Remember the popular "Switch" ad campaign Apple (AAPL +2.35%) launched in 2002? The ads featured satisfied customers who had switched from computers running Microsoft's (MSFT 1.47%) Windows operating system to the Mac. Well, the tech giant would be justified in running a similar campaign again today. A surprisingly high number of U.S.-based Windows users are planning to switch to Mac, according to a new survey by market research company Verto Analytics.
This survey's optimistic outlook for Apple's Mac business follows some important updates for the Mac lineup, and it could foreshadow more revenue growth for the segment.
New 2017 iMacs. Image source: Apple.
Ready to switch
Exactly how many Windows users would switch to a Mac? Twenty-one percent of Windows laptop owners and 25% of Windows desktop owners said that they intend to switch to a Mac within the next six months, according to Verto Analytics' recent poll.
But what about Mac users' willingness to switch to Windows? Could Microsoft gain as many Mac users as it loses to Apple? Not according to Verto's data. Only 2% of Mac owners said they would switch to a different computer. Conversely, this means that an impressive 98% of current Mac owners said they planned for their next computer to be a Mac.
Rebounding Mac sales
The survey's findings nicely coincide with a recent uptick in Mac sales. Driven primarily by strong demand from its October 2016 redesigned and updated Macbook Pro, revenue for the segment increased 14% year over year in the most recent quarter. The strong growth meant Mac gained market share during the quarter, with global Mac market share in the PC market increasing from 6.3% in the year-ago quarter to 6.8% in Apple's most recently reported quarter, according to data by IDC.
Mac revenue growth reflects a rebound for the segment, following three quarters in a row of year-over-year declines in 2016.
Data source: Company SEC filings. Chart source: Author.
With Mac sales returning to growth, the segment is becoming more important to Apple's overall revenue. Mac revenue accounted for 11% of overall revenue in the company's fiscal second quarter of 2017, up from about 10% in the year-ago quarter.
Apple seems intent on continuing this momentum. At its WWDC 2017 earlier this month, Apple refreshed the iMac, MacBook Pro, and its 12-inch MacBook with Intel's seventh-generation (Kaby Lake) core chips. And the iMac's displays were updated as well. Finally, the new space gray iMac Pro, which won't start shipping until December, stole the show during Apple's WWDC keynote. The high-end iMac for professionals will boast Intel's powerful Xeon processor and offer configuration options up to 18 cores.
Considering Verto Analytics' findings about the willingness of Windows users to switch to Mac, the recent sales momentum, and the major upgrades to the lineup this summer, the Mac business looks poised to continue to see revenue growth and market share gains. Add in the fact that the Mac is also doing extremely well in China -- with revenue in the important market up 20% year over year in the most recent quarter -- and Apple's Mac business looks rock-solid.
