Despite its relatively small share of the PC market, Apple's overall market penetration makes it a major player in many parts of the country.

Thomas Claburn, Editor at Large, Enterprise Mobility

April 16, 2010

1 Min Read

Apple sold 1,130,000 computers in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2010, according to IDC, a figure that represents 6.4% of the market.

But the popularity of Apple's iPod, iPhone, and now iPad lines means that the company can count 21.6% of adults nationwide among its customers, according to a new report from Experian Simmons. And that's to say nothing of those under age 18 who use Apple devices.

In many urban areas of the U.S., Apple's presence is stronger still.

The top geographic market for Apple is where it makes its home, in California's San Francisco Bay Area, including Oakland and San Jose. Almost one-third of all adult residents of the Bay Area own at least one of Apple's three core products: Mac, iPhone, or iPod.

Of Apple's top 10 regional markets, according to Experian Simmons, four are in California.

Beyond the Bay Area, where Apple product ownership is 49% above the national average, the three other Apple strongholds in California are San Diego (#3), Monterey-Salinas (#8), and the Santa Barbara-Santa Marina-San Luis Obispo region (#9).

In the San Diego area, 31.8% of the area's 2.2 million adults are "admitted Mac users," Experian Simmons notes, as if that were something to conceal.

In the Monterey-Salinas area, home to about half a million adults, about 151,000 or 28.1% own a Mac, iPhone or iPod. And there's only one Apple retail store in the vicinity.

The Santa Barbara area, meanwhile, is home to 141,000 Apple customers, or about 27.9% of area adults.

Other top Apple strongholds include Boston, MA (#2), New York, NY (#4), Washington, D.C. (#5), Chicago, IL (#7), and Las Vegas, NV (#10).

About the Author(s)

Thomas Claburn

Editor at Large, Enterprise Mobility

Thomas Claburn has been writing about business and technology since 1996, for publications such as New Architect, PC Computing, InformationWeek, Salon, Wired, and Ziff Davis Smart Business. Before that, he worked in film and television, having earned a not particularly useful master's degree in film production. He wrote the original treatment for 3DO's Killing Time, a short story that appeared in On Spec, and the screenplay for an independent film called The Hanged Man, which he would later direct. He's the author of a science fiction novel, Reflecting Fires, and a sadly neglected blog, Lot 49. His iPhone game, Blocfall, is available through the iTunes App Store. His wife is a talented jazz singer; he does not sing, which is for the best.

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