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Apple disputes geriatric image

by Erica Sadun Dec 7th 2006 at 9:30AM

Last week, TUAW posted about a MetaFacts report that found 46% of Apple's installed base to be over the age of 55. Apple took issue with those findings. Lynn Fox, an Apple PR director, wrote Information Week saying "The MetaFacts data you cited in your story is incorrect. Our customer data shows that only around 20% of Mac users are over the age of 55." Apple did not supply any facts to back up this assertion.

Information Week tracked down Van Baker, a research VP at MetaFacts competitor Gartner, who pointed out that a recent Gartner study put the average age of an Apple-male-head-of-household at 39.4 years behind the 41 year age of the average PC-male-head-of-household.

We here at TUAW are holding on tight to our walkers, waiting to see how this plays out.



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Last week, TUAW posted about a MetaFacts report that found 46% of Apple's installed base to be over the age of 55. Apple took issue with...
 

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Sherman Homan

I bought my son and my daughter laptops. They are teenagers. The purchase was in my name with my credit card. So, how do the statistics work?

December 10 2006 at 8:35 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
phonotastic

Plus, consider the number of parents who aren't about to let their children/teens register their computers in their own names.

December 09 2006 at 12:14 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Delfo

I'm a 71 years old Mac User (PowerBook 15"-1,5 GHz) and I'm not feeling "Geriatrics", not yet.
I suggest to ask Steve Jobs some "Fringe Benefits" for Mac User over the 70 years old.
Ciao.

Delfo

December 08 2006 at 5:27 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Niklas

"You aren't as young as you thought you were Niklas."

Haha, true that!

December 07 2006 at 3:13 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Me

Apple - The Cadillac of Computers!

December 07 2006 at 1:04 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Rick Prather

Enough of the "Geriatrics" references you young Whipper Snappers!

55 is not Geriatric!

(From a long time Mac user that is 64 and whose Mother uses a mini and she is 86 - Now, that's Geriatric!

December 07 2006 at 12:36 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Allen

"In other words: Apple-male-head-of-household are 0.6 years old?"

41 - 39.4 = 1.6

You aren't as young as you thought you were Niklas.

Actually, a comma can do wonders:
"... Apple-male-head-of-household at 39.4 years, (1.6 years) behind the 41 year age of the average PC-male-head-of-household."

December 07 2006 at 12:04 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Macskeeball

Jon, I haven't read the article but it sounds like they meant that Apple didn't provide other numbers that showed how they arrived at the 20% figure.

December 07 2006 at 11:31 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Adam

My guess is that either the statistics are full of bunk, or that one set of data included "All installed machines" while the other looked at "new purchases".

When I worked in Apple retail, I was amazed at how many seniors would come in with Quadras or early PowerMacs, and want to replace them with iMac G5s. The hardware sale was easy, it was the data migration that was a nightmare. Moving from System 7.x to 10.4 was nigh impossible.

December 07 2006 at 11:30 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Sherman Homan

I almost spit out my prune juice!

December 07 2006 at 11:20 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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