Net stats place Mac user share at 7.3 percent in December
Apple's share of web users has topped 7 percent for the first time at the expense of Windows, according to the latest statistics from web researchers at Net Applications.
Having already reached an all-time high of 6.8 percent in November, the number of Mac visitors to Net Applications' 40,000 tracked websites has jumped substantially to 7.31 percent -- a relative increase of 7.5 percent in one month.
Researchers also pointed out that traffic surged in the final two days of the year: on December 30th and 31st, Mac share edged slightly past 8 percent. Neither these nor the primary figures include Mac users visiting the pages using Windows in Boot Camp or a virtual machine, suggesting that the number of Mac owners included in the study is slightly higher.
"These numbers actually understate the market share for the Mac," Net Applications says. "We have no way of telling by how much, however."
Although it doesn't attempt to explain the spike in user share, the firm observes that Windows share has dropped during the same period. Where Microsoft's OS share accounted for 92.4 percent in November, it stands at 91.8 percent in the final month of 2007. A small portion of this may be attributable to Linux, which is the second-largest OS included in the results and which grew less than a tenth of a percentage point in the two-month interval.
The surprise contribution to the shift in balance is the iPhone, Net Applications adds. While small, the iPhone's web share shows "spectacular" growth from 0.09 percent to 0.12 percent of all visits. This gain is the largest since the Internet analysts began tracking statistics for the Apple cellphone in July.
As with the Mac, iPhone user demographics climbed sharply at the very end of December. At 0.17 percent, the handset's share on the 30th and 31st represents little of the overall share but an exceptional 89 percent gain over the November figures.
Windows Mobile and other portable operating systems did not register statistics high enough to be included in the report.
Having already reached an all-time high of 6.8 percent in November, the number of Mac visitors to Net Applications' 40,000 tracked websites has jumped substantially to 7.31 percent -- a relative increase of 7.5 percent in one month.
Researchers also pointed out that traffic surged in the final two days of the year: on December 30th and 31st, Mac share edged slightly past 8 percent. Neither these nor the primary figures include Mac users visiting the pages using Windows in Boot Camp or a virtual machine, suggesting that the number of Mac owners included in the study is slightly higher.
"These numbers actually understate the market share for the Mac," Net Applications says. "We have no way of telling by how much, however."
Although it doesn't attempt to explain the spike in user share, the firm observes that Windows share has dropped during the same period. Where Microsoft's OS share accounted for 92.4 percent in November, it stands at 91.8 percent in the final month of 2007. A small portion of this may be attributable to Linux, which is the second-largest OS included in the results and which grew less than a tenth of a percentage point in the two-month interval.
The surprise contribution to the shift in balance is the iPhone, Net Applications adds. While small, the iPhone's web share shows "spectacular" growth from 0.09 percent to 0.12 percent of all visits. This gain is the largest since the Internet analysts began tracking statistics for the Apple cellphone in July.
As with the Mac, iPhone user demographics climbed sharply at the very end of December. At 0.17 percent, the handset's share on the 30th and 31st represents little of the overall share but an exceptional 89 percent gain over the November figures.
Windows Mobile and other portable operating systems did not register statistics high enough to be included in the report.
Comments
The age of an Apple dynasty is upon us and a double digit Market Share is a certainty in 2008!
and still a bargain at $199 a share. Get in while you still can.
The age of an Apple dynasty is upon us and a double digit Market Share is a certainty in 2008!
Bring on the subnotebooks to make it happen Apple!
I bought a new Macbook this year to make my contribution and get Leopard.
If Vista's SP1 is a yawner then Apple's rise is guaranteed.
My only real complaint with Leopard is with Safari 3.0. I'd like a GUI way to add tabs like in Firefox and IE. There needs to be more preferences for links to come-up automatically as a new tab. I'm not interested in key and mouse click combinations. Safari 3.0 comes-up short on tab management.
Although it doesn't attempt to explain the spike in user share... A small portion of this may be attributable to Linux, which is the second-largest OS included in the results and which grew less than a tenth of a percentage point in the two-month interval.
Second largest? You mean third, unless you're talking about something other than market share.
My only real complaint with Leopard is with Safari 3.0. I'd like a GUI way to add tabs like in Firefox and IE. There needs to be more preferences for links to come-up automatically as a new tab. I'm not interested in key and mouse click combinations. Safari 3.0 comes-up short on tab management.
1. File menu > New Tab
OR
2. Command + T
Simple Enough.
1. File menu > New Tab
OR
2. Command + T
Simple Enough.
Umm...no. Tab browsing in both Firefox and Opera is awesome, the same cannot be said about Safari 3. I was using Camino exclusively until I came across the Saft plugin for Safari 3 which gives me the functionality in tab browsing that I'm looking for in Safari.
I hated the fact that in Safari I would have dozens of windows open. Unfortunately Safari does not give you the simple option of just opening links that open in a new window to be opened in a new tab instead. And please, lets not get stupid here and talk about command clicking or middle clicking on a mouse. You often do not know if a link is going to open in a new window or not, plus this should be taken care of automatically in Safari as it is done in Camino, Firefox, Opera, Shiira, Flock, Seamonkey, etc.
Fortunately the Saft plugin takes care of this. Now it's "Simple Enough."
I also have to wonder how many of the users of Windows were business users? I use Windows at work because I HAVE to. I work in a hotel and we have tons of computers all running Windows. Whenever I have to look up information to help a guest or co-worker it's always on IE. At home I wouldn't consider it. EVER.
One thing I have noticed is a LOT of our guests are carrying Apple laptops (especially younger users). Just a few years ago I NEVER saw any.
You often do not know if a link is going to open in a new window or not
Actually, you do. It says on the status line, "Open *link* in a new window" shows up in my Safari. I admit that I like Firefox's ability to open new windows as a new tab instead, but middle clicking is fine for me (since most of my surfing is done with my macbook pro using a bluetooth iogear wheel-mouse).
I'm not arguing that your point is valid, just that it's not entirely accurate.
To anyone who has used a Windows Mobile device, my sympathies go out to you. I had a smartphone and a windows-mobile based GPS/PDA combo. Ironically, the PDA running an old version of Windows Mobile is the only stable Windows device I have ever used (it never once crashed on me), but my smartphone had to be rebooted daily to prevent it from freezing (generally at an inopportune moment like when I was receiving a call). On top of being the most unreliable phone I've ever had, the Windows Mobile interface is God-awful (although I admit that what HTC has done with their touch-interface is nice, but once you enter an app, you're stuck with the clunky controls).
Actually, you do. It says on the status line, "Open *link* in a new window" shows up in my Safari. I admit that I like Firefox's ability to open new windows as a new tab instead, but middle clicking is fine for me (since most of my surfing is done with my macbook pro using a bluetooth iogear wheel-mouse).
I'm not arguing that your point is valid, just that it's not entirely accurate.
Two things: First, it's called a "Status Bar", not a status line and two, the status bar is not enabled by default. Ah, what the heck I might as well give you three. And three, looking down at the status bar each and every time you click is neither natural nor sensible.
"I'm not arguing that your point is valid, just that it's not entirely accurate."
Two things: First, it's called a "Status Bar", not a status line and two, the status bar is not enabled by default. Ah, what the heck I might as well give you three. And three, looking down at the status bar each and every time you click is neither natural nor sensible.
"I'm not arguing that your point is valid, just that it's not entirely accurate."
I'd argue that looking at the status bar every time you click a link is more than sensible, it's a safety concern. Of course, this is less so when using a Mac, but nonetheless.
I hated the fact that in Safari I would have dozens of windows open. Unfortunately Safari does not give you the simple option of just opening links that open in a new window to be opened in a new tab instead. And please, lets not get stupid here and talk about command clicking or middle clicking on a mouse. You often do not know if a link is going to open in a new window or not, plus this should be taken care of automatically in Safari as it is done in Camino, Firefox, Opera, Shiira, Flock, Seamonkey, etc.
Right-clicking a link and selecting "Open Link in New Tab" seems pretty easy to me.
And don't tell me you only use a single-button mouse because of some fading Apple UI religion from the 80s which stated, "thou shalt only ever need one mouse button". If you're installing Saft and configuring your browser, you're a sufficiently advanced user to handle more than one mouse button.
Even if you're using the trackpad on a laptop, you can simply turn on the right-click gesture in the preferences.
Umm...no. Tab browsing in both Firefox and Opera is awesome, the same cannot be said about Safari 3. I was using Camino exclusively until I came across the Saft plugin for Safari 3 which gives me the functionality in tab browsing that I'm looking for in Safari.
I hated the fact that in Safari I would have dozens of windows open. Unfortunately Safari does not give you the simple option of just opening links that open in a new window to be opened in a new tab instead. And please, lets not get stupid here and talk about command clicking or middle clicking on a mouse. You often do not know if a link is going to open in a new window or not, plus this should be taken care of automatically in Safari as it is done in Camino, Firefox, Opera, Shiira, Flock, Seamonkey, etc.
Fortunately the Saft plugin takes care of this. Now it's "Simple Enough."
Whats wrong with Command + click?!
I dont understand the issue. "You often do not know if a link is going to open in a new window or not" opens in a tab whenever i wish it to open in a tab! I could not ask for it to be any better in that respect.
I'd argue that looking at the status bar every time you click a link is more than sensible, it's a safety concern. Of course, this is less so when using a Mac, but nonetheless.
Yep, yep. It's how you detect the true URL before clicking on a link to a spoof website. I don't check it for every link I click, but for every link I'm suspicious of.
So she is using a Mac day and night with IE and Windows for her work but doesn't even register in these statistics. There must be many similar users out there. She does, I should add use the Mac OS for everything else of course.
NOT! Now what will the security through obscurity set have to say?
I also have to wonder how many of the users of Windows were business users? I use Windows at work because I HAVE to. I work in a hotel and we have tons of computers all running Windows. Whenever I have to look up information to help a guest or co-worker it's always on IE. At home I wouldn't consider it. EVER.
One thing I have noticed is a LOT of our guests are carrying Apple laptops (especially younger users). Just a few years ago I NEVER saw any.
The last point is so true, they are springing up like mushrooms
On the Hotel side, this illustrates a huge market that Apple should address. Wouldn't iMacs look so much cooler in all these work situations. So Apple should be courting these markets by talking to the software developers of these type of systems. Most at the end of the day are databases and mail servers. An all Apple set up would be far better and safer.
I remember all too well as the owner of an Apple dealership in the late 1970'sand early 80's how we were putting such systems in to many businesses. We even had fiber optic networking from a company called Symbiotic (Hi Rodney Cox and Terry Hood But we were crushed by PCs in the following years simply due to software availability. It is time for the tide to change!