Mac and apps: Survey reveals how many we use every day, and whether we mind paying for them

SOCIETY Setapp conducted a survey of 462 Mac users, and it came up with some really interesting findings. These include, for example, what factors are most important to users when it comes to Mac applications, how much they spend on them annually, but also how many applications they actually have installed on their computer. This first-ever report from the company is purely concerned with Mac applications. It focuses on our "relationships" with the software we use, as well as why certain apps are included in our docks and how much we actually pay for apps. Its result can be interesting for anyone, but it is especially useful for macOS application developers.

Security first 

So when it comes to the number of applications installed on a Mac computer, each of us has an average of 31. But we actively use 12 of them every day. These are one-time payments, but also subscriptions. The first is preferred by 36% of the respondents, the second by only 750% of them. However, 36% mentioned that it depends on more than one factor. 14% of respondents don't even buy any apps, and only three percent don't care if they make a one-time purchase or pay a subscription.

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Respondents said the most important factor when choosing a new Mac app is its security. Features and user experience/interface follow. Interestingly, price is only fifth in the list of these most important aspects. According to the "reputable" developer, only 15% of respondents choose the content. 36% of respondents also said that it is very important for them to have all applications ready for their Apple Silicon computers. The most popular Apple computer is MacBook Pro, for 42% of respondents, 33% then prefer MacBook Air, 20% iMac and for example only 10% of the Mac mini. But even the Mac Pro is included, with a fairly high 18% representation.

It is certainly interesting to see how the interviewees answered the question: "What is the primary reason for using a Mac?" The most common answers included words like convenience, love, quality, better, ease of use, followed by system, schoolwork or even viruses. Rather illogically, there are also games here. Although within Apple Arcade maybe…