Hello all. This is my first post on the site. Quick intro: I operate a one-man shop where I design software for a fairly small niche in the financial services industry. I target Windows desktops exclusively and my development framework is .NET/WPF.
I'm trying to decide whether or not it makes sense for me to port my flagship software to MacOS but I can't make my decision without a reasonable approximation of Mac's market share. So that's my question: What's Mac's market share?
I asked myself this same question (for the same reasons) nearly ten years ago. Mac's market share at that time was 5% -- hardly enough to warrant a Mac port. Now, ten years later, Mac's share is STILL at 5% according to the share tracking sites. It appears at first glance that I've answered my own question but I get the nagging feeling that I'm missing something. 5% seems to be a gross underestimate.
I see Macs everywhere. Just anecdotally, the local Starbucks seems to be at least 40% Mac. Just looking around the food court here at O'Hare airport, I'm seeing 25% Mac. Macs certainly aren't ubiquitous but I'm convinced that their market share MUST be way higher than 5%.
Why is there such a disparity between what the marketshare sites report and what I'm seeing in the general population? Is my mind playing tricks on me? Is it because I'm spending time in communities that have an unusually large concentration of Mac users [I have homes in San Diego and Chicago]? Am I confusing laptop usage with overall usage? Is it because Mac's market share on the TV shows that I watch [Entourage, Dexter] is nearly 100% and Apple's product placement is affecting my judgment? I just don't get it. I'm stumped.