There have been conflicting reports from a variety of firms, suggesting that Apple’s Mac sales have fallen 7% (IDC), or conversely, that they have increased 7% (Gartner) or even increased by 14% (NPD). Countless articles (at least 6 that I have seen, including this Cnet article that started the trend) have been written for no other reason than to point out the discrepancy between the various reports.
Well, this might be a HUGE news flash (or not, hopefully) – but market research firms often differ in their reports. There are many reasons for this – differences in the way they track data, the use of different sources between the firms, and so forth. So, which firm is correct? Surprise (or not) – nobody really knows!
I simply don’t understand the number of articles I have seen trying to make sense of this. The fact of the matter is, with less than two weeks to go before Apple releases their official quarterly financial result…who cares?! Let’s cut the crap, save our sanity, and just wait for Apple to reveal the ACTUAL numbers rather than dwelling on the guesswork of analysts.