# Macintosh Community vs. PC Community



## Adonsa (Sep 25, 2005)

Just questions, if I may.......

Back when windoze 95 went on sale, CNN reported that the size of the PC community was about 500 million worldwide "and that Microsoft expected everyone to go to Windows..."  I read somewhere during that time that the size of the Mac community was 20 million (I think that Apple used to use the term "installed userbase" to describe the number of Mac users.) 

I realize I have to qualify the way I ask this.  

Today, how many Mac users (worldwide) are there?  _ Users who consider the Mac to be their primary or preferred microcomputer _

Same question about the IBM-PC (and clones) community. _ the number of users who consider the PC or clone to be their primary or preferred microcomputer _

I realize there are users (like myself) who have to use a PC at work - but I consider myself to be a Macintosh user (even though I have to get my hands dirty and use a PC at work).  

In what countries is the Mac Number 1 (in terms of number of Mac users vs. PC users)?  I read a while back that the Mac is Number 1 in Australia and in France.  Unknown if that's still true or not. 

And, if I may ask one more,
What percent of all microcomputer users worldwide are Macintosh users?

Thanks much, and thanks also, for all the hard work being carried out on this macosx.com website.

Adonsa


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## bobw (Sep 25, 2005)

Well, here in Pennsylvania there are three Mac users plus me. In New Jersey, I think there's about 5


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## Adonsa (Sep 25, 2005)

Bob, did I screw up posting this to the Apple forum? 
I noticed the message quickly moved, what was my violation?
Thanks.
Adonsa


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## bobw (Sep 25, 2005)

No violation, just more appropriate in the Cafe discussions.


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## mbveau (Sep 25, 2005)

I'm in Maryland, and I know of 10 confirmed users. That's a lot compared to Pennsylvania. Does MD have a higher population? ;-)

P.S. I have no idea how we could find out those figures for real. Maybe Apple has them...


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## samworthynl (Sep 25, 2005)

well i'm in holland, and i know of 4 users, and about 6 who would like to be.

then there's my girlfriend

and the cats.......



enough i think?


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## Viro (Sep 26, 2005)

I'm in Oxford. Well to be more precise Wheatley, a tiny village outside of Oxford. In my department, there are at least 6 mac users . I'm sure there are more down in town.


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## Lt Major Burns (Sep 26, 2005)

a grand total of 37 users worldwide then.


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## lbj (Sep 26, 2005)

no, no, no . . . there are at least 3 more in Utah.  And I've heard rumors of a small community in west Wyoming with upwards of 5 Macs.


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## RacerX (Sep 26, 2005)

The last reliable figures I saw (back in 2002) had about 11% of US computer users using Macs. Recently 16% was being reported.

The problem is that there isn't a census type of accounting of users. Given the lack of accurate numbers, most people grasp at any numbers they can find... like market share numbers.

Of course the problem with market share numbers is that it only counts people who have bought a new system within a given quarter. It doesn't count current users or new users who bought used systems. I haven't been counted as part of Apple's market share since the third quarter of 2000 (and I own 17 Macs).

The same problem exist for Linux users. If they built their system or bought their system with Windows preinstalled, then they aren't counted in Linux market share (in fact, if they bought a Windows system then they were counted toward Windows).

I don't know that finding an accurate number is that big of a deal for anyone. I know that the market share numbers hurt non-Windows platforms in that it gives developers reason not to make software for other platforms. Which is both our loss and theirs as a recent study had Mac software (software that runs on Macs) at around 15% of the total software sold in the US.

I guess the answer is... there is no definite answer.


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## RGrphc2 (Sep 26, 2005)

Since going to Kean University in New Jersey i have met a lot of Apple users.  At least 10 to 15 people that have either Powerbooks or iBooks at the school.  At my Old school Middlesex there was maybe 4 or 5 people that used apple...


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## sinclair_tm (Sep 26, 2005)

i own both.  the win box is for gaming, and my mac is for everything else.  so does that make me .5 mac user?  or do we round up to 1 because the win box is only for gaming?  i treat it like most people treat their ps or xbox.  so what ever you decide, that is the number here in arizona, because i havn't met another mac user.  well wait, there was the guy i bought my mac from because he upgraded to a newer one.  so me plus one.
+------------------------+
|  wanted:mac users in az   |
+------------------------+


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## fryke (Sep 26, 2005)

That's what you get from putting this in the Café, BobW.  ... Well: In my household, my girlfriend and I have two Macs. That's 100% pure Mac. Oh, wait, I still have a Macintosh Colour Classic lying around. That makes 150%. Hmm...


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## Adonsa (Sep 26, 2005)

Hi fryke, and others.  Awesome enlightening replies.  I don't remember where I got that 20 million figure a few years ago; could be it was a typo, maybe 200,000 or 20,000.  

It's been a while, but I used to encounter people just a few years ago who never heard of the Mac, and some who thought that the only product Apple makes is the Apple IIE.  I used to live in Oklahoma a while back and was a member (around '96-'97) of the 
Southwest Oklahoma Apple Orchard User Group - this was (still is, I assume) an Apple IIE and Apple IIGS user group which included a Mac Special Interest Group (SIG) which was a small part of the Apple IIE parent group.  The Apple IIE/IIGS users outnumbered the Mac users back then.  

In '84 and '85 I used to belong to a Mac/Lisa User group where the Lisa users outnumbered the Mackers (but that quickly changed, especially with the $2500 128k Mac being way cheaper than the Lisa 7/7, the Lisa 2/10 and other Lisa models). 

Sorry, I got off topic.

Anyone know what countries the Mac is Number 1 in?  

Thanks,
Adonsa


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## kainjow (Sep 27, 2005)

Well since I'm a strong contender for Macs with my friends and families, more and more of them are buying Macs, and more of their friends are buying Macs because they know of Macs because of me  and with the iPod, I think Apple is starting to grow nicely with the Mac marketshare. The level of awareness of Macs among people in general is starting to get a lot bigger too.


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## sirstaunch (Sep 27, 2005)

Adonsa said:
			
		

> Just questions, if I may.......
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Australia still says, "Mac? What's that?" So you were mislead in Australia being number 1 for Macs. Unless it refered to Euducation department, that could possibly be number 1 position. Wouldn't know about France though
All I know that is using Mac is me, my Mother and one other person who bought the very first Mac release 

So 3 in Aussie so far


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## fuzz (Sep 27, 2005)

I had a little reunion for a wedding up in Dallas a couple weekends ago where i met a good friend and college roommate that now works for Microsoft.  It's so strange.  In college, he couldn't stop pulling jokes on Bill Gates and Microsoft ... now, it's scary that he even jokes around in an almost serious way how great Microsoft is.  Of course, I couldn't resist but mention how many PCs my company has replaced with Macs (about 5) ...


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## Veljo (Sep 27, 2005)

sirstaunch said:
			
		

> Australia still says, "Mac? What's that?" So you were mislead in Australia being number 1 for Macs. Unless it refered to Euducation department, that could possibly be number 1 position. Wouldn't know about France though
> All I know that is using Mac is me, my Mother and one other person who bought the very first Mac release
> 
> So 3 in Aussie so far


Say what? Everyone knows what a Mac is here. What state do you live in?


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## atrain (Sep 27, 2005)

Mac?

Whats a mac?

I own a Dell, with Gentoo on it (Linux)...
Want a mac, not gonna pirate for the x86 edition though...

I use macs all the time at school though... nice varity:
Old imacs @ School ->

laptop style tray cd drives: 333Mhz, 10.2 only
Slot loading dark blue boxes: ~500Mhz range 10.2 mainly, 1 or 2 have 10.3
Dark Grey box: ~600-700Mhz, slot loading, more 10.3 than 10.2, but still quite a few...
then theres a few emacs with 10.3, but 2 have 10.2

Used to have an LC though -> my first comp (Dont count commadore 64's  )

A few students at my school have ibooks -> about 10-15... Then theres about 60 macs in total. So  Canada has more macs than the rest of the world! We finaly have something to be proud about...

BRB... the armys knocking at my door... he needs money...


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## HoZ (Sep 29, 2005)

bobw said:
			
		

> Well, here in Pennsylvania there are three Mac users plus me. In New Jersey, I think there's about 5


 
i am one and my civics teacher is another and my grandfather is another


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## Viro (Sep 29, 2005)

Adonsa said:
			
		

> Hi fryke, and others.  Awesome enlightening replies.  I don't remember where I got that 20 million figure a few years ago; could be it was a typo, maybe 200,000 or 20,000.



It cant be 200,000 or 20,000 thousand since IIRC Apple ships over 1 million Macs each quarter. That's about 4 million new Macs each year.

If you ask me, 20 million users world wide isn't that impossible.


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