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Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
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Mac OS usage share down worldwide, up in the US

By | November 2, 2010, 7:11am PDT

Summary: Mac OS X’s usage share might have dipped below 5% worldwide, but in the US it’s doing really well, according to data gathered by NetMarketShare.

Mac OS X’s usage share might have dipped below 5% worldwide, but in the US it’s doing really well, according to data gathered by NetMarketShare.

Worldwide, Mac OS X usage dipped to 4.98% during October. During September usage share was at 5.03%, while for August is was at 5.00%.

In the US though, things are looking up, with Mac OS X making gains, reaching 11.41% in October, up from 11.32% in September and 11.20% in August.

I don’t tend to read too much into the numbers, but instead look at the overall trends, and here the trends are pretty clear. While Apple’s worldwide usage share is in decline, market share in the US is very healthy indeed, and has comfortably broken double-digits.

Another interesting tidbit - iOS usage in the US (2.70%) is more than half that of Mac OS X usage worldwide (4.98%) … iOS usage share now makes it a bigger player than Linux and Android combined.

The growing presence of Mac OS X on the internet is all the reason you need to install anti-virus on your Mac!

NetMarketShare uses data captured from the 160 million unique visitors browsing some 40,000 Web sites it monitors for clients.

[UPDATE: And curiously, Apple drops the price of the Mac mini outside the US. Coincidence?]

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Topics

Apple Macintosh, Operating System, Usage, Apple Mac OS, Apple Mac OS X, Operating Systems, Desktops, Software, Hardware, Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology.

Disclosure

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

All opinions expressed on Hardware 2.0 are those of Adrian Kingsley-Hughes. Every effort is made to ensure that the information posted is accurate. If you have any comments, queries or corrections, please contact Adrian via the email link here. Any possible conflicts of interest will be posted below. [Updated: February 23, 2010] - Adrian Kingsley-Hughes has no business relationships, affiliations, investments, or other actual/potential conflicts of interest relating to the content posted so far on this blog.

Biography

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology -- whether that be by learning to program, building a PC from a pile of parts, or helping them get the most from their new MP3 player or digital camera.

Adrian has authored/co-authored technical books on a variety of topics, ranging from programming to building and maintaining PCs. His most recent books include "Build the Ultimate Custom PC", "Beginning Programming" and "The PC Doctor's Fix It Yourself Guide". He has also written training manuals that have been used by a number of Fortune 500 companies.

Adrian also runs a popular blog under the name The PC Doctor, where he covers a range of computer-related topics -- from security to repairing and upgrading.

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RE: Mac OS usage share down worldwide, up in the US
jorjitop 3rd Nov 2010
Macs in Europe often cost up to 50% more than in the US. That foolish policy must hurt sales. But, Europeans are used to paying more. They tend to spend more on wine, and less on computers.
View in thread
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RE: Mac OS usage share down worldwide, up in the US
drphysx 2nd Nov 2010
So, Americans like having others think for them?
With Apple being so popular there, I really wonder why the USA are still a democracy... grin
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RE: Mac OS usage share down worldwide, up in the US
RonanSail 2nd Nov 2010
@drphysx oouch!!!
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Sad to see the rest of world are smarter than US
LBiege 3rd Nov 2010
nt.
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RE: Mac OS usage share down worldwide, up in the US
Loverock Davidson 2nd Nov 2010
@drphysx

I figured it had more to do with Apple being an American company.
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Absolutely correct
use_what_works_4_U 3rd Nov 2010
@Loverock Davidson
AFAIK Apple concentrates their marketing and sales primarily in the Domestic market space. Granted, there are plenty of PC manufacturers based in the USA and selling more world wide, but your assertion about Apple focusing close to home is right on.

BTW: I don't know who flagged you on this post, but it wasn't me and they were stupendously wrong to do so.
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RE: Mac OS usage share down worldwide, up in the US
itguy08 2nd Nov 2010
@drphysx

I run a Mac, live in America and nobody has told me what to do with my computer, what to install on my computer or anything else....
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RE: Mac OS usage share down worldwide, up in the US
Rob.sharp@... 2nd Nov 2010
@itguy08 I live in the USA, own a PC and will never own an Apple product! If you ask me ZDNET is pro-Apple these days time to get my news somewhere else.
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RE: Mac OS usage share down worldwide, up in the US
lantzn 2nd Nov 2010
@rob.sharp
Wow you have to go looking for Apple hating news sites to enjoy the subject of computers? Why not just realize that people can like both?
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RE: Mac OS usage share down worldwide, up in the US
tonymcs@... 2nd Nov 2010
@itguy08

You run a Mac - you've already been told what to install on your computer wink
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RE: Mac OS usage share down worldwide, up in the US
yobtaf 2nd Nov 2010
@itguy08 How can you say that if you're following zdnet.
This place has really gone down hill.
Thank you CBS.
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RE: Mac OS usage share down worldwide, up in the US
yobtaf 2nd Nov 2010
@itguy08 How can you can you say that is you're following zdnet?
Thank you CBS.
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RE: Mac OS usage share down worldwide, up in the US
sackbut 2nd Nov 2010
@drphysx

We aren't still a democracy. We still have the fuhrer stealing our children's future.
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RE: Mac OS usage share down worldwide, up in the US
yobtaf 2nd Nov 2010
@sackbut You're either making a joke or you're a lunatic.
Either way zdnet is the right place for you.
Thank you CBS.
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So Windows no longer a monopoly in the US
NonZealot 2nd Nov 2010
After all, Windows now has less marketshare in its market than iPod has in its market. Either Windows is no longer a monopoly or iPod is.
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RE: Mac OS usage share down worldwide, up in the US
roger that 2nd Nov 2010
@NonZealot
Only companies can be monopolies, not products. Windows and iPod are products. Microsoft is a monopoly. Apple is not. Explaining why is far beyond what I am willing to do to educate you.
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But, a single product can turn a company into a monopoly in that sector
adornoe@... 2nd Nov 2010
of the overall market.

Thus, if Microsoft were come out with a Windows OS (Win8 or Win9, whatever), and it became the clear choice for anybody that has a computer, and, if it was able to operate as smoothly and better than Apple's OS X on the Macs and people switched out their Mac OSes for the new Windows OS, and eventually, Windows was able to capture 98-99% of the OS market, then, that new Windows OS could be classified as a monopoly because, it would essentially have crowded out Apple's OS and anything else that dared to compete.

Now, Microsoft might not be a monopoly in the overall technology sector because, other companies might still be able to perform better or compete effectively against Microsoft, like in the search engine arena, or in the tablet sector. But, because Microsoft did in fact become dominant and basically monopolistic in the OS sector, then, it might require government intervention into that particular sector and against that one product from MS. That's essentially what occurred in the browser wars in the late 1990s when Internet Explorer killed Netscape. But, Microsoft wasn't monopolistic in the other product areas in which it operated.

Basically, the point is that, a company might be the monopoly, but, a single product could be what designates it as such.
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RE: Mac OS usage share down worldwide, up in the US
Gis Bun 2nd Nov 2010
@NonZealot : In computers, you can't be a monopoly if you have a choice. Come to think of it, Apple has a monopoly. Officially you can only install OS X on Mac hardware.
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RE: Mac OS usage share down worldwide, up in the US
yobtaf 2nd Nov 2010
@Gis Bun With the direction technology is going in, operating systems, as we know them, will become irrelevant eventually.
MS should be making some plans for the future.
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RE: Mac OS usage share down worldwide, up in the US
smartin007 2nd Nov 2010
I thought it had to do more with the fact that Windows was easily pirated and installed on cheap computers available everywhere across the globe. You can only install OSX on Apple manufactured computers (unless you want a hackentosh). But why do that when you can easily copy MS. I dont think it has to do with which OS is better, but which is more affordable to most of the worlds population.
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RE: Mac OS usage share down worldwide, up in the US
RonanSail Updated - 2nd Nov 2010
@smartin007 probably true. The OS debate is less of a factor than many people would like us to believe. Many people will buy PCs because there are plenty of cheap ones. Equally some people will buy Macs because they are well put together, look good and have the apple brand.
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But Linux is and always has been free
NonZealot 2nd Nov 2010
@smartin007
I dont think it has to do with which OS is better, but which is more affordable to most of the worlds population.

You don't even need to pirate Linux yet usage is below 1%. So there is more to it than price.

unless you want a hackentosh

But if you are building a hackintosh, chances are you aren't paying for OS X either so again, price isn't an issue. Why would you think that stealing OS X is any more difficult than stealing Windows?

In fact, when you look at piracy numbers, it proves beyond a doubt that Windows is the best OS since price is absolutely removed from the equation. When the price of Linux, OS X, and Windows are set to $0, Windows is the preferred OS by a huge margin.
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Yes, but linux has only recently become user
Snooki_smoosh_smoosh 2nd Nov 2010
@NonZealot... friendly. Windows XP has been hijacked for many years prior to that. And to make a hackentosh takes bit of work to make it work.

And since Windows has such a huge user base, so much software and games is developed for it. OS X is starting to get an up tick in software development in the increased number of games and so on being ported, which means that the increased market share is catching developers eyes.

Also I believe that the increased acceptance of iOS devices have sparked new interest in the OSX platform.
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RE: Mac OS usage share down worldwide, up in the US
NonZealot 2nd Nov 2010
Yes, but linux has only recently become user friendly

Hmm, we've been told for years that Linux is user friendly. When do you think this finally happened?

And to make a hackentosh takes bit of work to make it work.

How much more work?

And since Windows has such a huge user base, so much software and games is developed for it.

Sounds to me like that makes Windows better. After all, a brilliant OS with no applications for it is totally useless.

Also, whatever happened to the old standby that while OS X apps are fewer, they are all much higher quality?

Also I believe that the increased acceptance of iOS devices have sparked new interest in the OSX platform.

Could be although I've yet to see a single person buy a Mac after buying an iOS device. My PC friends still have Windows PCs and the couple people I know who have Macs still have their Macs (and still mostly run Windows on them!!!).
  • Flagged
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RE: Mac OS usage share down worldwide, up in the US
Gis Bun 2nd Nov 2010
@smartin007 : So you could build your own clone for $500 or so and slap on a pirated copy of Windows or by a Mac for $1000. Hmmm. Especially if you don't have the cash.

Windows 7 [and I guess Vista] is harder to pirate. I'm sure it still is, but not as bad as XP.

It's also not just that Linux is free and just has 1%, just about everything runs on Windows. Linux is too complicated to manage unless you are a techie.

@Snooki_smoosh_smoosh : Linux is user friendly? Maybe but that's fine until the first major issue. You can find plenty of people who can fix Windows issues, some who can fix Macs [OK, not as much in hardware] but limited Linux fixers.
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Well Said!
yobtaf 2nd Nov 2010
@smartin007 This is not the place to make sense.
Thank you CBS.
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Is it a "bigger player" or what's used more on the internet?
John Zern 2nd Nov 2010
If you have both a smartphone and a computer, it doesn't mean you bought one or the other: Could the numbers just be pointing out the obvious, that you don't need to run to a computer everytime you need to look something up on the web, instead you can use your iphone for a few of those things?
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That describes my usage
NonZealot 2nd Nov 2010
@John Zern
I would say that my PC web surfing has been cut by at least a half since I got my iPhone.
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iOS convergence
ppgreat@... 2nd Nov 2010
With Lion hinting at becoming another iOS, does this mean there is a possibility that this will blend with the existing iOS numbers?
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RE: Mac OS usage share down worldwide, up in the US
roger that 2nd Nov 2010
@ppgreat@...

No. iOS is pramarily a touch-screen OS, Mac OS uses keyboard, touchpad, mouse or combination input devices. Vertical screens, as on a Mac, are unpleasant to use as touch screens.
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RE: Mac OS usage share down worldwide, up in the US
g@... 2nd Nov 2010
Oh.. so this is why Mac Mini prices were slashed around the world.
Except in the US
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RE: Mac OS usage share down worldwide, up in the US
Jim888 2nd Nov 2010
Confused about numbers.. if the drop from 5.03 to 4.98 is "trend pretty clear..." then what was the 5.00 to 5.03 comparing the months before... "trending clearly upward? So the trend that is mentioned here is really 5.00; 5.03; and 4.98 which is hard to consider much more than rounding/reporting error. Trends are over time folks. I think, unless we can see repeated declines, a "trend" is not in place here yet.
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It's zdnet, ergo it's clickbait...
zkiwi 2nd Nov 2010
It's kind of like Loverock posts. If he claims "A" then "not A" is the reality. Same with zdnet and their claims.
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Only American's fall for the hype
jscott418 2nd Nov 2010
American's are great for falling for the hype. Who else in the world can afford the Apple tax on some of their products. The rest know its just China crap made to look good. Yes, its a step above some of the China products. But its not much.
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RE: Mac OS usage share down worldwide, up in the US
yoshipod 2nd Nov 2010
Despite a small blip of a 0.04 increase in Windows this past month, the trend is clear. ALL desktop OS are seeing decreases over the past year as more people access the web through smart phones and ipads.

This is not really a verdict on Mac OS or Windows, but PC vs Device.
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Well done, you can think rationally...
zkiwi 2nd Nov 2010
Keep up the good work, but note, you'll never get a blogging job for zdnet because of your disturbing tendency to think.
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RE: Mac OS usage share down worldwide, up in the US
jarod0101 3rd Nov 2010
Who cares. Cockroaches outnumber humans 10 to 1 as well. Which group do you belong to? If people are too stupid, cheap, or ignorant to understand the benefits of an Apple machine, let them use whatever they like. They deserve it.
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boisety 3rd Nov 2010
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RE: Mac OS usage share down worldwide, up in the US
jorjitop 3rd Nov 2010
Macs in Europe often cost up to 50% more than in the US. That foolish policy must hurt sales. But, Europeans are used to paying more. They tend to spend more on wine, and less on computers.

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