I think that it is largely because of the Mac mini. I was a PC user just wishing for a more affordable mac, and alas my wish was granted... Although it wasn't that cheap after we figured in all of the upgrades....

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Wow, that is impressive. I'm sure it's mostly due to the iPod since I rarely hear anything about the Mac mini these days. Maybe it's just all the iPod press overshadowing the mini's successes.

Any bets on when it'll get up to 10%?

Fishes,
narco.

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Marketers agree the halo effect can be powerful, but it's so difficult to quantify and just as difficult to harness. Everyone agrees Apple has a good thing with the iPod, but translating that into PC sales is a challenging proposition. And challenging to measure. You'd need almost all other factors to be static -- operating system, price point, specs, etc. -- to begin to even hypothesize that the halo effect is where the change in sales came from.

That's not the case this quarter, with (as Colin points out) the Mac Mini bringing in a new audience and a strong buzz for Tiger being a Longhorn killer.

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i bought a PB after buying 2 ipods. i was looking to replace my wintel lappy.

i convinced 2 friends to do the same. so i think the halo effect is real. at least i hope it is, being an apple shareholder and all.... :)

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Yet, the one article I read on a tech site about the PC sales rankings didn't even contain the word Apple...

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Why must it be the iPod effect or nothing? What about the stores? Or even the more competitive pricing? Why not a combination of all things finally working? I'd imagine if Apple didn't have a retail store, and only sold iPods online, there'd likely be no halo to worship at. Likewise, if there was no iPod to draw customers into the stores, the Mac experience would remain known only to the regular faithful. Maybe I'm just saying that the stores seem to be the redheaded stepchild in everything.

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As a 'halo switcher' I definately see the iPods effect, but it's more of an iTunes effect... having such a nice piece of software on my Windows box made me see the error of my ways. I've switched, so have 4 or 5 people I know, all for the same reason.

iTunes and the iPod are providing the Apple experience to users who were reluctant to drop $1,800 on a computer to see if they liked it, and when it's time to buy a new machine Apple is suddenly an option. iTunes is the gateway drug to the heroin of the Apple experience.

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Well, I am not exactly a halo switcher, although I bought my iPod 2 months prior to the iMac G5...
I had wanted to buy a mac since almost 2 years, but never had the funds for it or the courage (although I had used the crappy old macs at high school with the BW displays that were about 10" big)...

Since finding sites like TUAW though, my desire for a mac had grown considerably, especially with all the driver/antivirus/crash trouble with XP...

I would say this april it was several factors that finally made me switch:

1) most of all, I finally had the CASH for it (mac mini was no option for me, as I was a laptop user and didnt have a screen to reuse, so I opted for an all in one beautiful iMac G5)

2) the power of OS X (it being based on UNIX and all the driverless hardware integration)

3) iLife. Simply iLife. I had been dying for a mac ever since using iTunes, longing for iPhoto on windows....

4) sites like TUAW, showing me the range of cool sw/hw that is being built for the mac. especially sw is done with much more love (much more freeware, too) than the sw on windows.

I love seeing Apple growing so much. And I cannot wait for more stores, and more products.... it's been too long since january's new product line-up.... (i mean the intel news is interesting, but we still have to wait a year to see products based on that, so i want to see other new products now! video iPod for vidlogging, or any other cool new product for that matter).

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I'm not a switcher, I'm an "adder." At my home setup I had a Linux and a Windows box, and the Mac Mini made me pay attention more closely. I was intrigued by the Mac ever since the introduction of OSX, in past employment I was forced to endure System 6,7, then 9 after going between Mac and PC's. However, as a more power user of any computer, the Mini didn't cut it, so I ended up with the latest Gen of the iMac G5 20" model, purchased so that it arrived the DAY Apple announced the Intel stuff. I have no regrets--it's a fabulous machine and my Linux experience allows me to "cut to the chase" on a lot of things--I love it so far. Am I switching from my Windows and Linux boxes? Absolutely not, with Windows I've got a lot of software (and games), Linux is nice to hack around with and makes a great server, and the Mac is tops for general user experience where I want to use a computer like a "normal user" and not the power user/geek I am otherwise.

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It was the MacMini that got me. I was long-time tired of Windows, tried (and fought constantly with) Linux and the $600 price tag of the Mini was what allowed me to switch. I wasn't going to drop 1-2 grand on a machine I wasn't familiar with and not sure I was going to like.

Needless to say, I'm now a life-long convert. The Mini and OSX have been so easy to use, I can't imagine willingly going back to anything else.

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Anyone know who slipped to #5? The link isn't working right.

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I myself am part of the halo effect. After getting an ipod, I became more curious about Apple and its other products. Getting to use OS X in school finally threw me over the edge to buy a powerbook...and i love it!

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Can't say I'm a switcher, or part of the Halo effect. I used Macs from the first 100 days in 1984 until System 8 (1995?) I moved to Windows for the abundance of tools, and lots more jobs. I have written software for HPUX, Solaris, Linux, Windows and the Mac.

I was interested in OS X when it first came out, but couldn't justify a Mac just to try the OS. I got a Mini in February, and it has become my primary workstation, although most of my work is still on Linux. I'll continue to use my Windows box for the one thing it does best: Games. And, for now I will be spending most of my money on Windows, for the same reason.

I wonder how they count 'market share' numbers. In my house, we have 8 machines, (5 Windows, 2 Linux and one Mac). So I don't know how you put that in 'market share.'

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I bought an ipod two years ago, and i have owned a G5 imac for a week.
i'd say the halo effect is true, i'm living proof!
I've made the switch, and i'm not looking back!

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