OS X Mountain Lion passes 10% adoption in one month, on track to outperform Lion

Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
A study from ad network Chitika found that after only one month of availability, Apple's latest OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion has garnered over 10 percent of all Mac-based ad impressions after enjoying a high adoption rate that shows no signs of slowing down.

The report released on Thursday noted adoption of Mountain Lion hit 10.3 percent as of Aug. 27, a little over one month after the operating system was released as a $20 upgrade on the Mac App Store.

The information comes from ad network Chitika's research arm, Chitika Insights, which compiled a month of OS X web traffic, sampling "hundreds of millions" of ad impressions to calculate the distribution of Mac operating system market share.

According to the study, shortly after Mountain Lion was released on July 25, its share stood at 3.2 percent of all Mac-based web traffic seen across Chitika's ad network. The high adoption rate was confirmed by Apple, which said over three million users downloaded the latest software in its first four days of availability, making it the most successful OS X launch in Apple history.

Adoption Rate
Source: Chitika Insights


The early spike subsided on July 29 after reaching a 5.65 percent share, but the report points out Mountain Lion's adoption rate continues to impress, and reached an average of 9.61 percent of all Mac traffic from Aug. 20 to Aug. 27.

In comparison to OS X 10.7 Lion, Apple's latest offering continues to outperform, as the legacy operating system took three months to hit 14 percent of total Mac traffic. The firm believes Mountain Lion's growth rate will surpass Lion's within three weeks.

Weekly Average


Apple's newest OS X offers users tighter iCloud integration, a new messaging application, Notification Center, system-wide sharing, Facebook integration, Dictation, AirPlay Mirroring, Game Center and a host of other fresh features. Most recently, the company released an update to Mountain Lion that fixed a number of issues regarding iMessage, Migration Assistant and audio output on Thunderbolt displays.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 54

    Quote:


    On track to outperform Lion



     


  • Reply 2 of 54
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member


    I'm telling folks to hold-off on 10.8. I've had it since day one on my MBA and iMac.  I use both to run VMware Fusion and since the update to 10.8.1 there's been some network-related quirks that are filtering into my VMware Fusion / Windows 7x64 environment too.  Too much that I don't feel for my use, it's ready for giving to my other clients running similar setups.  With 10.7.x everything was rock-solid stable.  Now, not so much.


     


    Too bad.  I really like what 10.8 has.  Frustrating that something changed that should not have.  I just upgraded to VMware Fusion 5.0 which just in case, I have them looking into the network issue as well.

  • Reply 3 of 54


    No surprise, since ML isn't a very risky update.


     


    What should be cause for concern, though, is that there are still more 10.6 users than 10.7 and 10.8 users combined. I wonder if this is about 10.7 dropping support for PPC apps or a sign that the Mac market is growing beyond the engaged users it has been famous for.

  • Reply 4 of 54
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    With a cost under $20 and such an easy upgrade process I am surprised that number isn't higher. Are my expectations really too high?
  • Reply 5 of 54
    msuberlymsuberly Posts: 234member
    I wish that I had not upgraded my late-2009 iMac to Lion. I lost a lot of data that I thought was backed up. What would be the benefit of upgrading this computer to ML? There are a few new features but I recall most of those are limited to newer systems. I do not plan to buy a new computer for a while.
  • Reply 6 of 54
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    Originally Posted by Banana Bonanza View Post

    What should be cause for concern, though, is that there are still more 10.6 users than 10.7 and 10.8 users combined. I wonder if this is about 10.7 dropping support for PPC apps or a sign that the Mac market is growing beyond the engaged users it has been famous for.


     


    If the former, then the latter by definition. If that many people are still using software that hasn't been updated in a minimum of six years, that's not really "engaged". 

  • Reply 7 of 54
    doh123doh123 Posts: 323member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post



    With a cost under $20 and such an easy upgrade process I am surprised that number isn't higher. Are my expectations really too high?


    if the advertised it better... it would go better.  Most Mac users have no idea there is a 10.8 even out there... and I talked to 2 people in the last month using 10.6 that didn't even know there was a 10.7 let alone a 10.8.

  • Reply 8 of 54
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post



    With a cost under $20 and such an easy upgrade process I am surprised that number isn't higher. Are my expectations really too high?


     


    Quote:

    Originally Posted by doh123 View Post


    if the advertised it better... it would go better.  Most Mac users have no idea there is a 10.8 even out there... and I talked to 2 people in the last month using 10.6 that didn't even know there was a 10.7 let alone a 10.8.



    I agree. It's not well advertised.  I'm sure most mac users are quite happy with the way their systems work that even for $20 bucks, they probably don't need/want the new features.



    I think 10.8 is very slick.  Bummer that some quirks are showing up, but I really like it.  Looking forward to future 10.8.x updates that hopefully brings it back to the stability of 10.7.

  • Reply 9 of 54
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member


    I think the custom at Apple is to not advertise a standalone-OS, so much as to advertise a Mac. A Mac as a single experience. It isn't about "getting OS X Mountain Lion." It's about "Getting a Mac."


     


    This is one way of doing it. Adoption of new versions of OS X happen more or less in proportion to new Mac sales. 

  • Reply 10 of 54
    cash907cash907 Posts: 893member


    Not exactly hard to outperform Lion, which itself notably underperformed. Now if they could just fix that blasted battery issue.

  • Reply 11 of 54
    drblankdrblank Posts: 3,385member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post



    With a cost under $20 and such an easy upgrade process I am surprised that number isn't higher. Are my expectations really too high?


    They have to wait about 30 to 60 days until the first major patch is done before people start lining up to buy it.  The people that have things like Pro Tools or special apps that they run their businesses on usually have other software or hardware that has to get their final BLESSING to get them to upgrade because they might have critical systems running high level business apps they don't want to disrupt.  Some corporations just wait before they allow big deployments.  There is at least one issue that's being worked on, but it mostly applies to batteries.  But in the Pro Tools world, it takes Avid a little time to test the various computers with various releases of Pro Tools before they grant a thumbs up.  Plus some might have to wait for other apps they are using to get updated as well.  Unfortunately it's impossible to test every possible scenario before a major OS is released.

  • Reply 12 of 54
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,382member


    How exactly would Apple advertise 10.8? TV ads? I can't see them putting focus on it as a standalone product. Adoption will come as new macs sell. Honestly I think theres a huge contigent of mac users that won't update out of pure ignorance. This is the thing with Desktop OSes. Most people not in the know don't really give a shit. They use the browser/email/FB and for them not much will improve their workflow. 

  • Reply 13 of 54

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Banana Bonanza View Post


    No surprise, since ML isn't a very risky update.


     


    What should be cause for concern, though, is that there are still more 10.6 users than 10.7 and 10.8 users combined. I wonder if this is about 10.7 dropping support for PPC apps or a sign that the Mac market is growing beyond the engaged users it has been famous for.



    I'm still on 10.6 for the simple reason Lion slowed everything down terribly, then Apple announced that Mountain Lion was just around the corner, so, I figured, I'd wait for that, then ML was released and really in need of being cleaned up, then 10.8.1 came out and made it bearable to use, then more probs were found and then 10.8.2 was pushed out, and ....


     


     


     


    Quote:

    Originally Posted by msuberly View Post



    I wish that I had not upgraded my late-2009 iMac to Lion. I lost a lot of data that I thought was backed up. What would be the benefit of upgrading this computer to ML? There are a few new features but I recall most of those are limited to newer systems. I do not plan to buy a new computer for a while.


     


    From what I have read in blogs, ML is an improvement over Lion, so is worth it, especially since it's been patched up since rushed out.

  • Reply 14 of 54
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member


    The size of those SL bar graphs is a little scary. People are holding on to those older Macs apparently.

  • Reply 15 of 54


    I would have upgraded to 10.8, but like 10.7 ending support for PPC, 10.8 ended support for the meager Intel GMA 950 in my mid-2007 MacBook. Time to start saving.

  • Reply 16 of 54

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


     


    If the former, then the latter by definition. If that many people are still using software that hasn't been updated in a minimum of six years, that's not really "engaged". 



     


    I have a late 2006 Intel MBP that just won't die. It works perfectly and is used daily at least 8 hours for business. It cannot run 10.8.x. but it is a speed demon on 10.4.11.


     


    My 28" iMac is running 10.6 and as soon as 10.8 gets to the point it's stable, I'll be upgrading.


     


    So, what's you're definition of "engaged?"

  • Reply 17 of 54
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    Originally Posted by Macky the Macky View Post

    I have a late 2006 Intel MBP that just won't die. It works perfectly and is used daily at least 8 hours for business. It cannot run 10.8.x. but it is a speed demon on 10.4.11.


     


    My 28" iMac is running 10.6 and as soon as 10.8 gets to the point it's stable, I'll be upgrading.


     


    So, what's you're definition of "engaged?"



     


    See now that's fine. That's what I figure most of the upgrade "reluctance" comes from. That's nothing to do with "engagement"; you're quite engaged… in your actual work! You'll upgrade when you can. But "my PowerPC apps don't work anymore!" isn't much of a complaint anymore.

  • Reply 18 of 54

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    The size of those SL bar graphs is a little scary. People are holding on to those older Macs apparently.



     


    Why not? The Mac doesn't fall apart like say a Dell or HP. My old late 2006 MBP is running just fine, though the battery starts wheezing when I push it for a long spell without feeding it some power.


     


    BTW, the MBP replaced a 1997 Mac I was using daily too.


     


    It's just silly to replace something that is doing the job you bought it for. However, being able to back everything up in the iCloud is fantastic and will likely make me replace my venerable 2006 MBP so I can sync automatically between iDevices and Macs.

  • Reply 19 of 54

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sflocal View Post


    I'm telling folks to hold-off on 10.8. I've had it since day one on my MBA and iMac.  I use both to run VMware Fusion and since the update to 10.8.1 there's been some network-related quirks that are filtering into my VMware Fusion / Windows 7x64 environment too.  Too much that I don't feel for my use, it's ready for giving to my other clients running similar setups.  With 10.7.x everything was rock-solid stable.  Now, not so much.


     


    Too bad.  I really like what 10.8 has.  Frustrating that something changed that should not have.  I just upgraded to VMware Fusion 5.0 which just in case, I have them looking into the network issue as well.



     


    Only because you posted this, I felt compelled to chime in, to give another point of feedback.


     


    I too am using WMWare (v4.1.3) under OS X 10.8.1 without ANY issues whatsoever. I run trusty old XP Pro, though I also have Windows 8 Evaluation copy installed, on a 2009 Mac mini.


    I use it every day for 9+ hours to run Quickbooks (ties back to a windows corporate environment), Taxwise (Windows Only Industry Standard Tax Application) and A proprietary windows only Distribution/Shipping application. I mention these three because they rely 100% on reliable Internet connectivity.


     


    Again, not a single glitch at all. Super smooth.


    Sometimes we need to look within, to solve our issues. :)


    Just sayin'

  • Reply 20 of 54


    Not "upgrading" from snow leopard.  Not now, not ever.  First they took away the damn mouse button on the laptops, now they remove the save button in the OS.  Oh you like back to my mac?  You'll have to "upgrade" to get it back, oh and we've changed some other things too, sucker.  Want a Retina display?  You'll have to give up your optical drive and ethernet port for one of those.  Next comes facebook and twitter.  They're turning the mac into a social appliance / fashion accessory for teenagers.  Nooooo thanks!

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