ChangeWave Research: Explosive Mac Sales Over Holidays

by , 12:35 PM EST, January 21st, 2008

ChangeWave Research surveyed 4,604 CWR members in January and found that that 17 percent of respondents bought a Mac notebook in the last 90 days, a 3 percent jump from the previous survey in November 2007. Apple desktops were purchased by 16 percent, up six points from previously.

"The results represent an astonishing leap for Apple among consumer PC purchasers over the holidays," the report said.

ChangeWave Research

"Looking at the next 90 days, a third of planned PC buyers (33%; up 4-pts) say they’ll purchase an Apple laptop – a new all-time high for the electronics giant. At the same time, 29% say they’ll buy an Apple desktop – matching their November all-time high," ChangeWave Research reported.

"Apple also maintains its big lead in customer satisfaction compared to other major PC manufacturers," the study said. "Nearly four-in-five Apple buyers (79%) over the past 90 days say they are Very Satisfied with their purchase (another 18% say they are Somewhat Satisfied)"

The numbers for Dell and hewlett-Packard were 59 percent and 58 percent respectively.

The findings by ChangeWave Research also presented a very clear picture of the relative satisfaction users had with their OSes. For Apple's Leopard, 81 percent said they were Very Satisfied. On the other hand, Windows Vista Home Premium only obtained a 27 percent score in that category.

ChangeWave Research

CWR looked at the next ninety days and predicted a mild overall slowdown in consumer buying of PCs. Dell, however, looks slightly more promising by a few percentage points while the prospect for HP looked "uneventful."

The report concluded, "This PC finding falls in line with the overall slowdown in consumer purchasing we've tracked in our ChangeWave consumer spending surveys for the past six months, and it's a trend that we will continue to watch closely in the weeks ahead."