How many Amiga users are left?

[amigadave]

I know this question has been asked dozens of times and there is really no concrete way to get an absolute answer, but just for fun, let's see how many responses we can get and also get some discussion about how many Amiga users are still active in 2011.

Some users still think that there are thousands of people that still use an Amiga computer, or some form of Amiga experience on a regular basis.  Others, like me, only think that there are a few hundred Amiga users that actually boot up any kind of AmigaOS, or Amiga-Like OS at least once or twice a week and use it for anything.

To make the discussion more meaningful I will define some parameters for all of us to use, so we are talking about the same numbers of users and not confusing Apples with Oranges.  Here are the definitions of the various users for use in this Poll.

"Active Classic Amiga User" = Someone who boots up any model of Amiga computer that was manufactured by Commodore Business Machines between 1985 & 1994, at least once or twice a week and uses it for at least 15 to 30 minutes each boot up.

"Active Amiga-Like User" =  Someone who boots up one or more of any of the following operating systems and use it for at least 15 to 30 minutes once or twice each and every week.  AmigaOS1.x to 3.x, including running it via emulation on non-Amiga hardware, AmigaOS4.x, MorphOS1.x, or 2.x, any flavor of AROS.

"Amiga Lurker" = Someone who no longer uses any Amiga, or Amiga-Like system on a regular basis, but still shows an interest in Amiga news by visiting Amiga related sites at least once every 3 days/nights, and possibly booting up some kind of Amiga/Amiga-Like system occasionally.

If you are none of the above, you probably won't see this poll, but you can use the "Other" category and leave a message explaining what your interest and usage level regarding Amiga/Amiga-Like systems is.

I have allowed multiple choices and "Pancakes" to try to please everyone.

[Matt_H]

Er... no poll options showing up at time of posting...

EDIT: Nevermind.

[amigadave]

Er... no poll options showing up at time of posting...

Takes a few minutes to type them Matt.

[Shoonay]

Lurker, I guess...
I have my A1200 on hold in her special place ready to boot but no time to do so... because I'm busy frequently checking many Amiga forums and spamming them.

PS: What took you so long?

[amigadave]

I voted once for each of the top two choices, as I use one or the other every week, or every day and often I use both a Classic system and a MorphOS system often enough to qualify for both the top two choices.  If I don't boot up one of my MorphOS computers, it is most likely that it is because I have been on one of my Classic Amiga systems.  Lately I have been on my A1200/060 more than anything else.

As for the real question, how many users are left, none of the retailers or developers of any of the OSes will give us exact numbers to base our estimates on and make an accurate guess.  MorphOS2.x has a counter attached to each new registration email, so we know how many systems have been registered to run MorphOS2.x, but many users have multiple MorphOS2.x systems, so we don't know exactly how many MorphOS2.x users there are (I have three registered MorphOS2.7 systems).  Amiga.org shows over 900 "Active" members and thousands of signed up members, but only 150 to 200 really seem to be active here.

There are some users that still believe that there are thousands of Amiga users out there around the world, but I really doubt it.  What do you think?

[runequester]

My 1200 is on every week. Some weeks its only once or twice, others its almost every day for a couple of hours.
 
Since we're moving and whatnot, been a lot less time lately

[Matt_H]

Takes a few minutes to type them Matt.

Ah. I've never started a poll so I don't know the mechanics behind creating it

Anywho, I've ticked the choices for Classic and Amiga-like.

[save2600]

Classic and Amiga-like too. Lately as in a few times a week, I've been having fun restoring and playing with different expansions for the A1000, A500 and A2000.

[itix]

Generally active Amiga user using MorphOS every day and sometimes playing with my Amiga 500. Have been lot less lately due to my work in NZ and then having a new gf. My Mac mini is always on so I can start quickly coding something.

[lsmart]

I don´t like the term "Amiga-Like", but I am an active UAE & Amiga OS4 user. I prefer using my Amiga 3000 to UAE, but desk space is limited and classic Amigas  arent portable, so UAE has to stand in as a replacement.

All my friends who had an Amiga in the 80s have completely abandoned the platform and aren´t likely to return. They basically are sane people. I guess you have to be a little funny to even read Amiga.org

[Franko]

Last time my main A1200 was switched off was September last year when I had to cut the power in the house to do some re-wiring (but it was only off for about 3 hours)...

Can't help but wonder about your "on" times though, Why would anyone just switch on their Amiga for 15 to 30 minutes...

PS: That to me is the secret of never having in 25 years a busted Amiga, if you don't switch it off and and much (if at all) then the components don't get "worn out" so to speak, by the shock of the initial power surge that happens each time you switch them on...

EDIT: On the note of how many active users that may be still out there today I reckon worldwide somewhere between 2 to 3 thousand...

[lsmart]

There are some users that still believe that there are thousands of Amiga users out there around the world, but I really doubt it.  What do you think?

Thousands, yes. But perhaps not more than 70,000. In Germany you will find maybe five users for every big city (average). There are about 100 of these cities which would mean that there are 500 users, by a conservative estimate. If Amigas were sold in 100 countries that have about the same following we´d have 50,000 users worldwide. This is just a wild guess and most of them will just be playing old video games.

[amigadave]

I was hoping to get some discussion on the question, but I forgot to include my estimates to get the discussion started, so here they are.

Active Classic Amiga Users = Less than 300 (that boot up often enough to fit the definition given in this poll).

Active Amiga-Like Users = Probably about 1,000 (that boot up often enough to fit the definition given in this poll).

Amiga Lurker's = I think there are probably still another 1,000 to 2,000 people, above the numbers for the two groups above, that are still interested enough in the Amiga to check forum sites, post message once in a while, and boot some kind of Amiga/Amiga-Like system once in a while.

With there being a lot of overlap between the first two groups, I am guessing that the total number of people still having any kind of active interest in anything Amiga is probably around 2,000 to 3,000 people (which is very sad).  The number of people that are likely to spend money on Amiga/Amiga-Like hardware and/or software purchases is much smaller, probably 1,000 at the most.  A very small market for developers and hardware manufacturer's.

@Ismart,

I would agree with your estimate for Germany being about 500 users that are still "Active", but I think that your 70,000 number is crazy.  Remember that I am asking about "Active" users who boot up and use an Amiga/Amiga-Like system at least once or twice "every" week and use it for at least 15 to 30 minutes "every" week.  Not just people that own an Amiga/Amiga-Like system and turn it on once a month or less.

The most active countries or areas that still have an interest in anything Amiga seem to be Germany, the UK, Poland and some other nearby countries, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, & the USA, with additional users still active in Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Mexico, Japan and maybe a few users in China.  So, I don't think we can assume that if there are 500 users still in Germany (or a few more), that there are that many in all of the other countries that the Amiga was sold, as it was not as popular in the other countries as it was in Germany & the UK.

[lsmart]

Remember that I am asking about "Active" users who boot up and use an Amiga/Amiga-Like system at least once or twice "every" week and use it for at least 15 to 30 minutes "every" week.  Not just people that own an Amiga/Amiga-Like system and turn it on once a month or less.

Right. I was also thinking about people who treasure their old box, but wouldn´t dream about reading in a forum or getting updates/repairs. They won´t turn on the machine in any regular interval. However I think they do matter and belong to the community in a way.

[Kesa]

So far no one has mentioned UAE which is what i use. Are you discriminating against UAE users here?

PS last night i banged my head on the wall and now i have a headache...