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Comment by mthoms | Hacker News Reader

And with respect, you seem to have overlooked that average users (ie. not people who read HN) still buy millions of dollars of boxed software/games/movies yearly.

Sure downloading software was/is the inevitable future, getting rid of the optical drive just gives the average Joe the little push he needs to get with it quicker.

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None of my Mac-owning, non-programming, non-HN-reading friends buy software that comes on discs in boxes.

Anecdotal evidence. Irrelevant.

Edit: Truly confused about the downvotes (and upvotes for parent). Since when is anecdotal evidence a good supporting argument in a discussion on HN?

It's not good evidence, but it's definitely not irrelevant either. Don't be childish!

By the way, I can confirm that observation. Now we're at N=2.

the plural of anecdote is not data.

from 2003, http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-110814573.html

  Once the decision to purchase is made, 78 percent of the 
  participants said they wanted to use the product right 
  away and therefore choose to immediately download the 
  software. When purchasing CD-ROM versions, specifically, 
  46 percent requested delivery within a few days.

they don't mention sample size and perhaps have an agenda.

The plural of anecdote is not data indeed, and what was provided was anecdotal evidence. However, was there any evidence provided to the contrary (users do buy software on CD)? I think the reason the anecdote was upvoted was due to the lack of supporting evidence for the contrary conclusion. I'll give you games and movies (although Steam seems to be making great inroads toward making CD games obsolete), but I sincerely doubt that the majority of Mac software is purchased on CD and not through the internet.

Not even iWork, iLife and Mac OS X upgrades?

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