A Windows laptop in its natural environment

Hey guys. I want to talk a little bit about a couple of things I’ve heard recently when talking to colleagues in the user experience and service design communities.

Here’s something I heard the other day:

I hate how the company won’t buy me a Macbook. I have to bring in my laptop from home. I can’t use the Windows laptop they gave me, I’ve never used Windows, it sucks.

On the surface, this doesn’t sound that controversial. Macbook Pros are arguably the best laptops on the market. They have the best screens, the best touchpads, the best keyboards, and the best batteries.

Sure, there are good laptops out there that aren’t MacPros, but you have to hunt for them. Not to mention the fact that Windows has been an easy punching bag for designers in the past. It’s not very hip.

The thing is, Apple’s share of the computing market (not the phone or tablet market) is only around six percent according to IDC’s quarterly tracker. Six percent. Windows machines are overwhelmingly more popular, in business and in the home — except with design professionals.