Mac by the numbers

When it comes to the Mac in the enterprise, mindshare does not translate into market share - at least not yet.

On the one hand, Apple's sales from a percentage gain standpoint look impressive. In the third quarter of 2007, the Mac’s share of desktop shipments climbed to 4.8%, with year-over-year growth of 33%. In the laptop space, Apple ranked fourth in laptop shipments, with a 9.7% share in the second quarter and year-over-year growth of 29%.

But as I mentioned briefly in the in Mac in the enterprise story that ran today, IDC analyst David Daoud cautions things look differently when you break down those unit shipments by market segment. Have a look at the IDC data for key market segments in the U.S. Apple's best showing is here:

Then there's the business space:

By IDC's numbers, Apple's percent share of total unit shipments in every business segment is practically nonexistent and has yet to climb back to 1995 levels. The year 2002 was the low point for Apple. (*Note that the 2007 numbers show the average market share for the only the first three quarters, while the 1995 and 2002 numbers are for a full year).

(Remember, these are year-over-year unit shipment market share numbers, not installed base.)

What's most striking is how far IDC's numbers show that Apple has fallen in all categories of business - and how far it has to go to catch up. Although Apple is seeing double digit increases in unit sales, most of that is going to education and consumer markets, according to IDC's research.

"Clearly they haven’t been as convincing as others in terms of reaching out into the commercial space," Daoud says. And with market share numbers so low, even double digit increases in unit shipments will produce only small gains in overall market share.

In the business markets, most interest is coming from the SMB space, Dauod says. "Right now their strategy is to fill a channels program for SMB and they’re trying to create incentives for companies to buy their systems," he says.

Daoud thinks Apple has better market opportunities than focusing on the enterprise in expanding its education and consumer products segments outside of the U.S. "They really have been focusing only on two segments and they’ve put most of their eggs in the U.S. basket. There’s a lot of room for expansion abroad [in those areas]", he says.

With that opportunity at hand, why try to crack such a difficult and competitive market as the enterprise, where entrenched players reign and IT's requirements are demanding? "It’s much easier to get into specific consumer markets," Daoud says.