Market research firm NPD has released their 2009 Household Penetration Study, other than sounding dirty, the study shows that 12% of computer-owning households have a Mac (compared to 9% last year). This sounds excellent until you factor in that nearly 85% of those Mac-owning households also have at least one Windows PC.
Multiple computer ownership is a common thread in Apple computer households, with 66 percent of households owning three or more computers, compared to just 29 percent of Windows PC households. Apple owning households are decidedly more mobile as well, with 72 percent of them owning a notebook, whereas only 50 percent of households that have a Windows PC own a notebook.
The study goes on to say that Mac households have a tendency to be more affluent than other households, and often own many different kinds of consumer electronics devices, and nearly twice as many of them, as the regular household.
The study wraps up by suggesting that because Apple housholds are on the bleeding edge, they may be an accurate measurement of upcoming trends in the consumer electronics industry.
This makes sense. Only until recently, my household owned an Windows PC in addition to our iMac. I think this shows that more and more people are looking at the Mac, but are hesitant to completely transition over to the platform.
Also, these numbers indicate what the rest of us already knew; Apple is sucking the cream off the top of the computer and consumer electronics industries, while also gaining market share. By targeting the affluent first, Apple has managed to create an elitist perception of the brand, creating desire. Now that they appear elite, market share is rising, and Mac prices are falling to persuade the less affluent to switch, all while gaining market share along the way. Or at least that’s how I see it.
Have an opinion? Leave a comment!
Chart courtesy of NPD.
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