Filed under: Desktops, Hardware, Switchers
Report: 12% of US households own a Mac
A new NPD report says that 12% of US households now own a Mac of some kind. That's a nice gain -- just a year ago, back in 2008, the same stat was at 9 percent, so Apple has made nice jumps just in the last 12 months. But before you start crowing about Apple's impending superiority, here's another fact that might have you thinking twice: of those households, a whopping 85% also own a Windows computer. In fact, 66% of those Apple households actually own three computers or more. So many more Apple owners own more than one computer, and of those, it's pretty darn likely that one of them is still a Windows PC. That's certainly the case at my house (I own a Mac mini, a MacBook, and a PC), and I bet it's true for lots of you Mac users as well.There is good news for Apple in terms of iPods however: 63% of Apple-owning households also have an iPod on hand, though I'd question whether that's chicken or egg: do they own an iPod because they owned a Mac or vice versa? Additionally, Apple users are more likely to have navigation systems in their cars, they're more likely to earn over $100,000, and they're likely to have twice as many gadgets as other users -- 48 gadgets on average for Mac owners, compared to 24 for the average consumer household.
While those stats are interesting, none of them seem super surprising -- Apple has a reputation for high-end gadgets, and so anyone who seeks out their products is going to pick up some other gadgets as well.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Jordan said 10:12PM on 10-05-2009
Hmmm, the 12% seems high
Though I'm not surprised that 85% of mac-owning households also have a Windows machine. Hate it if you want, but in this world you need Windows.
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hmlong said 2:01AM on 10-06-2009
Go to a college campus anywhere in the US and the number among students is closer to 40%. 12% is low, but probably correct for US households. Go worldwide and/or add in business use, and the number drops to about 6%.
I have a 24" iMac and a 17" MacBook Pro. And yes, I have a Windows machine, a nice little Dell notebook... that's rotting away in a closet somewhere.
I'd say that if a Mac household has a Windows box, it's probably because they HAD a Windows box, not because they're still actually using it.
Mr. Fry said 3:15AM on 10-06-2009
As a member of a household with both a mac and PC, I disagree completely. Being in a household means living with multiple people, and who's to say that each has to prefer the same computer? I personally use a mac, but my parents on the other hand prefer to use a PC.
Jordan said 8:15AM on 10-06-2009
Actually I am on a college campus right now, and the number is no where near 40%. In the art department, I'd say the number is around 75%, but go anywhere else on campus and the number drops to probably around 5%.
David H. said 9:06AM on 10-06-2009
Well, I'll concede that some people may *need* Windows...under certain circumstances. But that need is hardly universal. Besides, use Boot Camp or one of the virtualization packages (e.g. Parallels) and you're there.
That being said, my household is almost exactly like that of the entry's author. Windows box that my wife prefers, and that my son games on, plus my Macbook, a dual-boot Windows/Linux machine that usually is seen running Linux, and the Mini I plan to buy soon ;) The dual-boot machine will be turned into a home server running Linux w/Samba.
vanaheim7 said 2:35PM on 10-06-2009
It is true that you must occasionally use something you do not want. I still keep Windows simply because I need to author Blu-ray discs once in a while.
(I tried Adobe for Mac in vain.) Out there somewhere, people who still believe in optical disks are surviving.
mike said 10:29PM on 10-06-2009
@Jordan,
The 'Art' department, what the hell is that? A degree in like Philosophy, English, Economics, Political Science, those are all "Arts" Degrees, and each one has their own Department. Most of those guys will either get Masters degrees, or go to Law School etc after.
Or did you just pull that out of your ass, and are envisioning a punch of hipsters fingerpainting somewhere with a big sign that says ART DEPARTMENT.
Jordan said 11:51PM on 10-06-2009
"Art" department - Photography, film, visual-arts, theatre, dance
And no, I'm not envisioning.
Alexander Acker said 6:04AM on 10-07-2009
@Mike
What a ridiculous comment. There are people in visual arts such as animators, illustrators, graphic designers, industrial designers, fashion designers, textile designers, etc who receive Bachelor's of Fine ARTS degrees. These people pretty much use Macs exclusively. And I am one of them who now is a VP of a marketing agency and, YES, we use about 50+ Macs.
So be informed before you put your foot in your mouth.
Rob Porta said 10:17PM on 10-05-2009
I own 4 mac's, , no PC's and 6 ipods. I owned a Mac years before the ipod was even a thought.
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crsh said 10:59PM on 10-05-2009
Grats, you qualify as an exception.
Jack Chance said 1:51AM on 10-06-2009
i have 3 macs, an iphone 3g, and 3 ipods (not really in use).
no pc's.
Mr. Fry said 3:16AM on 10-06-2009
Well aren't you guys cool
c said 10:19PM on 10-05-2009
My dad got an iMac and a Mac Mini because he loved his iPhone so much, and my mom got a MacBook for the same reason. So I guess in our case the Mac is the egg.
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jodamiller said 10:26PM on 10-05-2009
Where's the data about which machine is the primary machine in a Mac/PC mixed household? Anyone want to bet on the PC side? If so, I'll bet on Mac.
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Jordan said 10:37PM on 10-05-2009
I'll be PC, in a way. I own a MacPro - I mainly use Windows on it.
I hate OSX with a passion and only got it because I'm a video editor and needed Final Cut.
Wheels said 11:36PM on 10-05-2009
Joda, Mike felt the need to iterate that last year was 2008. Need I say more?
mare said 10:39PM on 10-05-2009
Mac *of some sort* aught qualify this sufficiently. I'm on my fourth Apple computer but think if you take *of some sort* to the wall it would include iPods and iPhones.
And, given the economic decline during the past year I would doubt this high of increase percentage for a retail item.
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Dylan said 10:58PM on 10-05-2009
I have tons of PCs. I haven't used them in a while, but they still work. I have my MacBook Pro, my father has his MacBook, and my sister and mother share the Mac mini. But I have tons of old PC laptops. Acers, Toshibas, etc. I went through a ton of PCs before I got to Mac, so I have a lot laying around.
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Dylan said 11:00PM on 10-05-2009
A lot of Mac users still have PCs, because most Mac users switched from PC to Mac, and computers aren't just something you toss out. At least that's the case with me...
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