Half of iPad users have Windows device in home, research finds

Will mix change once more Windows-based iPad "killers" hit the streets?

A little more than half of all iPad user have a Windows computer at home, according to a sampling of nearly 75,000 of the tablet computers studied by online advertising network Chitika.

Chitika Research, sampling IP addresses of iPads that came into Chitika's network, found that 50.96% of iPad users also had a Windows PC, with about 16% running Windows 7.  Some 8.55% have an Apple iPhone that browses via Wi-Fi and about 63% have a machine running Mac OSX, according to the research.

"What this means is that the iPad, like the iPhone, has managed to transcend the Apple/Microsoft debate," according to Chitika Research.  "Despite their reputation as a niche computing company, Apple has created yet another product that strikes a chord with people who aren't already within the Steve Jobs sphere of influence."

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A little more than half of all iPad user have a Windows computer at home, according to a sampling of nearly 75,000 of the tablet computers studied by online advertising network Chitika.

Chitika Research, sampling IP addresses of iPads that came into Chitika's network, found that 50.96% of iPad users also had a Windows PC, with about 16% running Windows 7.  Some 8.55% have an Apple iPhone that browses via Wi-Fi and about 63% have a machine running Mac OSX, according to the research.

"What this means is that the iPad, like the iPhone, has managed to transcend the Apple/Microsoft debate," according to Chitika Research.  "Despite their reputation as a niche computing company, Apple has created yet another product that strikes a chord with people who aren't already within the Steve Jobs sphere of influence."

Note that Chitika did limit its research to IP addresses with 5 or fewer devices so as to strip out businesses and retailers with dozens of Internet-linked devices.

The iPad is off to a hot start, with Apple claiming to have sold 500,000 units out of the gate and being forced to delay availability internationally due to a shortage. 

Chitika raises questions about whether the mix of iPad/Windows households might change with the rollout of the HP Slate tablet and Microsoft's rumored Courier tablet. 

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