Most US Mac users also have a PC

An estimated 85 per cent of Mac users in the US have a windows-based PC as well, according to a new study conducted by research firm NPD Group.

The NPD Group’s 2009 Household Penetration Study claimed that most Mac are based in a "mixed system environment”.

The group also found, however, that the home market share of Apple computers had climbed to a new high of 12 percent. In 2008 NPD recorded its household share at 9 per cent.

Multiple computer ownership is common in homes that have an Apple computer, said NPD. Around 66 per cent of Mac owners have three or more computers in their home. By contrast, 29 percent of homes with a Windows PC have additional computers.

"Apple owning households are decidedly more mobile as well, with 72 percent of them owning a notebook, whereas only 50 percent of households that have a Windows PC own a notebook," the group added.

Meanwhile, the study found a correlation between iPod and computer allegiance, as 36 per cent of PC owners had an iPod, though 63 per cent of Mac owners used one.

The study was conducted online, completing a questionnaire with 2,300 online users.