Apple has increased its home notebook PC share to now rank #4 in the home installed base. It has strengthened its position among the socioeconomically elite, attracting the younger, more highly-educated, and higher income households, as well as the self-employed, according to the Apple Profile Report 2008 from MetaFacts, Inc.
“Like the camel slipping its nose under the tent, Apple is reaching into American households as the 2nd or 3rd Home PC,” said Dan Ness, Principal Analyst at MetaFacts, in the press release. “Where Apple shines is as the 3rd PC, ranking fifth with 8% of 3rd Home PCs, and ranking fourth in notebook PCs, also at 8% of the installed base.”
Apple home computers are used differently than Windows home PCs, more often for web content creation, graphics, and personal activities. Twenty-one percent of Apple Home PCs are used in public places, nearly double the 12% of Windows Home PCs that are used in public.
“If you look around at a Starbucks or cybercafé, you might think the whole world’s gone to Apple,” said Dan Ness, Principal Analyst at MetaFacts. “Apple users are very active and use their notebooks in more locations than Windows notebook users.”
The survey also revealed strong repurchase brand loyalty. “Apple continues to command the strongest repurchase intent of any PC brand. More than four in five (81%) of households with Apple as their primary Home PC plan to buy the same brand – Apple – for their next Home PC,” said Ness.
Other findings in the Apple Profile Report 2008 include:
• Workplace Apples are dominated by 5 occupational groups: Teacher, Artist/Designer/Performer, Management, Clerical, Consultants
• iPod penetration among Apple Households is extremely strong, and also strong in non-Apple households yet with weaker buying plans
• The installed base of Apple Home computers are newer than the base of Windows Home PCs
• Apple Households shop differently than non-Apple Households, more likely to be in a Barnes & Noble, Borders, or Target, and less often in a Wal-Mart
• Apple’s retail stores are attracting many non-Apple households, a strong positive sign for Apple
• The kind of non-Apple households shopping or buying at Apple retail have many more kids, also a strong positive future sign for Apple
The Apple Profile Report 2008 is based on surveys with over 10,000 American adults by telephone and online as part of the Technology User Profile 2008 Annual Edition study. Respondents were carefully selected to be representative of all American adults and households.
MetaFacts, Inc. is a national market research firm focusing exclusively on the technology industries. MetaFacts’ Technology User Profile survey is the longest-running, large-scale comprehensive study of its kind, conducted continuously since 1983, the year before Apple released the Apple Macintosh. The detailed results are a long-time primary marketing resource for Fortune 1000 companies providing consumer-oriented technology products and services, such as PCs, printers, peripherals, mobile computing, and related services and products.
Source: MetaFacts Inc.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Chuckles the Microsoft CEO” for the heads up.]
• Apple Households shop differently than non-Apple Households, more likely to be in a Barnes & Noble, Borders, or Target, and less often in a Wal-Mart
lol!!!
In other words, Apple users are more educated, earn more and are more independent-thinking. Borders vs. Wal-Mart… Who knew?
One important thing that could be derived from such a research is that Apple’s target audience is much more recession-proof than the average population. For Apple’s target group, $4000 investment in a computer is equivalent to a $400 purchase of a flat TV for an average American. It is almost incidental expenditure, and is most likely not affected in any way by the economic troubles of the world.
As for brand loyalty, it is a given; if you had a Mac, you have no way of getting that OS anywhere else but Apple, and switching back to Windows is just impossible. With an HP, on the other hand, you could easily go with Dell, Acer, Lenovo, Gateway… These are just commodity, as they all run the same crap (Vista).
As Steve Jobs has said, the fact that Apple is doing well in an uncertain economy is noteworthy.
Recession-proof? Buy more AAPL!
“In other words, Apple users are more educated, earn more and are more independent-thinking. Borders vs. Wal-Mart… Who knew?”
They’re also better looking have better posture and have to use a comb less often because their hair is efficiently organized by Spotlight.
Note:
• we go out and come back without spyware and viruses
• advertisers should not blow off Apple users (we buy the best)
• growing base of usable Macs
• we look bigger because Macs are used in public
• upper management just got an iPhone and will get a Mac
• Macs are growing like a tsunami in colleges
• when they get a job they will use a Mac!
• Windows and Vista are dead ends … OS X is not
Wal-Mart….no kidding, who has the time to shop at Wal-Mart, it takes three times longer than anywhere else. Buy the item….return the item….and then go someplace else to buy the item again. Wal-Mart is the local landfill once removed…ha.
Hmmmm, “Apple home computers are used differently than Windows home PCs, more often for web content creation, graphics, and personal activities. Twenty-one percent of Apple Home PCs are used in public places, nearly double the 12% of Windows Home PCs that are used in public. “
Actually, I think that Mac computers are used more for actual work while many people that I know use a PC for web surfing, playing games and online chatting. You know, the stuff that you do when your bored.
We do the same things too, but we have actual work to do too and not having to keep cleaning off spyware and viruses helps us get stuff done.
Just a thought.
en
In my case, at least, that’s where I normally shop: B&N;, Starbucks, and Target. I go to Wal-Mart for the really cheap things like fertilizer for the lawn and other home and garden stuff.
For brand loyalty? I’ve been using Macs since 1987 when I was introduced to them in college. I have had a gateway and a compaq assigned to me from work. But nothing compares to Macs, period. It does not matter what anyone says about Apple. I would buy their products.
As an anecdote, my daughter once asked me why I prefer Apple. I just happen to have a gateway. So, I made her play witht he gateway. Then, I made her play with the iMac. I did not show her how to do anything on both computers. She gave up on the gateway in less than an hour. She has been a Mac convert ever since.
Now, she really enjoys the iMovie and iDVD. She knows about these two applications better than I do.
“• Apple Households shop differently than non-Apple Households, more likely to be in a Barnes & Noble, Borders, or Target, and less often in a Wal-Mart”
We’ve had the first three on that list for years. I can’t think of a single major retailer that would have a more negative impact on local housing prices than the addition of a Wal-Mart.
A methadone clinic would have less negative impact on local housing prices than a Wal-Mart.
Apple buyers have always been from a higher socio-economic group. This is not news.
Sadly, poor people with limited education have to buy the cheap crap at Walmart.
Maybe Steve could come up with a $500 laptop for poor kids?
You know, poor kids here in North America, not in some far off place no-one will ever visit.
Of course Apple is recession-proof – rich folks dont do recession.
“Actually, I think that Mac computers are used more for actual work while many people that I know use a PC for web surfing, playing games and online chatting. You know, the stuff that you do when your bored.”
Yeah, how many years have we heard the droning “Macs are good for graphics, but nothing else.” line?
How about “Wintel machines are good for games, but nothing else.”
Sounds uppity, much like some of the comments here.
“Maybe Steve could come up with a $500 laptop for poor kids?”
With all due respect, kids rich or poor don’t NEED laptops. Kids merely need ACCESS to computers.
As it is, kids in poor neighborhoods need to be careful not to show off their cell phones or iPods for fear of having them stolen and getting beaten up in the process. (The argument that “it happens everywhere” is a ridiculous one, as it happens with remarkable frequency in poorer neighborhoods). Kids carrying around laptop computers in depressed neighborhoods would be like guppies in a shark tank.
If you have both, and run both, what you find is that you spend less and less time on the pc and more and more on the mac. After a few months you use your pc only when you have to and you use the mac most of the time. I run both and would say I am an expert user with both. The mac is just easier to use and less frustrating. BUT…I have noticed the iphone update was not all that great and hope the new version on friday takes care of small but very unapple problems.
“Sounds uppity, much like some of the comments here.”
Wal-Mart’s aggressive tactics got them where they are today. And despite backlash from the public, they’re the largest retailer in the world. They don’t need defending.
Macs are for life.
Windows PCs are for solitaire.
Everyone knows that.
why stock down to $149, then?
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO not more good news… that will make the stock tank $10 – $12/share!! Eat –it and die to those driving down Apple stock.
This is truly coincidental. We have to hit Barnes and Noble on our way back from Beverly Hills today. I’m the chauffeur for her appointments. Maybe I can talk the wife into a new iPod touch from Victoria Gardens Apple Store. These guys have been spying on me! Oh; 4 macs, one pc in the house; all 802.11n via airport extreme; plus; of course, the mandatory 3 iPods to go with that!
What’s with the camel analogy?
It may be the ‘third’ computer initially. But it will rapidly become numero uno in terms of usage and productivity. When given a choice, every family member will go for the Mac. The resulting battles will lead to a second Mac, and so on…
Let’s not go in this ‘elitist’ direction. It serves no purpose and, in the long run, does the Mac a disservice.
“Like the camel slipping its nose under the tent…”
Ok…i’ve been trying to imagine this scenario for a while now, but i still don’t see it. How DOES a camel slip its nose under the tent?
(Sorry, i’m a non-camel owning MacSheikh)
Perhaps he should’ve used something like…”like Santa sneaking into your home” or something.
• Workplace Apples are dominated by 5 occupational groups: Teacher, Artist/Designer/Performer, Management, Clerical, Consultants
And what occupational lines does that not include?
Truck drivers? Assembly line workers? People who don’t routinely use a computer on the job?