Macs at highest point ever on consumer ‘intent to purchase’ index
Posted by Dennis Sellers 
Dec 22, 2006 at 2:38pm
Consumer personal computer purchase intent is at the highest level since July, according to a monthly index tracked by Investor’s Business Daily, and one of the big beneficiaries in the next six month will be Apple.
As reported by InformationWeek, the IBD/TIPP Home Computer Purchase Outlook index, which uses a 0-100 scoring system to measure buyer intent, jumped 17 percent to 23 in December from November. Only July’s 23.4 had a higher mark in the last three years, Investor’s Business Daily said.
An associated random telephone poll of over 1,000 Americans said that 27 percent were planning to buy a new home computer in the next six months. That was up from November’s 22 percent. Although Dell (at 43 percent) and Hewlett-Packard (13 percent) were voted the top-two brands among likely buyers in December, Apple’s 12 percent was the highest since IBD began tracking it in mid-2003, notes InformationWeek. On notebooks only, Apple tied HP at 15 percent; Dell remained the top draw there as well, accounting for 47 percent of the votes.
*Nix Says:
Heh. A Mac? Hard to use? Come on. Ignorance must flow through your families genes.
Posted on December 25, 2006
moises Jaramillo Says:
Apple’s software enables the user to complete the same task in Windows with less effort, generally. As a long time user of Windows in real world tasks, movies, downloading, and photos, Apple is superb in these areas! Apple is great for home. Plus, why buy a Dell when you can buy an Apple laptop that gives you the best of both worlds, Windows and Mac. It’s not about which operating system to use, but enabling you to have both worlds that will give you a better idea of which to use.
Posted on December 25, 2006
burp Says:
burp
Posted on December 25, 2006
AJ Says:
OSX is the Dell-illing choice, hands down. There’s no comparison. Just go check out an Apple at an Apple Store. You’ll see the difference.
Posted on December 25, 2006
mike Says:
you do realize that it is a good thing mac isn’t as popular as windows right? as weird as that sounds, think about this: the reason macs don’t get as many viruses/spyware etc. isn’t because of any superior design, it’s because hackers/etc. don’t consider mac an efficient target. once mac gets more popular guess what is going to happen- viruses/spyware etc. for your enjoyment.
Posted on December 25, 2006
myth Says:
and i can run both osx and xp perfectly fine on my AMD machine, although not quite legally. Apple needs to step up and just release osx for all platforms. I have it running 100% on my “pc” and im able to dual boot xp. Its just a matter of time.
Posted on December 25, 2006
Brandon Says:
Actually you couldn’t be more wrong. Sure there are not as many hackers out there attacking Mac OS X because of market share, but because of their SUPERIOR DESIGN (thanks to the FreeBSD and NextStep guys), it is much harder to do actual damage with a virus or trojan.
Windows at its core (no pun intended) is a flawed OS, its very easy for people to write little scripts that take over the computer as root and install this virus, this key logger or that ad bug.
Since Unix is built around security, it is inherent to OS X. This doesnt mean its bullet proof, but you can compare it to, driving in Irag in a Sherman Tank or a Ford Focus - which one would you choose?
Posted on December 25, 2006
anon coward Says:
you both make a good point. each to their own.
there are people out there, like me, who dont need a mac. i can do everything i want to do with windows. mac’s just frustrate me because i dont know them as well and i dont have the time to learn a new OS.
also if windows was as intuitive as a mac, i’d be out of a job.
Posted on December 25, 2006
*Nix Says:
@Brandon: I second that.
Posted on December 25, 2006
Po37 Says:
Mac’s are aren’t that much greater then pcs, but they are just more practical, as a long time user of both systems i feel that the mac OSX is just simple. But on the other hand PC’s are more compatable for upgrading and “fiddling” with. So it jsut depend on what you want to do.
Posted on December 25, 2006
BlackICE Says:
mike Says:
you do realize that it is a good thing mac isn’t as popular as windows right? as weird as that sounds, think about this: the reason macs don’t get as many viruses/spyware etc. isn’t because of any superior design, it’s because hackers/etc. don’t consider mac an efficient target. once mac gets more popular guess what is going to happen- viruses/spyware etc. for your enjoyment.
This is a very common mistake made by ignorant Windows users. They think they are perfectly fine in picking an OS of inferior design and security because they can simply say “we’re picked on because we are so many!” and feel good about themselves. Well mike, feel good about your computing decision no longer.
BlackICE defender was a software firewall with a user base of around 50,000 installations. When a hole was discovered in the software, someone went out of their way to create a worm that would break into all BlackICE firewalls that could be found on the Internet. They did this “just for fun”.
For a mere 50,000 installations.
By your logic, Apple’s Mac OSX OS (which has been installed in tens of millions of homes and businesses, 2 million in just the last 3 months alone) is sitting there on the Internet, ready to be exploited, just as easily as Windows. It’s not any better designed or secured, right? Wrong.
So where are the exploits? Where is the spyware? Where is the adware?
It’s nowhere to be found.... that’s where. Because a Mac OS X installation is securely designed and frequently updated when flaws are found. As an example, look at the Quicktime for Java flaw that was privately reported to Apple on 12/1. It was fixed in a software update release on 12/19, before any example exploit code was released to the public.
Microsoft, on the other hand, will sit on privately reported exploits for months before addressing the problem, and only after the sample exploit code is released to the public. These are called “zero day” exploits, because after the sample exploit code is released to the public, a packager of malware begins to actively take advantage of Windows users who have to sit and get poked in the bum until Microsoft finally gets around to fixing the problem.
People who choose Microsoft, choose poorly.
Posted on December 25, 2006
tunes Says:
Mac v. Windows… the never ending battle…
To tell you the truth, they are two fully functional and perfectly usable OS’s designed with different people in mind… each has its own strengths and weaknesses… though i prefer Mac, having been a long time Windows user, i can tell you that Windows gets the job done. Each has its advantages, its just about which works better for you (Gamers-Windows), (Creative Pro’s-Mac), (Number Crunchers-Windows), (Multimedia-Mac), (Big Company-Windows), (Student-Mac)… you may not agree, but thats what i think :)
Posted on December 25, 2006
Brandon Says:
They both have their place. I personally do not want a ‘new eworld order’
Windows Bigots and Mac Bigots are just bigots with a label.
Look at it this way.
Windows/Dell = Nice Accord
Mac OS X = Bentley
Posted on December 25, 2006
time_is_urs Says:
I am writing this from a MacBook C2D with Linux and OS X on it, I don’t see the need to have Windows at all. All of the OSes have strengths and weaknesses, unfortunately Windows has more weaknesses. I like the comments that say they don’t have enough time to learn a new OS. It seems like I always see those comments buried in a forum about nothing in particular . . . don’t have time? After you wasted it all browsing the Internet.
Posted on December 25, 2006
switcher Says:
Aperture is awesome. Since Mac is now using Intel and you can use Windows too, I am switching.
Posted on December 25, 2006
Brendan Says:
Funny how people think Macs don’t get virus’s because it is less popular. It doesn’t get them because it’s deign and coding is FAR superior to Windows, plain and simple.
Posted on December 25, 2006
Richard Dib Says:
The percentage is still going up… as I am buying ANOTHER Mac :-)
Count me in !
Posted on December 25, 2006
Macs: More Fun Less Anger Says:
Apple: on Intel with Leopard and Virtualization.
MS: Vista, Zune, DRM, Insecurity.
The PERFECT STORM. Apple will double in revenue this year and the M$ Vista rollout will be a fiasco.
Sell MS, Buy aapl.
Prediction: 1 year from now: MS will be at $10 and aapl at $140.
Posted on December 25, 2006
Peter Newpiper Says:
Richard Dib: you can have my mac cheap if you like!
“Intent to buy” is only telling half the story I think. A month ago I intended to buy a mac. I bought a mac. I’ve been using it for about three weeks now, and I’m fair-and-square in the “intend to sell” camp now. Mac is NOT easier to use, it’s worse than the-users-might-get-confused Gnome insofar as the windowing environment goes, and it’s just REALLY difficult to get anything done. Sure, it’s got nice eye candy, and playing on the net, etc, is cute and fun, but when it comes time to do any actual work… useless!
I wonder how many of these “intent to buy” folks will roll over into “omg what have I done” a month or so from now?
Posted on December 25, 2006
garnet Says:
as for macs being easy to use.... if you all the information to set up whatever you are trying to do be it ...airport, mail, file sharing it is not that hard and is relatively painless. windows users just expect it to be plug and play...it really is not but you just need to know what is expected of you...i mean you dont go to the dmv to get a drivers license without all the proper paper work do you?
Posted on December 26, 2006
gk357 Says:
Yeah Right - he is a retard - if you can’t use a mac then how can you even type?
they do all more reliably than any pc
yeah wrong - dilhole
Posted on December 26, 2006
b6 Says:
Apple rules Windows drools. This report is more proof that Microsuck is on it’s way out.
Posted on December 26, 2006
WOW Says:
hmm, can’t figure out how to use a mac. Well do you know how to restart a windows computer, because anything you do on a mac is far more simplistic. I guess coming from a windows computer it would be frustrating, trying to figure out how to get things done. Like importing pictures. I mean, where do you install those drivers. Wait hold on, you don’t have to. Or adding a wireless printer, hmm bonjour. VPN networking, don’t I have to download a client to do that, nope. What about some simple VB programming in excel, yup you can do it on a mac. Gives me a headache just thinking from a windows user standpoint.
P.S. I sold my Alienware laptop for an ibook G4, because everything works together, not against each other.
Posted on December 26, 2006
Justin Says:
I absolutely hate how any story about a mac turns into an apple vs pc war.... I see no comments directly relating to the article. Yes, I see how pointing out which is better is somewhat related to the story, but not one of these comments are directly pointed at the article… geez
Posted on December 26, 2006
FreedomFighter Says:
I’ll take Freedom over any DRM infected organization any day. Linux may not have any numbers for ‘market intent’, but I expect it will catch on when enough people wake up and smell the DRM in both Apple and MS.
Posted on December 26, 2006
bermewjan Says:
I can understand why people want to buy macs so much. I have been loving my little ibook since the moment I opened it. Macs are brilliant!
Yet - as much I love them - I just wish they came in GREEN!!
http://www.greenpeace.org/apple/
Posted on December 26, 2006
ParrotScience.comf Says:
Macs really couldn’t be easier. As a hardcore computer geek it does everything I need. As a creative individual it makes my work come to life. I’m the envy of my workplace where I have the only Mac out of 200+ machines. Plus I can run EVERYTHING out there with Parallels. Absolutely incredible.
Posted on December 26, 2006
bob Says:
After using a windows computer for nearly 10 years, I have just switched to a new apple laptop, and I will never go back to windows. Everything works, everything can be done, and it took me almost no time to feel comfortable with it.
Posted on December 26, 2006
Aquarays Says:
... Windows are good for some things, Mac OS X is good for others…
Yes, and they both run on Mac HW.
Posted on December 26, 2006
Nevil Says:
Windows has supported many legacy features for backward compatibility over the years. A virus can make its way around because of the Windows memory model. Adware thrives on the black hole which is the Windows registry. There are many more…
Microsoft has a huge task of trying to make these features secure when they were originally designed without security in mind. In contrast, Apple abandoned its legacy platform when it moved into MacOS 10.
Similarly, many open source OS platforms do not need to worry about supporting legacy applications because they can be modified and recompiled from source. If Windows totally left its backward compatibility, many businesses would have to pay the company that wrote the software to come out with an update. This would present a huge cost for smaller businesses that depend on the custom applications for survival.
Microsoft made a decision to stay the course rather than alienate its small and medium business customers.
Posted on December 26, 2006
cap812 Says:
I have been using Windows for 11 years or so, I thought It was the only real OS out there. When Apple went to Intel Chips and I could install Windows XP, I bought a 24” Imac. I have had this system for 1 month and I will never install Windows. This Machine is just simply amazing. Instead of wasting my time doing Defragmentation and Spyware scans and virus scans and yada yada yada, I am actually enjoying having a machine that is safe, efficient and almost perfect. I hated MAC Officianados who were so arrogant. I now understand why They are all so smug. MAC RULES! Windows is simply that, a window into a users hell. NEVER will I switch back.
Posted on January 04, 2007
Hector Uvaldez Says:
I like being able to use all the applications that iLife offers and it is all loaded up and easily integrated together for a novice computer user like me. I also like that I rarely have to restart...rarely rarely. I am going to buy one for my daughter before she goes back to college next week.
Posted on January 05, 2007
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Dennis Sellers
Dennis has been a newspaper editor/reporter (seven years) and teacher (seven years). He has over 4,000 magazine, newspaper and online articles to his credit. He has also covered the Mac and tech industries for over a decade for such online publications as MacCentral, MacMinute and now MacsimumNews.
Yeah Right Says:
Yeah Right! That’s because Apple keeps telling people that their stuff is easy to use when in reality it is not.
Posted on December 25, 2006