Macs and PCs found shacking up
While the number of Apple-owning households continues to grow, the vast majority of those Macs are sharing space with at least one Windows-based PC, according to a new study.
The NPD Group said Monday that its online survey found that 12 percent of households with a computer have at least one Mac, up from 9 percent a year ago. Nearly 85 percent of those with a Mac, though, also have at least one Windows-based PC.
(Credit:
Apple)
Overall, Mac owners tend to have more computers and more electronic devices than non-Mac owners. Two-thirds of those with an Apple machine have three or more computers, compared with 29 percent of Windows-only houses.
Houses with Macs also tend to be home to twice as many gadgets, including more iPods and GPS systems than are present in non-Mac abodes.
That makes me feel a bit better about my own domicile, which is home to several Macs and PCs, not to mention more gadgets than I care to admit. There's another reason, though, why Apple owners tend to have more digital gear than their non-Mac-possessing counterparts.
"While Apple owners tend to own more computers and more electronics devices, there is also a high correlation among Apple owners and more affluent consumer households," NPD analyst Stephen Baker said in a statement. "Thirty-six percent of Apple computer owners reported household incomes greater than $100,000, compared to 21 percent of all consumers. With a higher household income, though, it's not a surprise that those consumers are making more electronics purchases."
NPD compiled its results from 2,300 responses to its online survey.
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina. 
Other studies have shown that Macs dominate the premium priced computer category, so this study is not very surprising in the least.
While 2.300 people could not possibly represent millions of people if they are chosen in a no-random manner (say, all in one city or all in one racial group etc) when the sample is drawn totally at random from across the entire community being examined 2,300 people should be plenty enough to gain surprisingly accurate results.
The problem with this survey is not that it is not big enough it is that it is an online survey. Online surveys notoriously provided skewed results since rather than being totally random the percentage of people filling out the forms varies according to factors such as average time spent online. Someone who owns more than one computer is much more likely to do an online survey than someone with few computer skills, and someone with few computer skills is more likely to have only one computer.
However the results would be perfectly correct if the qualifier "percentage of people answering this online survey" was used rather than the more all encompassing implication in the way the statistics are presented in the body of the article.
I personally think that where a survey is of dubious value then the journalist concerned has a responsibility to uncover other data sources that either confirm or contradict the survey results.
See what this actually says and what the Apple friendly press have missed - again - is that the vast majority of Mac users still have a need for a Windows based PC and what's more of the 15% who don't how many are running Windows via Bootcamp or Parallels, etc?
You see it confirms what we've known for a while - Macs are nice toys to use (I'm typing this on my Macbook) but when you need to do something serious you need a PC.
Well, let's see - one of the two are growing like crazy (Macs), while the other one is in a nasty sales decline ("PC").
Now if we were to play by the law of averages...
Looks like by using your Mac, you've had plenty of time to get your real work done, that of being a troll. :)
But to be honest, I find the concept of a Macontosh user who doesn't take security seriously or treats it as flippant as you do, to be the #1 threat to Apple users. You're doing more damage than good in such ignorance.
And don't start, I used mac, windows, linux... so... better safe than sorry... (I rather know that I have protection for my house, even though my neighbourhood is crime-free.... you'll never know when you're next..)
"I still think you're pretty safe [on a Mac]," Miller said. "I wouldn't recommend antivirus on the Mac."
Macs currently don't need to be more secure. They are plenty secure for the market they are in.
"I still think you're pretty safe [on a Mac]," Miller said. "I wouldn't recommend antivirus on the Mac."
"Macs currently don't need to be more secure. They are plenty secure for the market they are in."
The "market" you are referring to is the 10% market - compared to the 90% market for Windows. Miller makes this assertion because nobody is interested in targeting 10% of the market when they can target 90% of it. Miller clearly says Windows is harder for a hacker to gain control.
No OS is completely safe. Even with the cool security features in Windows, it's still vulnerable. Macs are easier to hack because Apple has had too low of a market share to even care about security. Linux is safer for the same reason as Macs. You can get a virus on ANYTHING that runs an OS, even phones. When a Virus/Trojan/Worm strikes any OS, it's job security for the OS manufacturer and the security firms.
"Macs currently don't need to be more secure. "
stupidest thing i ever heard. i hope you don't work in the technology sector.....
"Macs currently don't need to be more secure. They are plenty secure for the market they are in. "
That's exactly what criminals and other lowlifes hope you will believe. You make the job much easier for them to exploit your ignorance that way.
Let's try an experiement- Leave your car keys in your car's ignition and roll the window down. Park it out in a busy mall. If it doesn't get stolen, then your point makes perfect sense. If it does, then I guess that's fine- you can afford to buy another car and do it again.
he is hoping that one of them will actually accomplish something useful. Good luck with that."
@gggg sssss-I think the same thing could be said for people like you. Let us know when you have something useful to say.
im assuming u have 6 family members and each have their own mac?
that would make a little bit more sense but im pretty sure most people will stick with at most 3 computers for a family with 6 people... unless u have nothing else to spend on =.=
o and shycelticswitch, ur right he could be talking about business macs, but when he didn't point that out i assumed he meant personal, and yes you are "filthy rich" (assuming all 4 personal mac are all used by urself, -> cant settle with just one or two?@@)
OK, I know, that's not fair, but you know I had to go there! :)
Yea, but in your case, it's "Too much time on your hands" for tossing out meaningless expressions that don't apply. ;-)
PC users do think. They think about the myriad of ways they can do things on their PCs. Mac users however don't have to think because they just do things the way Apple tells them to.
And although I might not agree with it, the expression "more money than brains" could apply here, and it doesn't take a genius to see how.
Note I wouldn't have gotten involved in this discussion at all if not for the pot shots at the PC users.
Which is the sole reason for pretty much any Mac vs. PC fight. There is always some smug Mac users willing to come on the scene and take a shot at a PC that doesn't apply to most of the PC world. See the Mac vs. PC ads for reference. The Mac vs. PC battle will never die because Apple LOVES it. the more rabid you get your use base the less likely they are to defect. I say less likely because I sold my MBP and went back to the PC after 3 years using a Mac. I hated OS X. You had to go third party if you wanted to configure ANYTHING in the OS. After 3 years of trying to fit into that OS and configure it the way I want it I basically said screw this and went back to Windows. Never again.
Sorry if the wit was beyond your skills. Clearly your aren't a Mac guy I expect better of them in that area. If you are a Mac guy...you must be the one who sets boot camp to default to Windows.
Actually what it shows is that the people who own a Windows PC are satisfied with their computer and don't need any more. These are also the same people that don't need a GPS to find their way around, and who don't have velcro on their shoes because they know how to tie shoe laces.
PC users do think. They think about the myriad of ways they can do things on their PCs. Mac users however don't have to think because they just do things the way Apple tells them to.
And although I might not agree with it, the expression "more money than brains" could apply here, and it doesn't take a genius to see how.
Note I wouldn't have gotten involved in this discussion at all if not for the pot shots at the PC users."
@Mergatroid Mania--But all the pot shots at Mac users is okay?? Hypocrisy, my friend, until you prove otherwise.
I do have another PC sitting in my home office that hasn't had its power button tickled in over 3 years, and it's been cut off from the mains for some time (even the bios battery has been popped out). So I wouldn't really count that one as being another computer.
To be perfectly honest, my 3 year-old Macbook Pro has lasted far longer than any PC I had purchased before. I even bought a true desktop replacement, 3.4GHz P4 desktop CPU, which was a behemoth and ripped through any game you could throw at it. That laptop fizzled out after about 2 years and the games had already surpassed its graphical capabilities. My Mac has just recently become outdated as GTA4 does not support the graphics card; I can run Fallout 3 on very decent settings though, so it hasn't yet kicked the bucket. If Apple were to get off their high-horse and pay attention to what consumers want, they might just get my money again. But I will probably be getting a much cheaper alternative with better specs when this laptop dies.
I don't think so. You would get lumped with the Mac guys having bought a Macintosh computer. That you use it for Windows wouldn't count except for when they look at Operating System market share. Then the Hackintosh guys (which I'm working on) would up the share for OS X and the Mac owning Windows users would up it for Windows.
I'm with you on Mac Quality. Not so much a fan of the ergonomics though. My Dell, Toshiba, and HP laptops didn't hold up as well. My garage sale Thinkpads though are a match in quality.
people keep PCs for gaming? I don't do games on my PC because I got my own PS3. I do EVERYTHING on my Win7. Macs are nice and expensive machines. However, they don't fit my needs.
Safe banking comes down to two things. One is the encryption of the data flowing between your computer and your bank. Macs should be fine there though I don't know if the strength of encryption relative to a windows machine.
The other is trojans and whatnot that grab passwords etc. Your Mac is safer there for now.
Good call.
Safe banking comes down to two things. One is the encryption of the data flowing between your computer and your bank. Macs should be fine there though I don't know if the strength of encryption relative to a windows machine.
The other is trojans and whatnot that grab passwords etc. Your Mac is safer there for now.
Good call.
@CrashPad63
That must be the thirdl leg of security I didn't cover. Hackers directly attacking your computer to get at your banking session.
Many Mac users also hold onto their old computers.. especially their Macs. I still have every Mac I have purchased over the years.. I just "recommission" them for family and friends.
Old blue G3 iMac (10.3) for the kids to pound on in the basement, 500 Mhz 12 inch iBook (10.4) for my dad, 14 inch iBook (10.4) for my mom, 12 inch PowerBook (10.5) is now a "netbook" for the house. My 466 iBook SE, sadly, met a horrible fate when my father decided to run AOL on it.. and punched the screen when AOL was dog slow one day.. he (my father) learned a few lessons that day.I took it apart and still have the pieces. I use the HD as a coaster ;)
If I had a PC.. I would keep that too. Right now.. I use my iMac as my "PC" though.. I've been playing with Window's 7.
I have no intention to upgrade to Windows 7. It looks interesting & I've read good reviews, but my aging PCs aren't worth the upgrade price. I think it would just slow them down. I also don't see any PC purchases for at least a couple of years, although I will be buying another MBP for my daughter to take to college.
Right now I'm looking at getting Rid of Win 98 and Win 95 machines. If I can get 98 working on an XP laptop that's relegated for Legacy games (since Vista and 7 don't like some old software).
Of course OS X is a good OS so buying a Mac isn't automaticly a prestige thing.
What are you thinking of? Upgrade time? No such thing on a Mac. You would have to say time to repurchase an entire new Mac.
Of course, the main board , CPU, video card and RAM from my last two upgrades are STILL BEING USED in other computers. They get used every day, which makes them far from junk.
PC users have the option to upgrade the innards of their machines as often as they would like, thus keeping them cutting edge. Luckily they don't have to replace the entire computer to achieve that.
you can upgrade most components on Macs
of course a tower is more upgradeable, but I think thats a form factor thing more than a Mac or PC thing
Unfortunately, my uncle just toss the whole set away while I can still upgrade my good old P2 with fresh mobo. Not sure about my macbook yet. Probably if it outlive my bro's 8yo Dell.
Yeah, that's because if you can afford a Mac, you probably can afford a lot else too.
I own a PC and a Mac. I have significantly less compatibility problems when doing work on the Mac.
For storage and as a movie and music server the PC is great. Good in different ways.
"During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, [[changed genders once]], and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina.
One of the XP laptops is in a warranty dispute with Dell. Dell is winning in that they won't honor their warranty leaving me with a broken laptop. This saved them about 200.00. Meanwhile I have now bought 4 new computers. None of them Dell. That's the cost of their victory.
That's hilarious: you agree that Mac owners have more money than sense!?!?!
You see, folks, old shelly here was just bragging in another story about the Dell ultralight he bought. Over $2000 for a 1.4Ghz Core 2 duo that doesn't even come with a Pro version of Windows. But it's "the thinnest laptop available". Who has more money than sense? Shelly? are you there?
- by mtreadwell October 5, 2009 10:01 AM PDT
- Wonder how much of this is due to families - parents use PCs for work but think of a Mac as the safe/friendly/hip alternative for the kids. That would also tie into the increased numbers of electronics in these households... too bad the press release (original source here: http://www.npd.com/press/releases/press_091005.html) gives so little detail beyond this central conclusion. I'd love to know what other correlations they observed.
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