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Old 11-26-2009, 10:06 PM
ianbjor
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 30

I don't think anyone will be surprised by the numbers for Windows 7 adoption, and everyone is well aware that Windows' market share makes Mac OS X look like nothing. Calling this a "reality check" is a stretch.

However, you must be aware of the idea of mavens -- the influential people who drive market trends (if not, read Malcolm Gladwell's book, The Tipping Point. These are the people that everyone asks, "What (insert compter/gadget here) should I buy?" Individually, they represent a small percentage of the overall market, but they have massive influence. Therefore, attracting these consumers is crucial for a product to be successful. These are probably many of the people you saw at Mobius, and who read this site, too.

For the iPod, Apple correctly recognized that many of these customers were running Windows. Making iTunes for Windows was crucial not only for the success of the iPod, but it has certainly been a factor in the Mac's growth as well -- the "halo effect" is well documented.

Look at the marketing for the Verizon Droid: It is clearly aimed directly at tech-savvy people. The ads point(ed) out issues that normal users couldn't care less about, and may not even be aware of ("iDon't support open development", "iDon't run widgets", etc.).

There are plenty of Mac users that I know that look at the Zune HD – and especially the Zune Pass –*with interest. It's a great music player, and the subscription service is something that they would love to take advantage of, since Apple won't (or can't) create a subscription plan for the iTunes Music Store.

So, a company can't just look at raw sales to drive a decision on whether to support a certain segment. They need to understand *who* is in that segment, and if the influence they have is worth the cost.
 
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