How Important are Mac Compatible Online Casinos?

Let’s travel back in time a bit to the early days of the internet gambling industry. At the turn of the century, while online casinos were surging, Apple‘s Mac computer sales were abysmal compared to its rivals, operating on Windows PC. This led to a very low rate Mac compatible online casinos. Why spend so much time on a product that only a small, niche market will use?

A Mac online casino client wasn’t considered necessary – at least not necessary enough for software giants to waste their time in development. After all, Mac users had found a way around the problem by installing special Windows emulator software on their Macs, designed to run all of those programs that a Apple’s computers could not, including internet gambling software.

Was it a good solution? Absolutely not. I tried it myself for a while, and let me tell you, back in those days, running what amounted to two operating systems simultaneously… it wasn’t good. There was constant lag and you never knew when your emulator was going to crash (usually at the worst of times).

On a side note, Windows emulators are a lot better today, but thankfully, we don’t need them so much anymore because Apple has come a long way. But I digress…

First Mac Compatible Online Casinos Arrive

The theory that Mac compatible online casinos weren’t necessary was finally swept aside by industry leader Microgaming more than a decade ago. I’m not talking about the Flash-compatible ones that were painfully slow and twitchy (internet connection speeds weren’t what they are today!), but a genuine, downloadable desktop client – one that had all the games, with the highest quality sound and graphics, just like PAC users had access to for years.

When Microgaming introduced its separate Mac online casino client, every Mac owner who wanted to take a crack on the internet pokies flocked to sites powered by that software brand. And while it did wonders for Microgaming’s reputation, it did little to change the direction the industry was going. There simply weren’t enough Mac gamblers out there to a dent in their profit margins.

Slowly – and I do mean slowly – other software developers began following Microgaming’s lead, providing Mac compatible online casinos for download. How slow, you ask? Here’s a perfect example. The state-regulated online casinos in Delaware, USA boasted Mac compatibility for the first time in mid 2014, more than a year after the software went into development.

Mac Is Back: Apple Sales Outpace Rivals

But to all my Mac-loving friends out there, I’m proud to say we’re making a come back. Macintosh hasn’t held a top position in sales since probably the 1980’s, before Bill Gate’s came along with the first Microsoft Windows OS. And no, I don’t expect Apple to shoot to the top of the ladder, but their definitely becoming more popular with buyers.

According to estimate from Gartner Research, Apple’s worldwide computer sales rose marginally in Q1-2016 compared to last year, rising 1%, while it’s biggest competitors, Lenovo, Dell and HP, fell -7.2%, -9.0% and -0.4% respectively. Asus (generally the cheapest reputable PC manufacturer on the market) was the only other brand to see an increase in sales, up 1.5%.

Why the sudden surge in Apple’s MacBook and desktop sales, in an industry where mobile technology has forced a 9.6% overall sales decrease in desktop and laptop computers? It’s likely due to the popularity of the brand’s iPhone and iPad tablets.

iPhones outpaced the company’s desktop sales 10-to-1, but with so many out there who love Apple’s iOS mobile devices, it only makes sense that they’d go with a trusted brand when choosing a desktop or laptop for the home. And that, my friends, is why Mac compatible online casinos have finally gotten the attention they deserve.