| The Apple3 that was first introduced in 1980 with a starting price between $4,340 to $7,800 (Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=205447) |
In a rare moment of openness, Apple invited several tech reporters into its headquarters yesterday to discuss the future of Mac computers. During the roundtable event which was attended by at least two of Apple’s senior executives, Apple’s SVP of Marketing Phil Schiller said that Apple has “big plans for the iMac” and teased that his company is “in the process of completely rethinking the Mac Pro”.
Talking about unfinished products is extremely rare for Apple, which is why many experts interpret the latest event as an effort by Apple to remind Mac users that they are still relevant to the company. Since the start of the new millennium, the Mac’s significance to Apple’s business has gradually faded.
Back in 2000, Mac computers accounted for more than 86 percent of Apple’s net sales. With the launch of the first iPod in 2002, things started to change though and ever since 2005 Apple is no longer a computer company first. That trend was only accelerated when the first iPhone hit the market in 2007 and started transforming Apple into the most profitable company the world has ever seen. In 2016, Mac sales accounted for 11 percent of Apple’s revenue – the lowest it has ever been.