More than 45 million US households, or about 44.8% of the total, now have at least one personal computer, according to a newly released study from Ziff-Davis’ ZD Market Intelligence unit. The total rose from 41 million households in January 1997 to 45.6 million in January 1998, an increase of 11.4%, in a year. As one would expect, however, only 24% of households with an annual income below $30,000 has a PC, while 70% of those with annual incomes of $75,000 or more do. Lower income households are making up ground, though, as they make up nearly one-third of first-time buyers. Lower-priced PCs and the availability of recent model trade-ins are making PC ownership more affordable for all households, the research indicates.
