Apple (AAPL) finally pulled back the curtain on several new products at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) today. The Cupertino, California tech giant demonstrated the features of new operating systems for both its mobile and mac platforms as well as significant updates to the much-hyped Siri. Still, it is the refresh of their MacBook Air and MacBook Pro devices that could have the most significant impact on the companies bottom line. With typical dramatic flair, Apple is shipping both devices today, which will no doubt quickly be snatched up by devotees.
Starting at $2,200, the MacBook Pro seems targeted toward enterprise buyers—at least in terms of those who can afford it. Such a migration would make sense for Apple. According to AllThingsD and Forrester Research, Apple will account for 19% of the enterprise market in 2012 and close to 30% in 2013. Enterprise is currently less than one-fifth of Apple's greater than $110 billion trailing revenue. With near-total dominance on the consumer front, the low-hanging fruit for Apple is on the corporate side.
Be that as it may, Jonathan Geller, founder and editor of BGR.com, says Apple is going to continue to "think differently" about the enterprise market. Today's announcements are less about capturing a specific target market and more about making a statement. "I don't think it's geared toward any one group," Geller says in the attached video. "[Apple] is really trying to push the boundaries of what they can do with the computer."
"It's about saying, 'We make the best notebooks in the world. Nobody can touch us for price. Nobody can touch us for quality. Nobody can touch us for features.' To me that's a very, very important part of Apple."
It would seem that, yet again, Apple has built the best hardware and has made meaningful, though ultimately incremental improvements to what was already the best operating system. Whether or not the IT world comes knocking isn't something Apple is going to sweat one way or another.
