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.

"I switched to the Mac to use this!" might be the highest praise a Mac developer could ever hope to hear. Switching platforms means not just buying a new computer, but also buying a bunch of new software. There are probably only a handful of applications that merit changing platforms all on their own, but Accordance Bible Software is one of them. Accordance isn't just widely respected within the Mac world, it's widely respected within the entire scriptural research software universe. Bible Software Review wrote: "Anyone who knows a little bit about Bible software has heard of Accordance."

The current version is compatible with Snow Leopard, and yet still runs on System 7.5! This is the first time I've seen a Mac application vendor talk about running Mac software in emulation rather than the other way around. Accordance is proudly Mac-only, suggesting to users that once they have switched to Mac they shouldn't put up with "Windows software" on their Macs, and offering crossgrades for those who have made the switch.

Being first is nice, but once other companies have come into the market, it doesn't take long to forget who was first and start to compare based on which features each product provides. Fortunately, Accordance has a lot to offer. There are a wide variety of packages available, ranging from $49 to several thousand dollars, depending on the library options. Like other Bible software programs, you are buying two parts: first, the app itself; second, items for your library, such as commentaries, different translations of the Bible, maps, and so forth. Most users should expect to make an initial investment of at least $100, perhaps $200-$300, but those purchases will almost certainly reflect savings over buying the printed versions.

As a technical writer, blogger, and wannabe novelist, the tool that I use to capture my thoughts is almost as important as the words that I choose to describe those thoughts. I love to try out new writing tools, particularly those that say that they're going to let me write creatively without getting in the way. Unfortunately, many of them end up becoming the proverbial albatross because of steep learning curves, impossible-to-remember keyboard shortcuts, or complex user interfaces. In my thinking, any writing application that keeps me from writing deserves to go into the Trash Can quickly.

When I heard about the recent release of Ulysses 2.0 from The Soulmen (formerly the Blue Technologies Group), my first thought was to dismiss it as Yet Another Writing Tool. After having a chance to work with Ulysses 2.0 for awhile, I'm now beginning to think that I may have finally found the perfect Mac writing tool for my purposes. Of course, every writer has his or her different idea of the ultimate word-crafting application, so your mileage may vary drastically.

Follow along on a short tour of what makes Ulysses 2.0 so special.

In a new study released by AdMob, the iPhone is rolling over many of the other smart phones in the US and the world in terms of data traffic. You can download the complete study in PDF form here. Highlights of the research include:

• Worldwide, the iPhone makes up 33% of all smart phone traffic
• In the U.S., the iPhone accounts for 49.5 % of all tracked requests
• Against all phones, including non-smart phones, Apple had 11.2 % of mobile online traffic. The iPod Touch was getting 6.7% and the Motorola RAZR has dropped to 2.9% of traffic

From the AdMob research, here's a look at the top ten smart phones worldwide in terms of Internet traffic.



Other items of note: the iPhone of had 10 percent of traffic in the U.S. in August of 2008, now jumping to 49.5 percent in less than a year.

AdMob notes that the traffic share is not the same as phone sales. The data reflects a combination of market share and data use. It is likely that the ease of use that Safari offers is helping to drive internet data usage, while other browsers may be painful to use and not nearly as inviting.

It's good news for Apple, and it's likely that excitement about the iPhone will increase with OS 3.0 being released this summer, along with the likely debut of new iPhone hardware.

AdMob specializes in working with advertisers to get their ads on mobile phones. They also are heavily involved in research to track trends in the mobile space.

While the economy continues to tank, and desktop PC purchases are falling, a new survey from ChangeWave Research says Apple customers are the happiest buyers. Looking at people who bought a computer in the last 90 days, 81% said they were very satisfied with their purchase. That compares with 67% high satisfaction from Asus, Dell is at 55%, HP at 52%, and Toshiba at 52%. Only 50% of Lenovo buyers were very satisfied. Ouch.

Apple buyers plans to get a new laptop have increased 3% since the January survey. Plans to buy a desktop have declined by 2%.

Other survey highlights reflect similar opinions to Apple buyers. People buying brands other than Apple still want laptops, while interest in desktops continues to sink. There is also continuing interest in netbooks, and many Apple owners in the survey said they considered the iPhone to be a form of netbook.

The report also notes that overall consumer electronics spending is at the lowest level since ChangeWave began their research in 2002.

If you'd like to see a PDF of the complete survey results click here.

Microsoft's share of the operating system market is dropping, while Apple computers and handhelds have topped 10 percent for the first time, according to a new report on Internet-connected computers.

NetApplications, the company that tracks browser and operating system market share for a variety of sites across the Internet, released its data for December 2008. According to a Computerworld analysis, the number of Windows users decreased in December by 0.94 percent to 88.7 percent.

The fall was the steepest in four years since Net Applications began collecting data, and was also more than twice that of any similar period in the previous three years. The Computerworld article does note that December statistics do slant slightly towards the Mac due to the reduced number of in-office days for corporate users, but the overall shift is decidedly Mac-ward even once that's accounted for.

Apple's share is just over 10 percent, if one combines the market share for both Macs and iPhones. Macs account for 9.63 percent of computers online. (Windows Mobile devices are included in the 88.7 percent figure.)

Also of note, almost three quarters of Macs online have an Intel processor. This time last year, less than half had one. Overall, Mac OS X's share grew by 31.7 percent compared to a year ago.

Windows XP remains the operating system with the largest installed base, with over 65 percent of the market.

The Associated Press' Jessica Mintz notes that Apple increased its payroll by 48 percent this fiscal year, with most of the new employees starting at Apple retail stores.

The data came from Apple's 10-K filing, an annual financial document required by law for public companies (Apple has not produced a 'glossy' annual report in several years). A direct link to the PDF is available here. Steve noted yesterday morning that Apple reported sales of $3.3 billion via the iTunes store in the filing.

Apple employed 32,000 full-time employees, and 3,100 temps and contractors as of September 27, up from 21,600 and 2,100 (respectively) a year ago. Of the 11,400 new additions, 8,000 went to Apple's retail segment, while the others started elsewhere in the organization.

The filing also said that Apple spent 40 percent more on research and development this year, compared to 2007: $1.1 billion. Electronista also notes that Steve Jobs was paid $189,000 for the use of his personal jet, a gift from Apple several years ago.

A survey by ChangeWave says Apple is looking ahead to record sales for Macs, which smiles in the face of further declines in U.S. consumer spending. The survey polled 4,416 people between August 4 and August 12.

If the poll is any indication, Apple will do well in the next three months, with 34 percent of respondents planning on buying a new Mac laptop, and 30 percent planning on buying a new Mac desktop. It's unclear how many of those overlap (that is, people who want to buy both). That's a modest uptick since last month -- two percent more for laptops and three percent more for desktops.

Compare that to general consumer electronics spending: 15 percent said they'd spend more over the next three months, while 34 percent said they'd spend less. That's almost unchanged since last month, but 13 points lower since August last year.

Also in the survey, 17 percent of the respondents (who own an iPhone 3G) are now more likely to buy a Mac in the future; one percent said they were less likely.

[Via MacsimumNews.]

TUAW's going Back to School! We'll be bringing you tips and reviews for students, parents and teachers right up until the bell rings in September. Read on for college-level help.

If you're a college researcher, grad student, or undergrad, Malkinware's new Reference Tracker 1.0 for Mac OS X might be just the tool to help you with your academic research. Just in time for Back to School, Malkinware is even offering a 35% discount off of the $44.95 list price through September 30, 2008.

Reference Tracker creates documents that store citations and references used in books, research projects, or essays, and creates Harvard or APA formatted reference lists on demand. You can also:

• Create Full References in a single step
• Reference Web Pages and Emails with a single click
• Easily import existing Reference Lists
• Integration with Microsoft Word and Apple's Pages
• Easily Organize References
• Export formatted lists to anywhere
• Add Sticky Notes to References

There's no need to type out the details of a referenced book. You type in the book's ISBN, and Reference Tracker gathers the details from the internet automatically. When creating Web page or email references, Reference Tracker can pull the details from Safari, Firefox, or Mail with one click.

A fully-functional 21-day trial is available from the Malkinware Web site. For info about other Mac research tools, read Brett's excellent Back to School post.

TUAW's going Back to School! We'll be bringing you tips and reviews for students, parents and teachers right up until the bell rings in September. Read on for high school & college-level help.

I covered a few good research tools for students in my last post. Before I dive into some of the excellent writing tools and packages available, we're going to take a look at some methods and applications for putting thoughts, notes and references together in a format that makes the actual writing part much easier.

Whether you're taking notes as you research, collecting documents or actually mapping out the first draft, these tools can be vital for organizing research, overcoming writer's block and making sure that things flow smoothly once writing begins.

TUAW's going Back to School! We'll be bringing you tips and reviews for students, parents and teachers right up until the bell rings in September. Read on for high school & college-level help.

At any level of schooling, you eventually have to do a little research. There are probably those who caution against doing any of that research on the web, but if you're aware that faulty (and downright false) information exists and take the extra steps to ensure that what you're citing is verifiable, the net can be a treasure trove of information.

Hyperlinks and full-text search of a massive amount of information make the electronic frontier an ideal research tool. But you've heard all of that before, so read on as we look at some research tools specifically for Mac users (and we'll try to stay within a typical student's budget).

Forrester Research has mined its vast knowledge resources, and produced a report suggesting that Apple's products in 2013 will be nothing but household clutter.

Apparently Apple is out of ideas, so Forrester decided to take on the task itself, coming up with an envelope-pushing list of electronics that includes such marvels as:

• digital picture frames
  
• clock radios
  
• universal remote controls

Wow. That's research money well spent, if you ask me. Take note Apple employees, these are the ideas you're going to have to top in your next product development meeting.

[Via AlleyInsider.]

Apple's Science page has a profile up for the folks over at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology -- apparently two MITers, Deb Roy and Rupal Patel, are using Macs, including "five Apple Xserves and a 4.4TB Xserve RAID," to record and track every single moment of their son's early childhood.

Not only are they assured to get his first few steps on tape, but they're also studying early development and how young children gain the skills to interact with other human beings. In order to do this, they're dealing with huge amounts of audio and video data -- about 250TB. And they're also building an analysis application on the platform called TotalRecall to scan through all the audio and video and pick out interesting parts and patterns (creating the kind of image seen above -- apparently that means something to them).

Of course, there is one thing they do that Apple can't -- when the time came to figure out how to transfer 200GB a day from the home environment to work, they eventually settled on a "sneakernet" approach, packing up the digital tapes in a case and carrying them to work. Here's hoping Apple will announce their own proprietary version of iSneakernet at the next WWDC (with a stylish design and a reasonable pricetag, of course).

The concept behind Googalyzer is interesting, though it's probably not for everyone. It's basically an open-source, tabbed web browser with built-in note-taking, web-clipping, outlining and bibliographic tools. The idea is to consolidate these different aspects of web research into one application. This way you can have multiple research projects with all the relevant information kept in one place, without getting data from different project intermingled (this reminds me of the thinking behind Panic's recent Coda web design application). If you do a lot of research online, and are not already using something like DEVONthink, this might be worth a look.

Googalyzer 3.0 beta 1 has just recently been released and is a free download from Funkware.

[Via Cool OSX Apps]

TUAW's nerdy (yet surprisingly well off) little sister Blogging Stocks has a great roundup of articles regarding a recent ABI Research survey that purportedly showed 58% of consumers would choose a Microsoft Zune over an iPod. In the study, people were shown an image of the Zune, and then asked how likely they would be to purchase the device over another music player. According to Blogging Stocks, ABI mentions only that it compared the picture of the Zune to "other competitive media players," with no specific mention that the iPod was actually given as an option.

As soon as I saw the news about this, I was immediately suspicious. The fact that Apple essentially has control over the MP3 player market combined with early reports from multiple tech journalists that the Zune is flawed in more ways than one, led many to believe that perhaps the ABI hadn't been truly upfront when conducting their survey and reporting the results. I too would choose a Zune over, say, a Creative device; it would probably be a neat little device to hack; but that doesn't mean that I, nor likely 80% of the population would choose the brown device from Redmond over our beloved iPods.