they'll purchase Apples while in school. Like I said, I like both platforms for what they are...but I LOVE the Apple for all the extra stuff it brings to the table. Just try it out, you might surprise yourself!
so where is the news? apple = lots of fanbois, since the very beginning. apple system are most easily comprised, as shown recently.
apple = way overrated, way overpriced.
The PC fanboys will NEVER accept that apple is doing well. They don't know any different. The will say things like "The iPod is the reason why any body thinks highly about apple" but your buddy at the top of MS has always loved the Mac.
Most people (PC Fanboys)never talk about their personal experience with a Mac because they have none. Very much me saying like Porsche sucks yet I have never owned one. You (PC Fanboys) Don't even own your own statements, Just your misconceptions and your denial that Apple is doing well.
Grow up.
I have used and worked with all types of operating systems for decades: UNIX, DOS, Windows, Linux, & MacOS.
I still put Mac computers in a category with Linux, not a main OS. Regardless of what I think of Linux or MacOS (and I actually like some of the new Linux Distros out there these days), I still have to fall back on Windows to do some of the things I do. Mac and Linux work like appliances, they do a limited set of things, but that's it.
As for stability, I will pit my Win XP machine against any Mac or Linux box, and you will find out they are both extremely stable. Why? Because I use quality hardware.
Mac is written to use a VERY limited selection of hardware (that you MUST buy from Apple Corp), and will simply not run on anything you didn't buy from them. Windows, on the other hand, will install easily, and run on hundreds of choices (most of them good) for hardware.
As for speed, I will put my XP machine up against any Mac OS machine of equal price, and I will blow your doors off. Period.
I have some friends that used Macs in the past (lifetime fanboi types), and they used to come over for lan parties I had, and they got tired of not being able to bring their own computers (they borrowed some of mine), and after using my XPs for an extended period of time, they came to the realization that their computer just couldn't do everything, but XP could. They also saw that my XPs were every bit as stable as their Macs, much to their surprise. They ended up buying XP machines when they wanted new ones, and their old macs now sit in their attics collecting dust.
They also realized what a value they could get for the money (and how much power was available) by being able to select their own hardware from any vendor, not being limited to what the Apple Gestapo decide to you must buy from them.
As for iPods, please... When I was shopping for a 30Gb player last year, I compared Ipod, Zune, and Zen, and for the money, nothing beat the Zen. It was the same price as the other two, but also came with an FM radio (Apple doesn't know what an FM radio is), the ability to record voice with a built-in mic, record Radio broadcasts, clock, calendar, sync with Outlook, Tasks, and a user-selectable sized section of the player that can be portioned off to become a 'dumb' flash drive that ANY O/S can recognize. Also, due to Creative's original interface (the one iPod copied, check the law suit), I don't have to deal with the crippling gerbil wheel of death for the thumb.
Apple is a successful company, and their marketing department is certainly the best in the world. After all, every commercial of theirs comes *THIS CLOSE* to lying, without actually lying. Mislead? Yes. Allow you to think something wrong? Certainly. But actually lying? Nope. (not according to law)
It's genius, really. And I respect that.
I HAVE used both. My wife owns a Mac. It's sitting about 7 feet away from me as I type this. I can honestly say that Macs are for computer illiterate people who like shiny things. If someone would like to point out, say, 3 areas where Macs are better than PCs, please let me know.
I HAVE used both. My wife owns a Mac. It's sitting about 7 feet away from me as I type this. I can honestly say that Macs are for computer illiterate people who like shiny things. If someone would like to point out, say, 3 areas where Macs are better than PCs, please let me know.
I HAVE used both. My wife owns a Mac. It's sitting about 7 feet away from me as I type this. I can honestly say that Macs are for people who like shiny things. If someone would like to point out, say, 3 areas where Macs are better than PCs, please let me know.
lol this right after the news that a macbook air has an overheating problem and safari a security problem ( http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9 [...] =cnetfd.mt )
I don't think the average Jow who doesn't even know what a hard drive is, much less what GHz means, should use a PC. PC's require a bit of maintenance. Not a lot, but say five minutes every Saturday.
If you do the maintenance, then a $1,500 PC will blow the socks of ANY Mac out there at any price. In stability, speed, compatibility, general usefulness, security (yes I said security)... Pretty much anything computers do, PC will do better...
I use three PC's and two Macs. My Macs crash more than my PC's and I can't do anything on them. Oooh Itunes. Yay. Oooh Microsoft Word. Thhbt.
I wouldn't recommend a PC for my grandmother. Why? Because she still has to get past using a Mouse.
Oh, by the way, Mac's are going to have a major security problem soon. With their growing popularity but NOT growing security, hackers will soon turn their attention to them as well. But people will still say, "Oh but it's a Mac. It's good! Why would I put security on my perfect Mac?"
Email me if you dare to have a real discussion about Apple and Microsoft. Bring tech because I have not time for foolish Microsoft humpers.
i switched from PC to mac, i have to say i don't plan to switch back any time soon i can say it is superior to windows in every way (other than gaming), and if i ever (which i don't plan to) switch back to windows i can dual boot or just remove leopard, linux is not a real consumer option yet but i still use it for my server for it is superior in that field
Why would you dual boot on a Mac when you can dual boot on a PC and have better hardware for the price? Oh yeah, I forgot, it's shiny! Shininess definitely deserves at least a 50% price premium.
Over priced crap for morons and snobs who don't know any better.
World's best brand? What a joke. Don't care how you polish a turd...it's still a turd.
By the way...Dubya prefers MAC. 'Nuff said!
April Fools.
hahaha you almost had me.
lifer and jephph4 are both righ on the spot.
People must understand that most users work and have no time to answer surveys, but I'm sure Apple fanboys have free time because their amazing machines do all the work for them. lol
An old man once told me, "you need the tools kid but you also need to know how to use them!" People use macs because they are easy, nobody wants to learn boring stuff like doing maintenance on their Windows OS or learning how to use a linux distro in a correct way...
I don't believe all Mac users just want the shiny box, but I do believe that most of them just don't want to spend some time to learn new things. (Fanboys have all the time in the world to learn new things, because they make loveee with their Macs all day long :-D this is a joke btw, if you get upset seek medical help from Steve Jobs! )
Apple just takes things and "reinvents" them, Apple users could say that Surface by MS it's just a big iphone XD. for me it's just a table with a touch sensitive area and other expensive things, In 1984 TED's Conference Mr. Nicholas Negroponte talked about touchscreen interfaces it's very educative, most of you Apple fanboys should see the video (http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/230)...
Joke: If Apple had 100 years WW1 & WW2 wouldn't happen because they would roundhouse kick eveybody, we would be robots by now and pigs could fly matrix style.
Be happy bash fanboys, don't bash all people! XD
Vista, OSX, XP, Gnome, KDE, etc are all just window managers. GUI front ends that perform tasks on the computers. I don't think one is better than another, they just perform specific tasks to accomplish jobs on a computer. That being said, Apple's influence throughout the PC industry is enormous. For all of the Apple bashers here, are you using a beige colored computer right now? Are you using a mouse? Or Vista for that matter? All of them were influenced by Apple. Apple gets it right by integrating designers at the very beginning of the engineering stages in both hardware and software. They also keep it simple. Have your grandmother go to Dell's site and pick a computer, and then send them to Apple's to find one. Even better, send them to Best Buy to find a PC for them, then to an Apple store. For nontechnical people, Apple is a fantastic brand. They don't have to deal with the clutter of Windows, or the thought in configuring a computer or an MP3 player. Microsoft made choosing a Mac that much easier with the release of Vista.
Hey Crom, I hope you are not saying that Apple invented the mouse or the gui. I am quite sick of uninformed Apple fans bashing MS because of supposedly stealing ideas. Well, if that is true, then Apple stole most of their ideas from Xerox PARC. Go to wikipedia, look up "computer mouse" or "computer gui" and we can see that Xerox PARC was the inital place that both of these concepts came from.
No, they didn't invent it, they popularized it.
Who cares? This is just marketing masturbation. I mean, how do you judge an influential company? Sure apple has made a huge impact on culture and tech, but so have alot of other companies. What apple did differently from the other companies was that they marketed themselves plain and simple. This has nothing to do with which platform is better or the like. It is just a bunch of people stroking each others ego.
Full disclosure: I think macs are over priced for what they give you. As to it being safer than xp? Well, why would I go after an o/s that posseses less than 1% of total market share when companies with the big bucks us XP, users who need to use a variety of software and programs us XP. People who use the mac O/S us it because it supports a program they like best, are tired of O/S, person who doesnt know any better and would break xp. The mac o/s may very well be better, but using the stablity or safety argument to support that theory is laughable.
V8VENOM, I would love to, if only your e-mail weren't private...
I think Apple is safer and more stable for one simple reason, it's harder for stupid users to spread viruses and trojans. It's got more built in checks and balances, as well as the BSD backend, to prevent this from happening. Does that mean that there aren't any out there? Of course not. It's just better set up to deal with this over Vista and XP.
If you're talking about Mac users, then yes, I agree. The issue of viruses though, is that the userbase for Macs is so small that no hacker would spend their time creating a virus for such a small base. That's no fun right? See, if Apple explodes, and everyone starts using OSX, then they will become the target of hackers, and it will be utterly destroyed. OSX doesn't have better protection, just less appeal.
Stupid users meaning most people behind a keyboard. You know, the ones that are perpetuating almost all the current viruses and trojans by clicking on links they get in e-mails or downloading warez. The install base has really nothing to do with it. I'd argue that Apple helps deflect those stupid users from sending out that information, while Microsoft is ambivalent, therefore increasing most of the current web problems. It's highly unlikely that I'll get spyware, trojans, or spam by surfing the web on a mac or in linux. If I'm using Windows, I have to install 3rd party software and configure it to "protect" the machine. Even then it's not 100%. In that way, OSX and linux are much more secure than Windows. It protects the web from its own users.