Personal Computers Now in 34% of U.S. Households

Software Publishers Association Fifth Annual Consumer Study Finds PCs in More Homes and Used More Often

April 22, 1996 (Washington, D.C.) - The Software Publishers Association (SPA) announced today the results of its fifth annual study of computers in the home. The random digit telephone survey queried home PC owners on software use and PC configurations. Survey results show the use of home personal computers increased slightly in 1995, with penetration of PCs reaching 34 percent by January 1996, representing 33.9 million households, up from 32.6 million the same period a year ago.

Word processing is still the software application used most widely in the home. It has held first place since 1993 when 80 percent of home users reported using it, compared with 89 percent this year. At least 50 percent of PC households use seven application types, up from 5 percent in 1994. Overall, respondents reported using an average of nearly nine different types of software, with online and Internet users reporting more than 11 types.

Among other key survey findings:

• Multimedia capabilities clearly spurred PC purchases in 1995. Of all PCs purchased in 1995, 83 percent were equipped with CD-ROM drives, compared with 55 percent in 1994. Currently more than 70 percent of both Apple and Intel PC primary (most-used) installed base PCs report CD-ROM capability.

   

• Online and Internet use increased. Seventy percent of PC households reported owning a modem. Of modem owners, 46 percent subscribe to an online service, and an additional 26 percent use the Internet through another type of gateway, such as an office, educational institution or gateway provider. Seventy-seven percent of Internet users report accessing the Web. Once there, research/reference, entertainment and education sites are visited by the greatest number of respondents.

   

• Macintosh/Apple share holds steady, while Windows base strengthens. Although 79 percent of respondents reported their primary computer is an IBM/compatible, the share of households with an Apple II, Macintosh or Power Mac remained at 16 percent. Of households with Intel-based machines, only 15 percent do not run Windows or Windows 95 on their primary computer. Eighteen percent of home users reported running Windows 95, and 35 percent of the nonusers planned to upgrade within the next six months.

   

• Faster is better, even for consumers. Twenty-four percent of PC households report owning a Pentium as their primary computer, with processors slower than a 286 down to less than 15 percent of the most-used computers. Last year, only 4 percent of primary PCs held a Pentium chip.

SPA's "1996 Consumer Survey" is free to members and $500 for nonmembers. To order, call (202) 452-1600, ext. 341.

The Software Publishers Association's focus is on companies developing and publishing software applications and interactive content. SPA is the leading trade association of the desktop software industry, representing the leading publishers as well as many start-up firms in the business, consumer and education markets. Its 1,200 members account for 90 percent of the sales of the U.S. packaged software industry. SPA press releases are available on SPA's Web site at http://www.spa.org/ or through Fax-on-Demand at (800) 637-6823.

CHART 1

How Consumers Spend Time Online

(percent of respondents reporting each activity)

CHART 2

Number of Software Application Titles Owned by Category

CD-ROM cells include respondents who report both owning a CD-ROM reader and using one of the applications above (games, education, personal productivity).

* includes 25 percent with no CD-ROM titles, even though a CD-ROM reader is owned.