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

Software Publishers Association Fifth Annual Consumer Study Finds PCs in
More Homes andUsed 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:

o  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.

o  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.

o  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.

o  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. There are charts available on SPA's
Web site http://www.spa.org.

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.

Software Publishers Association
1730 M St, Northwest, Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20036
202-452-1600,  Fax: 202-223-8756
 
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