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Microsoft Says Windows PC Makers Seeing 'Continued Growth' in Premium Market Led by Apple

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Microsoft on Thursday reported a 5% increase in revenue from licensing Windows to PC makers as part of its latest quarterly earnings results.

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In a subsequent conference call, Microsoft's chief financial officer Amy Hood said its "partner ecosystem continued to see growth and share gains in the Windows premium device category," according to Business Insider. The comment has been interpreted by some as Microsoft stepping up its game against the Mac.

Microsoft reportedly defines "premium devices" as computers that are in the $900-plus price range, which equates to the higher end of the market traditionally led by Apple products such as the MacBook Pro. By its own definition, this includes Microsoft's latest Surface Book and Surface Studio desktop.

Last month, Microsoft said "more people are switching from Macs to Surface than ever before" following "the disappointment of the new MacBook Pro." The company has not released actual sales numbers to back that claim, however, while Microsoft's latest results include licensing to all Windows PC vendors.

While research firm Gartner says the worldwide PC market continues to decline, Mac sales grew by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Lenovo, HP, and Dell, the top three vendors, saw an estimated 5.4%, 4.3%, and 1.6% growth respectively during the quarter as well, while Asus, Acer, and others faced declines, according to Gartner.

Tags: Microsoft, Windows

Top Rated Comments

ArtOfWarfare Avatar
ArtOfWarfare
120 months ago
My iMac has been broken for the last two months. I haven't replaced it with anything yet because Apple's current lineup is so completely disappointing.

I've been getting by with my Windows 10 laptop from work instead. It's not awesome, but it does everything I need it to and saves me a few thousand.

Edit: Normally I'm happy to have a lot of upvotes on a post, but it's really depressing to have so many people agreeing with me that the Mac is dead.
Score: 78 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Labeno Avatar
Labeno
120 months ago
I've been a Mac user for over 10 years because they were awesome.
The MBP is proving Apple is running for profit and not innovation.
Here's some key differences between SurfaceBook and MBP:

* SB - 16 hours of battery life. MBP - 10 hour. In reality, SB is a little less with pro usage, but MBP is only about 2 to 3 hours. Pathetic.
* SB - Has magsafe like connector for safety. MBP - got rid of Magsafe, one of the best inventions ever. This is ridiculous.
* SB - Has touchscreen. Once you use it you never go back. MBP - no touch screen, but has touch bar, that once you use it, you tend to avoid it.
* SB - Has detachable screen, where when detached, the OS changes into a tablet mode making it great for simple things like games, email, and browsing. MBP - can't detach screen, so if you wan't a tablet, it need to buy an expensive iPad. Obvious money grab.
* SB - Has the option for Nvidia GPU, which is great for CUDA developement, which I do. MBP - does not offer this option. So stuck with non CUDA development.

Please let me know if I'm being over critical, but please justify you reasoning. Remember, I was a hard core Mac lover, and Apple makes more money than anyone, so there's no reason that Apple should be 4 years behind the competition. Tim Cook may be fantastic at organizing production, but he would be fired if Steve Job's came back to life for what he has done to the company. Yes, the stock is good, but that cause the company is running for profit. It won't last.
Score: 52 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Derekuda Avatar
Derekuda
120 months ago
If you haven't yet switched to a Microsoft Surface, do so now! Apple is train running straight into bankruptcy from bad products and overpriced watch bands no one asked for, with its stupid train conductor Tim and coal shoveling minion Johnny
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
S
sakabaro
120 months ago
Yeah, I can feel people. I've tried to switch and Win 10 is now a competitive choice against MacBooks Pro.

For me though, MacOS is still ahead to development work. Better unix integration, better terminal. Brew is a breeze.

I am looking forward to have the Linux subsystem for windows improved and I will definitely not look bad. Apple is not what it used to be.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
R
RyanA
120 months ago
I use the vi editor. Lacking a physical "Esc" key on the keyboard is a 100% deal-breaker for me. I am eyeing the new Dell XPS 15 laptops.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
R
RyanA
120 months ago
Under a rock? You do know the, "esc," key literally is always present?
Re-read my posting. Emphasis on the word physical.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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