Macworld magazine today announced the results of an independent research study that showed more than two-thirds of Macworld subscribers are either already using or planning to adopt Mac OS X by mid-year.
The survey, conducted by Karlin Associates, reports that 20 percent of those polled are already using Mac OS X, and another 8 percent plan to buy the current release. 40 percent more intend to convert to Mac OS X when the next release is available, presumably sometime this summer.
The survey finds that 35 percent of those early adopters already use Mac OS X daily as their sole operating system. And, as you might expect, a large percentage of those users — 82 percent, all told — plan to upgrade all or some of the apps they’re currently using to Mac OS X native versions as soon as they become available.
There’s some good news for developers of Mac OS X applications looking to break into new markets, too. OS X functionality, rather than brand loyalty, seems to be a compelling force for early adopters. The study found that most early adopters would be willing to switch to another application if it works in OS X before the one they currently use.