Vista laptops not top sellers on Amazon

Computer sales on Amazon.com are not exactly a proxy for the broader retail market. Still, I do think it is noteworthy that of the top 20 best-selling laptops on Thursday evening, just one was running Windows Vista.

That one is an HP mini-notebook that ranked No. 18, trailing behind a gaggle of Macs and Netbooks running either Windows XP or Linux.

On the plus side for Redmond, 10 of the top 20 machines were running some flavor of Windows. And, as I mentioned, Amazon is not a true barometer.

Apple's market share, while growing isn't exactly neck and neck with Microsoft's. And Netbooks, while a rising trend, aren't completely taking over the market.

But while the numbers are skewed the trends are worth paying attention to. Two of the hottest parts of the PC market are the areas where Windows faces its stiffest competition.

The Amazon sales trend was noted earlier Thursday by MacDailyNews, though they used a slightly different measurement.

[vmlenigma]

I wonder how they still claim that their new worthless OS is the hottest thing in the world

Hi Im a PC

NOT!

[Kwasiowusu]

Amazon US is NOT the world.
How many laptops/dekstops did Apple sell in the huge Chinese market?
Or the big Russian/ Indian/Brazilian markets?
80 million PC's were sold worldwide last quarter, how many of those were Mac's?
Did Apple even manage to sell 3 million Mac's worldwide out of those 80 million?
The Mac is an afterthought and a roundung error in worldide personal computer sales or market share , and Amazon US US but a blip on the worldwide computer sales landscape.
Yet another meaningless post on CNET.
Slow news day is it?

[Penguinisto]

@ Kwasi:

- the same Chinese market where one can buy a copy of Windows for $2 (after exchange)?
- the same Russian market where you get it for $0.01 (or whatever the cost of downloading + burning to CD costs)?
- and ditto for the Indian and Brazilian markets?

"80 million PC's were sold worldwide last quarter, how many of those were Mac's"
Source please.

[DrtyDogg]

Peng: google "PC Shipments Q3" all sorts of sources quoting Gartner. Although he did have it wrong it was actually 80.6 Million

[Maccess]

Apple's market share, while growing isn't exactly neck and neck with Microsoft's. And Netbooks, while a rising trend, aren't completely taking over the market.

-- That's because Apple's and everyone else's market share is growing.
--Netbooks never claimed they would be 100% of the portables market, just a big chunk of it, because Netbooks are what people really need in a Wi-Fi hotspot, not the overpowered, over powerconsuming, over complex and over heavy workstation class devices that run for fifteen minutes on battery power and take five minutes to start up.

[rasmasyean]

Vista takes 5 seconds to start up from S3 sleep mode (2 watts).

[rasmasyean]

How can you make anything from computers sold at a "book store"???

Try a real computer store like NewEgg.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2030260032+4802&Configurator=&Subcategory=32&description=&Ntk=&SpeTabStoreType=&srchInDesc=

[rasmasyean]

As of this writing the above is 13/19 are Vista and 6/19 are XP...
This is a note for future reference if you want to compare later.

[w.hall--2008]

Rasmasyean;

How does your rebuttal even hold water? Newegg doesn't even sell Macbooks!

[JFLN0007]

On NewEgg...

Apple MacBook Air MB003LL/A Intel Core 2 Duo 1.60GHz 13.3" WXGA 2GB DDR2 667 80GB 4200rpm Intel GMA X3100 Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834100029

They sellem'

[Philstera]

My god Ina this would have to be the most pathetic non story you have published yet. Do you have any idea how most people purchase theirs computers? No didnt think so.

Hint its not from Amazon.

[billmosby]

"-- That's because Apple's and everyone else's market share is growing."

And all the children are above average.

[itstony2008]

Hi Ina, this is my first post here.

This is because cheaper "subnotebooks" are starting to move into the market. They are offering full fledged operating systems (Linux, XP) in a small form factor, cheaply, we a way we haven't seen before.

Also, we're seeing different subnotebooks, different colors, different models. In my opinion, subnotebooks should be "stacked" if they are that similar, or seperated from this list completely.

I interpret your post differently, I'm seeing a very popular and bustling subnotebook market!

[itstony2008]

Hi Ina, this is my first post here.

This is because cheaper "subnotebooks" are starting to move into the market. They are offering full fledged operating systems (Linux, XP) in a small form factor, cheaply, we a way we haven't seen before.

Also, we're seeing different subnotebooks, different colors, different models. In my opinion, subnotebooks should be "stacked" if they are that similar, or separated from this list completely.

I interpret your post differently, I'm seeing a very popular and bustling subnotebook market!

[InsomniacInc]

Both OS' have merit. i've used vista and while my primary computer is a Mac, i have no problem using vista. Now its one big fault is that it is a Power Hungry OS. So anything under a good duel core and a couple gigs of ram, forget about it, you are in for a slow painful "death". but fundamentally as an OS its not bad, it has some features that are very good. My dad who is by no means a techie or power user found it very easy to "dive" into vista.

That said, like points made by some posters before me, this isn't necissarily a test of the OS, either some people are going to actual stores, or perhaps its more the fact of the features of the actual laptops as opposed to the OS that their running.

Who cares people buy laptops and there's far to many variables to account for these statistics.

[rasmasyean]

In Newegg's "Top Sellers", 13 of19 are Vista and 6 of 19 are XP.
Given that Newegg (vs. Amazon) is an actual computer shop, you can't say that people are more prone to buy Mac's or "sub compact" notebooks (which are just novelties).

[ballmerisanape]

All of the Macs run XP and Vista..(and better too)... so change that to 19 of 19...

[Penguinisto]

Newegg is nore of a PC enthusiast's store. The majority of folks there buy computer parts from 'em... so little surprise there.

Amazon OTOH is a shopping center for non-geeks.

[rasmasyean]

Actually...correction... All 6 of the NewEgg WinXP top sellers are Intel Atom computers, which make them a sub-compact. You are right. :p

[SactoGuy018]

I think people's perceptions of Windows Vista not useful for laptops will start to change now that 64-bit Vista installations are showing up even on laptops.

The problem with Windows Vista up till now was that it needed a dual-core CPU and a lot of RAM to make it work, but since Intel and AMD are pretty much shipping mostly dual-core CPU's (even on the laptop level) with x86-64 code support for new machines and that RAM modules are dirt-cheap nowadays, new users can buy new laptops running Windows Vista Home Premium (SP1) with no problems.

[rasmasyean]

Yeah, unless you have a reasonably good desktop for Vista in the beginning, your experience would suck. Now all the laptops are like good desktops back then and the desktops are all Quad core. Incidentally, all the sub-notebooks are XP it seems and the weaker ones are Linux. :)

Only problem is that stores are clearing all the 32-bit computers and they are so cheap. But then ppl are going to buy them and can't upgrade the RAM past 3GB later on and are going to suffer if they don't know about 64-bit or are willing to pay a little extra for it.

[wolivere]

Try someone like bestbuy or any other major company that sells both looking at best buy, Apple is not in the top 20 The first Mac does not show up until #45 on the list.

My ex father in law being was a number cruncher. He always said you can make any report look any way you want, just depends on how you twist it.

[Mr. Dee]

The fact that the return rate for Linux based netbooks is 4 times higher than XP proves Linux is not ready for both a traditional market and this new market.

[xilonic]

And what does the first reviewer of the laptop with Vista does? Removes Vista and installs XP!

[CBattery]

This really isn't a statement on Vista, but really a statement to the fact that every notebook on the list sells for less than $500. Except the Apples of course which cost 3, 4 or 5 times as much. If you want to take somethign away from this, it's that low costs PCs sell and most don't have the horsepower to run a modern OS like Vista. That and the cheapest Mac is twice as much as the cheapest PC.

[imacpwr]

Seeing how the new MacBooks just came out I'd be more curious about what all those laptop owners were planing on buying and not what they're selling...
;)

[dmhallman]

Are we not going to group in PDAs, settops, Cell phones and ipods as well? Since the netbooks DO NOT HAVE a Vista option and most people are making decisions with their wallets, not their wants, this is more of an indication of market opportunities then anti-Vista purchasing. Add to the fact the Apple laptops were just announced this week.

What would be interesting, is to see how many actual laptops are selling in the $500 to $800 area with Vista. And maybe get the numbers form an online computer retailer. With all the vendors and models to group in, I am sure the number would make all Mac and Linux fanboys weep.

Amazon should group netbooks in with pdas, not laptops, for a true number.

[bmw013090]

Let's not forget: 1 in 20 for Vista, but almost every PC sells Vista in stores. Amazon does not have the best laptop deals. Fewer people buy them there.

[ballmerisanape]

Microsoft does not sell PC... they sell an OS.. so.. it's more appropriate to compare Apple's growth to other companies that sell HARDWARE!

That said... all of those Macs can run XP, Vista, OS 10.xx, and Linix/Unix oses.... .. What other computer can do that?