Author Archives: Scalper1

Apple’s PC Market Share Hits New High; Windows Notches Fresh Low

Apple ( AAPL ) saw its share of personal-computer operating systems in use on the Internet rise to a new high in April, Net Applications reported Sunday. Apple’s Mac operating systems collectively accounted for 9.2% of PCs online last month, up from 7.8% in March. Net Applications cautioned that the April data is preliminary. Still, Apple’s percentage of PCs in use on the Internet has been on the rise for several years. Its previous high was 8% in October. About year ago, in April 2015, Mac OS claimed 7.4% usage share. Net Applications data go back to November 2007, when Windows had 95.9% market share and Mac claimed just 3.4%. Conversely,  Microsoft ( MSFT ) has seen its stranglehold on the PC market loosen. Its usage share of the PC market fell below 90% for the first time last month. Windows accounted for 89.2% of PCs on the Internet in April, down from 90.5% in March, Net Applications said. The top version of the Mac OS in use is Mac OS X 10.11, called El Capitan. It garnered 4% of the PC market in April, Net Applications said.

Will Commvault Hit Another Home Run With Earnings Report?

On the heels of a company transition, Commvault Systems ( CVLT ) is set to report earnings before the market open Tuesday, with the stock up sharply from its previous quarterly earnings report. The provider of data management services is expected to post revenue of $157 million, up 4% year over year and marking the second quarter in a row of revenue growth after three previous quarters of declines. The consensus on earnings per share minus items, based on analysts polled by Thomson Reuters, is 25 cents, down from 27 cents in the year-earlier period, for its fiscal fourth quarter ended March 31. After reporting fiscal Q3 earnings after the close on Jan. 27 that beat estimates, Commvault stock soared 16% the following day. From that point, the stock is up 21%, about where it was one year ago. Commvault stock was trading near 43.50, down a fraction, in midday trading in the stock market today . Commvault has an IBD Accumlation/Distribution Rating of A+, suggesting heavy institutional buying and little selling of late. Pacific Crest Securities analyst Brent Bracelin said in a research note that much of Commvault’s turnaround is now behind it, giving the company a “line of sight to a recovery.” This, he said, was further proof of Commvault’s success in enabling businesses to migrate to cloud services from providers such as Amazon ( AMZN ), Google parent Alphabet ( GOOGL ) and Microsoft ( MSFT ). “We see new products driving a return to double-digit license growth in the coming year,” Bracelin wrote.

Windows 10 Adoption Slows As PC Users Resist Upgrade Push

Microsoft ‘s ( MSFT ) Windows 10 operating system saw its adoption slow in April as users of older PCs resisted frequent on-screen alerts to upgrade. The percentage of personal computers on the Internet using Windows 10 inched up to 14.4% in April from 14.2% in March, Net Applications reported Sunday. The operating system, released nine months ago, ended 2015 with nearly 10% market share. It hit 11.9% in January and 12.8% in February. Microsoft is offering Windows 10 as a free upgrade to users of Windows 7 and 8 machines, but that deal ends on July 29. With sales of new PCs in the doldrums, Microsoft has been relying on free upgrades to boost the market share for its latest PC operating system. Windows 10 is now the second-most-popular PC operating system in use after Windows 7, which took a 48.8% market share in April. Windows 10 has received generally positive reviews, but has been criticized for its privacy policies and its collection and use of customer data. In recent months, Microsoft has been sending pop-up reminders to Windows 7 and 8 users about the free upgrade program. The nagging has reached comical levels. On April 27, a Windows 10 upgrade request popped up on a weather map during a live news broadcast by TV station KCCI in Des Moines , Iowa. Meteorologist Metinka Slater was warning viewers about thunderstorms and heavy rainfall when the Win 10 pop-up covered most of her radar screen. “Microsoft recommends upgrading to Windows 10, what should I do?” a surprised Slater asked. “Don’t you love when that pops up?” A video of the goof went viral on YouTube . RELATED: Microsoft Stock Plummets On March-Quarter Miss, Weak Guidance