Heeeeere’s Johnny! That’s the catchphrase that drew millions of Americans as network TV evolved into a media powerhouse. As media magnate Johnny Carson once said, “People will pay more to be entertained than educated.”
 

Years ago, Microsoft envisioned Windows everywhere, certainly including home entertainment products. The product is only now making measurable inroads into American living rooms.
 

Why is this important?
 

American consumers are notorious for changing their preferences and behaviors nearly as often as they change TV channels. To the extent consumer’s viewing habits converge with their computer-using practices, it means upsets or opportunities for a wide range of companies. This spans TV programmers to computer programmers, and from advertisers to consumer electronics makers.
 

The early adopters have some unique and interesting attitudes about technology that bear scrutiny.

These earliest Windows Media Center users seem to be delighted with the functionality. Nearly three-fourths (74.6%) agree that their computer is more useful than it was a year ago, a much higher rate than the overall national rate of just under one-half (49.7%).
 

Technology Attitudes and Computer Operating Systems

 

Technology Attitudes	Apple Macintosh	Windows ME and older	Windows XP Home or Pro	Windows XP Media Center
My computer is more useful to me than it was a year ago	56.2	48.5	54.4	74.6
The Internet is a big part of my home entertainment	38.4	28.3	34.1	35.2
I spend more time using my computer than watching TV	38.4	28.1	35.3	36.8
I hold off on buying technology products until their prices come down	39.3	46.0	40.0	31.3
I would rather use a telephone than use Email	11.4	18.6	14.3	21.8
Low prices are more important to me than brand names	22.2	35.9	30.2	25.3
I enjoy shopping in person because I can talk with and meet people	27.9	34.2	26.1	24.9
Consumer electronics are more complicated than they need to be	22.6	25.0	18.5	17.2
I do not enjoy using photos & images on my PC	16.1	10.4	8.3	11.1
Using photos & images on a PC is too complicated	12.4	16.3	10.5	7.3
I will try out a new technology even before I am sure I'll really need it	11.5	6.8	7.9	7.8
I am overwhelmed with too much information online	8.4	10.5	8.1	2.9
I can trust most of the information I find online	14.7	14.1	12.9	2.2

% of US PC Households rating 6 or 7 in agreement -
7=strong agreement, 4=neutral, 1=strong disagreement
Source: MetaFacts - Technology User Profile 2005 Annual Edition,
n=5,953 home computer-using respondents
 

Oddly, entertainment is only one aspect that sets Windows Media Center users apart from other home computer users. Although more than a third (35.2%) agree with the statement “The Internet is a big part of my home entertainment,” that is behind Apple users, who have a higher proportion. Nearly four in ten (38.4%) Apple users agree with that statement. Still, both Apple and Windows Media Center users have stronger agreement than the national average of 29.5%.
 

Also important, the tradeoff between time using the computer and watching TV isn’t markedly different between Windows Media Center, Apple, or other home computer users. Close to four-in-ten (36.8%) Windows Media Center users agree they spend more time using their computer than watching TV, not greatly discrepant from the 38.4% of Apple home computers users that also agree.
 

Microsoft, and Apple as well as other technology and media companies, carefully monitor the convergence of computing and media via a PC or other platform. Hope continues for the next silver bullet, possibly driven by some new compelling fun or must-see content. So maybe now, in their hopes to repeat history, the question of the day is that same one echoed by the independent rock group 34 Below – “Where’s Johnny?”