There's no easy way to say this so we'll just spit it out:
Mac owners are bigger gadget nerds than PC owners. At least that's the conclusion drawn in
NPD's 2009 Household Penetration Study. NPD concludes that Mac owners not only own more computers than the norm, they also own more types of consumer electronics -- the average Apple household owns 48 consumer electronics devices compared to 24 in the average computer household. In fact, NPD suggests that "Apple household owners' actions and purchases can be used by the industry as leading indicators for hot new products and adoption." Unfortunately, there's no direct mention of Linux PC owners because they usually still live with their parents. Oh!
posted Oct 6th 2009 7:04AM
This is meaningless because it doesn't normalize for the fact that Macs are more expensive than PC's. All this really says is that richer people have more stuff. For those interested, owners of Ferraris own more fur coats than do owners of Kias.
Owners of old pickups typically own more furs than Ferrari owners, given the average collection of squirrel and 'coon pelts.
It isn't meaningless. It indicates most iHate is from people who can't afford Apple products. Notice how a lot of the anti-Sony comments died down after the PS3 dropped to $299. People bash Apple because Apple's products remind them that they're poor.
I have never met a Mac owner that wasn't reasonably well off.
Owners of old pickups typically own more furs than Ferrari owners, given the average collection of squirrel and 'coon pelts. - That's hilarious! Well said.
I'm not rich. I make less than a teacher here in Florida, and my wife is a teacher. We do alright, but we rent. I have an iMac but very few gadgets (2 iPhones, 2 ipod mini's, and a logitech harmony 520 remote). How many overlaps am I under in the Venn diagram?
@commenter1:
You sure the anti-Sony sentiments didn't die down simply because everything dies down eventually anyway?
I can afford Apple products but I choose not to purchase them... Been using PC-related products all my life, why stop now?
So is gadget nerdiness measured in number of gadgets? Coz I would go with knowledge of gadgets over quantity of gadgets...
Does buying 1 billion macs make me a big gadget nerd? Or just an idiot? You decide.
@ commenter1
Hello, Mac user here. Have been for almost 2 decades. Also, poor as shit. Pass the Ramen.
Nice to meet you, have a nice day.
@comment
I have a friend who makes 30 grand a year, has 20+ grand in credit card debt and mortgages his future to own a PowerMac desktop, iPhone and laptop. All the while my wife and I are 150+ and refuse to own an Apple. Know why? Because we learned a long time ago that the best buy's in the electronic world are always middle of the road prices. Never buy the cheapest crap because it's crap and never buy the expensive crap, because you're paying for a name.
And yes, I agree with yehaken. This is entirely based on the fact that generally only people with lots of money can afford a Mac. They're the Mercedes/BMW of PC's. Sexy and iconic, but don't actually bring anything else to the table above their competitors.
This has nothing to do with Wealth. Really, all it says is that Maclots are willing to spend more money on things than are their arch enemy, the Winlots. It's not how much money you have, it's what you choose to spend it on.
And frankly, who the hell has 24 gadgets or 48 :o ? I have 5 PC's, 1 camera, 1 cell phone, 1 lcd tv, 1 Playstation, 1 receiver, 1 DVD player, 1 DVR, 2 removable USB drives. Oh yeah, 2 printers. Clock radio. Refrigerator. Range. ok ok...
The point is?
back to the topic, the main argument here fails for many reasons beyond the simple fact that macs are more expensive than PCs. Because PCs have much greater market share, Mac users represent people who have given thought to their computer purchases and made a more complicated purchase. This is not to say that no PC users have given thought to their purchases, but when a PC purchase can be viewed as the "default" by virtue of (a) market share, (b) availability, and (c) familiarity, any statistic counting PC users is representative of the AVERAGE computer user. Because Mac-purchasers have made a non-standard purchase, their statistics will not represent the average.
That is, supposing people who know a lot about computers are split 1:4 between mac and PC (I'm totally making these numbers up) and the average people who are not computer-savvy are split 1:30 mac to PC, if you take a look at just the computer-savvy people it MIGHT look like Mac users and PC users are very similar. But if you look at ALL people, PC users have a much higher representation by non-savvy individuals.
If we instead looked at number of gadgets owned by, say, the people who sign up for the next OS's beta (whatever their platform) or early adopters... I think the picture would be vastly different.
Honestly, I would choose a Windows PC even if they cost twice as much as a Mac because I just believe Windows to be the superior product.
@ yehaken: That's also what the survey says: There's a high correlation between above-average wealth and households with apple computers (or something to that extent). I would't go as far as to say that the results of this survey are completely meaningless though. These Apple households give an indication of which electronics are going to be adopted in the near future on a more mainstream basis. These people have money, so they're likely to be early adopters, as the high entry prices of new products doesn't really deter these people.
Whatever information to this respect is won out of this survey, however, is likely to be quite skewed: in my opinion, Apple PC users are WAY more likely to buy new apple products than non-Apple PC users. Oh well....
@Puck
Comparing Apple to BMW/Mercedes I think is a bit unfair to the Germans. Having owned German cars and otherwise, and being a longtime car enthusiast, the Germans do build cars that in many cases are vastly superior to their counterparts. The M3 comes to mind; driving one next to, say, the comparable Lexus (the IS-F), it becomes very clear that the BMW is the superior machine. I don't think that is really true with Macs.
Otherwise, I agree with everything you said.
@commenter
It's really not about how wealthy you are. If you can afford an $800 desktop, chances are you've got a little extra. If you didn't have a little extra, it wouldn't be spent on a computer, but rather for living expenses. I could afford to get a mac pro, which is what I would get because I'm a film student and I really like them. However that would cost about 4-5 grand so it would meet my specifications in hardware. Here's what I bought instead.
2 Gateway 19'' monitors for a total of 300
Custom built gaming rig (capable of running AVID media composer) 800 bucks
An asus gaming laptop 800
A new yamaha surround receiver + speaker set 500 bucks
Xbox 360 60 gb 250 (bought at dell last year)
Add all that up and your at about $2,650
Ok let see
Mac Pro - 4,000-5,000 (has to be upgraded so it can run avid)
ok so for 4-5 grand I can get a mac pro... whereas for about 3 grand I can get two computers, an entire surround sound system, and an xbox 360.. which sounds like more bang for you buck?
It's not that we can't afford it, some of us can, but we realize we can do so much more with all that saved up money.
@MONKEY
first, you're right that BMW (German cars in general) actually cost more because they're better. ...But my Audi S4 will eat your M3 alive. :P
...but you're wrong about it "not being true with macs"
Ask most people driving a Kia if they think BMW is worth the price difference. Now ask people running Windows if they think the price difference to run Mac is worth it. You'll get the same answer. Think that's a coincidence?
It's only ever "worth the price difference" to the people who PAY the price difference. Just because YOU don't think it's worth it, doesn't mean other's agree (or that there's any remotely objective truth to the sentiment.)
@(Unverified)
Ridiculous. Why is that always coming up: Macs are more expensive and for rich people? Yes, Macs are expensive, and so are many PCs, just check Sony, Alienware, Fujitsu etc.So MAcs are not more expensive.
For rich people? WTF! You decide what to invest your money into. I do know many people that have really nice rides, and yet they live in small, badly furnished apartments.
This the dumbest thing I ever heard in my life...
More money = more gadgets.
Mac users have more computers because they need a PC as well as their Mac for when they want to get something done. I think it was Ars Technica that recently reported that only 2% of Mac owners are exclusively Mac users.
= more fun!
Well, I use the spare Dells for games and home theater. It's quite the opposite of getting things done, actually.
Mo money = mo problems.
I'll bite - what do I need a PC for? What can I not do on a Mac that I would need a PC for, aside from having an urge to pitch it out the Windows(tm)?
The reality of the situation is probably that Mac owners still have a PC from when they were a PC owner. Switching is kinda scary and having the old PC around is a nice safety net. Alternatively, they may be using the PC for PC games.
@jakem
Did you READ the article? It said 2% of Mac owner HOUSEHOLDS. Seriously, how many families do you know are ALL geeks? Usually only 1 or 2 in a household. For instance, I use a Mac (ONLY). My wife on the other hand, refuses, as she has always used a PC and doesn't want to have to learn how to use a new Operating System.
It's true that there are very few things you can't do under the Mac OS, but there is literally nothing you would need to buy an entirely new computer for. You can install Linux, Snow Leopard, Windows 7, and others on a Macintosh, and it will run exactly as if it were a well-designed computer from Dell or HP.
Which costs more, a copy of Windows, or a PC which can match the specs of your MacBook Pro? Your logic just doesn't track.
Best comment yet; simple and succinct.
@jakem,
not necessarily. Most households have more than one person, and by virtue of the odds alone, would tend to have at least one Windows box. My (non-live-in) girlfriend has ancient slow XP laptop. My roommate's 2 laptops are XP and 7. Hell, even my laptop is owned by my company. It's a hackintosh but has a windows 7 VM (that I literally never boot, nothing is installed); if some survey asked me if I owned a Windows system I'd probably just click yes to show my gadget-worldliness, even though it's not strictly true.
@kelmon
Play Crysis.
Obvious really - A lot of PC owners still have SDTVs and Dumbphones. They dont care about much else that getting their email, Facebook and Youtube or iPlayer (UK).
LOL @ last line of article.
Funny how I get down ranked. If you think about it - most people with Windows OEM machines dont feel the need to get the latest and greatest smartphone, led hdtv, dnla complaint media server, etc.
As long as they have a pc they are familiar with they are happy to surf the web and that is it.
This majority does not include the readers of engadget that are 'down rank' trigger happy. This is why this survey is skewed and also why it is obvious - also as obvious as some of your guys.
Core i7 920, BFG GTX 280, Corsair 3x2GB 1600, 46 INCH LCD, External HDs, Other PCs, PS3, 7.1, STFU
As I said you are an engadget reader. Go and ask Aunty Jane what she has or even Grandpa Bob.
Or do they have so many more electronics simply because they are willing to buy every refresh that Apple makes to an overall same product?
Or it might just be because of guys like my friend who is now on his 7th iphone.
I think you just completely hit the nail on the head.
Well Duh!
A fool and his money......
I thought nerds are smart.
read some of these comments, it will show you that they are in fact not smart at all.
Unbelievable nonsense, all the mac owners I know and I know hundreds a complete TARDS when
it comes to tech and have no clue how the insides of a computer work, they do know a lot about
fonts though.
You do realize that the numbers are a average right? So not every Mac owner are gadget nerds.
"NPD: Mac owners are bigger nerds than PC owners"
FIFY
Uh, maybe PC people get more done with less fluff since our machines CAN ACTUALLY DO MORE STUFF.
Mine grates cheese..
My Mac Pro grates cheese - at least thats what I assume the little holes in the front are for.
@Look_Around_You:
So true. With Mac users, it's always "There's an appliance for that!"
As far as getting stuff done, how about looking at almost ANYTHING media related...
Linux - usually used in a cluster to render film/video/3D graphics because its cheap. Can be used, but not preferred for much else.
Windows - Can be used for all forms of digital media creation, perfect for most start-ups.
OS X - Can be used for all forms of digital media, preferred by Graphic Designers, Video and Audio Producers, and most Editorial companies.
If you look at who OS X is preferred by, it's usually the people who start trends, give you information (News, Advertisers), or act as a middleman. So, of course anyone getting into these fields, or a fan of a Magazine, Musician, etc... are going to peer over the fence into Mac World. Not to mention the fact in almost all TV shows, Movies, Music Videos featuring a computer, generally show a Mac of some sort. But, I think all 3 OS's are great in their own way (pay attention the next time you see a computer on tv... and it's not an HP or Dell commercial). I use a Mac because that's what works for me, not because I have a grudge against Windows or Linux.
Name one thing that your PC can do over my Mac?
I find it just the other way around. I can do EVERYTHING with my Macbook, even run Windows if needed (havent seen the need in 6 months now).
@Grant H
For one, I can upgrade individual components of my PC to whatever I want without waiting for:
a) Apple to come out with an upgrade kit for above device (if at all)
b) Apple to charge a hefty markup on said upgrade kit
Did you know that the Mac upgrade kit for the Radeon HD4870 costs $349 while its PC counterpart costs only $150 on Newegg?
I wonder if Apple is going to wait 8 months before releasing a HD5870 kit, and then charge more than twice as much for it...
How does this bullshit get a higher ranking?
Honestly, there must be some computer illiterate people out there if they honestly think a PC can do more than a Mac.
How about: Run Windows, Mac OS, and if you're really bored and want something that's frustrating to use but fun to tinker with, Linux... without hacking!
How about the lower cost, higher resale value, and longer lifespan?
Seriously, maybe Mac users have more gadgets because they know how to use them.
@Greg: Dude your an iDouche.
Yeah a Mac can run Windows and a PC cannot run OSX. In theory. Why is it that PCs aren't allowed to run OSX? It's because of Apple. It's because Apple locks a ball and chain around all it's users balls. It's because OSX doesn't have driver support for all the millions of pieces of hardware that PCs can use, and actually for that reason, it's less advanced than Windows.
Running Windows on hardware that was designed by other manufacturers to run with Windows in the first place isn't really that hard of a task. Apple switched to Intel hardware and bam, no big deal. Do you see Microsoft bitching about it? Whining that "NOOO YOU CAN'T F'N USE OUR OS ON A MAC, WE NEED COMPLETE CONTROL!!!!". Absolutely not. Apple on the other hand...
What do you think would happen if Apple opened up OSx a little bit. Say they allowed anybody to install it freely like Microsoft does with Windows. I personally believe it would open the gates for real competition between Windows and OSx. The way Apple opperates now they will never be huge market wise. Maybe they're getting bigger now, but one thing you need to take into consideration is that Apple has always had contol over its users, they didn't care. People have switched to Macs recently, most of them we're the computer illiterate who don't care about Apple's control. Some have switched back to PCs because of this reason. Then we have the HUGE sector of Window's users. They're not switching to Macs anytime soon because of this control, but lets say they're allowed to install OSx on any machine they choose? Would they start using it? Probably.
But because of Apple's arrogance as a company, they will always be a niche company when it comes to computers. Gadgets are one thing, everybody thinks they look cool with their cool gadgets, but when it comes to the functionality of their computer, it's a different story.
On a side note, I for one would like to see what would happen if Apple removed support from Windows for the iPod and iPhone. We all know the only reason these two devices ever succeed is because of Windows users. If Windows support was pulled, how many people would switch to Macs and how many would drop their Apple devices in the lake? I own a Mac, usually running Windows, and I for one would run them over with my car before bowing down before the almighty Apple.
@Jordan
The only Apple gadget I own is an iPod and even though I love it (specially for its storage), if they pulled Windows support, then I'd have to buy a Zune HD or some Android PMP.
I'm a El Goog fan at heart, but a big sympathizer with MS. Not a very big fan of Apple, although when credits are due, they are awarded as such.
I do see that they do faster, more reliable computers, and like you pointed out, the reason for that is that they only need drivers for the hardware they authorize people to put in it. Not to mention the exorbitant price tag on the machine.
All my PC's have always been custom built and not having the adequate drivers on time for those would be a killer.
If I were to work in a designing company or anything media-related, most probably I'd end up buying a Mac, but I'd likely only use it for work, going back to the PC once I got home.
You thought this would be a counter-argument, but it was more of complement to what you said (complement, not compliment, people.)