Study explains how retailers stop Linux from entering the market
1–10 of 41 posts
Re: Study explains how retailers stop Linux from entering the market
#2I don't think it's the retailers stopping Linux from entering the mainstream. It's the users. A vast majority of people in the market for a new computer will freak out when the see Linux, because they have no idea what it is and it has no Start button.
Re: Study explains how retailers stop Linux from entering the market
#3I don't think it's the retailers stopping Linux from entering the mainstream. It's the users. A vast majority of people in the market for a new computer will freak out when the see Linux, because they have no idea what it is and it has no Start button.
That doesn't explain all the people buying Macs. What it does explain is why cheap Android tablets can't make a dent in the tablet market, while the iPad, among the most expensive options, prints money for Apple every year. It's the disproportionate importance of branding.
Re: Study explains how retailers stop Linux from entering the market
#4I don't think it's the retailers stopping Linux from entering the mainstream. It's the users. A vast majority of people in the market for a new computer will freak out when the see Linux, because they have no idea what it is and it has no Start button.
That doesn't explain all the people buying Macs. What it does explain is why cheap Android tablets can't make a dent in the tablet market, while the iPad, among the most expensive options, prints money for Apple every year. It's the disproportionate importance of branding.
Except people know what a Mac is b/c it has boatloads of marketing behind it. Linux lacks that push.
Re: Study explains how retailers stop Linux from entering the market
#5I don't think it's the retailers stopping Linux from entering the mainstream. It's the users. A vast majority of people in the market for a new computer will freak out when the see Linux, because they have no idea what it is and it has no Start button.
That doesn't explain all the people buying Macs. What it does explain is why cheap Android tablets can't make a dent in the tablet market, while the iPad, among the most expensive options, prints money for Apple every year. It's the disproportionate importance of branding.
Not to mention how relatively easy Macs and iThings are to use. This is subjective, but I think Apple's better than anyone at making computers that "non computer people" can figure out.
Re: Study explains how retailers stop Linux from entering the market
#6I don't think it's the retailers stopping Linux from entering the mainstream. It's the users. A vast majority of people in the market for a new computer will freak out when the see Linux, because they have no idea what it is and it has no Start button.
I actually think its the sales staff. A lot of the linux devices that reach the market are pushed on unknowing users who freak out when it doesn't work as expected.
People who adopt Macs know its going to be different. The guy in the shop is often saying how much the same it is, and the user doesn't realize that it is different until they try and put the printer driver disk in and it doesn't work.
Re: Study explains how retailers stop Linux from entering the market
#7I don't think it's the retailers stopping Linux from entering the mainstream. It's the users. A vast majority of people in the market for a new computer will freak out when the see Linux, because they have no idea what it is and it has no Start button.
Except that a) some people did a study on this and published a white paper, it's really difficult to find but I'm sure you will if you look hard enough (hint: under your nose) and b) I've introduced very non-technical people to Ubuntu and they have had no problems with it.
Re: Study explains how retailers stop Linux from entering the market
#8Earlier quoted context omitted.
That doesn't explain all the people buying Macs. What it does explain is why cheap Android tablets can't make a dent in the tablet market, while the iPad, among the most expensive options, prints money for Apple every year. It's the disproportionate importance of branding.
Not to mention how relatively easy Macs and iThings are to use. This is subjective, but I think Apple's better than anyone at making computers that "non computer people" can figure out.
I don't think OS X nor iOS are much easier to use than their free counterparts, it's just that new users have at least two incentives to learn them, and so they do, without thinking too much about it.
First, they have a positive reinforcement: Mac is "hip", so you'll look cool by using their products (the fact that everybody and their mother owns one or ten doesn't seem to diminish this perception), and also a negative reinforcement because everybody knows "Apple makes easy-to-use products" so if you don't learn to use them quickly you'll look bad.
I'm sure Linux and *BSD have earned more followers by looking different or difficult than by trying to be "easy" (whatever that word means). But that's a discussion for another day...
Re: Study explains how retailers stop Linux from entering the market
#9No, retailers do not stop anything.
1) Nothing, absolutely nothing sells in meaningful quantities for reatailer without marketing.
2) For unknown or new products it is not in the retailers best interest to start create market for somebody elses brand/product. There's nothing to gain.
3) The brand/product must market themselves and as nobody owns Linux, nobody will do that, hence it will not sell.
Re: Study explains how retailers stop Linux from entering the market
#10Earlier quoted context omitted.
That doesn't explain all the people buying Macs. What it does explain is why cheap Android tablets can't make a dent in the tablet market, while the iPad, among the most expensive options, prints money for Apple every year. It's the disproportionate importance of branding.
Not to mention how relatively easy Macs and iThings are to use. This is subjective, but I think Apple's better than anyone at making computers that "non computer people" can figure out.
People still get friends to help them out. The support networks in computing are very important.