Why Are Mac Users Older Than Windows PC Users?

A recent survey says about half of all Mac users are 55 or older. That’s double the share of the average home Windows PC user.

Are Mac users older than Windows users? Or, wiser? Or, both?

Technology researcher MetaFacts says over 46-percent of Mac users are 55 years old or older.

Forgive me for doubting the science of numbers, but that number just seems, well, old.

It’s not that I doubt that baby boomers can’t own or use computers. Some of my best friends are baby boomers.

MetaFacts 2006 Home PC Brand Profile Report says homes in the US are going heavily toward notebooks, with Apple holding higher numbers than PC makers.

For example, over half of all Apple Mac households report having notebooks. Households with Dells? Over 45-percent.

How about HP/Compaq? The survey says just 16-percent of those households use notebooks.

The data collected in this year’s survey is more than just interesting, it shows some striking trends. PCs purchased in the past 30 months show up in about half of all US homes.

Even more interesting is the age disparity between Mac owners and PC owners. Mac owners are older than PC owners. Much older.

Stranger still is Gateway, which has the lead in PC sales among the 18-24 year olds in the US. Is price a factor? Macs cost more. Gateway/eMachines cost less.

Is there a downside and is there an upside. I say yes to both.

The downside is that Apple, despite record sales of everything, has an older, though loyal base of Mac users, who may not purchase new machines as often as PC users (though for other reasons).

The upside may account for some of the recent market share increases—iPod users are younger and they’re switching from Windows PCs to Macs.

That’s pure speculation on my part but I love it when I make sense to me. It keeps the argumentation to a minimum.

How old are Mac users, really? Mac360 decided to do a little reader poll where you can chime in on your age, (anonymously, of course). To check out the age spread, and click in your response, Click Here.

To see the results of the age of Mac360 readers, just Click Here.

Is it scientific? Sure, as far as numbers are scientific. Interesting? Always. Do you know what Mac users are older than Windows PC users, on average? Share your thoughts with other Mac360 readers in the Comments section below.