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Market Research: Focus Group Evaluation on Computer Buying

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Market Research: Focus Group Evaluation on Computer Buying
Marketing Research
Focus Group Report
November 21, 2011

The market of computers has many different options and brands for customers to choose from. Everybody has their own opinion on why they buy a certain brand and what they think are the best qualities on a computer. The knowledge buyers have can vary from someone who knows everything about the computer and how it works on the inside; to the average buyer who mainly needs it for school, business, or personal everyday use. The big discussion topic on the market is if computer users prefer Macintosh or PC brand computers better. Macintosh is a line of computers made and distributed by Apple Inc. It is a vertical integration model that was created to run its own operating system that is pre-installed on the Macs. PC’s or personal computers are a more general-purpose computer that has no intervening computer operator. They are made for the individual that wants to operate it themselves and purchase or pick the software that is wanted on the computer. Macintosh computers are only sold through Apple Inc., while PC’s are made and distributed through many companies such as: Dell, HP, Toshiba, Sony, Samsung, and Asus. The main topic of this focus group was Mac vs. PC. Many questions were asked about their current computers they have and what they like and don’t like about them. The goal was to get a better understanding of what buyers want on a computer and which type they prefer.
The first question was the gather what the focus group participants owned for a computer, the results are as followed. * Nine have a PC computer. * One has a Mac computer.
Since most of the focus group participants said they owned PC’s I then asked if any of them have worked with a Mac computer before even if they don’t own one. Although they may not own a Mac computer it was nice to know if they knew the features Mac’s offered and the difference between a Mac and a PC. * Four participants said they have not used a

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