Prince McLean
The numbers (pdf), compiled by ChangeWave Research, indicate a continued drop in overall spending for both desktops and notebooks, hitting the lowest point in at least two years. Only 4% of respondents plan to buy a new desktop in the next 90 days, and just 6% have notebook plans. That's roughly half of the planned demand expressed in 2007.
Of those who plan to buy new notebooks, 30% said they will buy from Apple, compared to 22% for HP and 26% for Dell. Eighteen percent said they would buy a netbook, up from 14% last month, while two thirds said they wouldn't be considering a netbook and another 16% weren't sure.
In desktops, 26% said they were planning to buy from Apple, while 28% said HP and 32% said Dell. Looking backward at actual purchases over the last 90 days, 15% bought Apple desktops, 27% bought HP, and 33% bought Dell. In notebooks, 20% reported buying Apple, 27% HP, and 33% bought Dell.
ChangeWave's survey also asked recent buyers to rank their new PC purchase as being very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat unsatisfied, or very unsatisfied. Apple claimed the top spot with 81% saying they were very satisfied, compared to figures of 67% to 50% from other top PC manufacturers.
A ChangeWave survey from last year, ranking corporate users' satisfaction with their computer's operating system, highlighted that while 54% of Mac OS X Leopard users were 'very satisfied,' only 40% of Windows XP Profession users were, and just 28% of Windows XP Home users, 24% of Windows XP Media Center users, and between 5% and 12% of Windows Vista users (depending on the edition they used) were similarly "very satisfied."
Poor satisfaction rankings with both Windows software and generic PCs may be having an impact on the overall demand in the PC market, which actually shrunk for the first time in history last quarter. However, it's unquestionable that those factors are driving switchers to Apple. The company continues to report that half of the computer purchases made in its retail stores are to users new to the Mac.
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
Malcolm Owen
32 Comments
I'm satisfied!
You mean people who buy Macs are satisfied with their computers, no way, going by what you read here you would think they have the worst products.
Most Mac users will remain satisfied so long as they remember to buy the AppleCare plan with their system.
If I didn't then my system board replacement would have cost as much as the original purchase. AppleCare is well worth it.
I'm totally satisfied with the customer service I've received.
This just brings into focus the disconnect between the general customer population and the constant tales of woe one reads on sites like MacFixit and Apple's discussions. The denizens of these sites are always making claims about widespread problems, coverups by Apple, and "obvious" flaws. Seems it just takes two people with the same problem to make it a "known issue." Then the castigating of Apple ensues with much ranting and pontificating. However, professional surveys consistently show a different picture of Apple quality and reliability. I've always wondered why I never seem to experience the "known issues" and "crappy quality" of Apple software and hardware. Now I know why.
You mean people who buy Macs are satisfied with their computers, no way, going by what you read here you would think they have the worst products.
Lol soooooo true. Some people on this site arent passionate about Apple they are passionate about Apple-bashing.