Installed base
Encyclopedia
Installed base or installed user base is a measure of the number of units of a particular type of system—usually a computing platform—actually in use, as opposed to market share
, which only reflects sales over a particular period. Because installed base includes machines that may have been in use for many years, it is usually a higher figure than market share. Many people see it as a more reliable indicator of a platform's popularity. Installed base is not the same as the total number of units sold at any given moment in time (cumulative sales numbers), since some of those units will typically be out of use because they have broken, gone missing, or been made obsolete.
Market share
Market share is the percentage of a market accounted for by a specific entity. In a survey of nearly 200 senior marketing managers, 67 percent responded that they found the "dollar market share" metric very useful, while 61% found "unit market share" very useful.Marketers need to be able to...
, which only reflects sales over a particular period. Because installed base includes machines that may have been in use for many years, it is usually a higher figure than market share. Many people see it as a more reliable indicator of a platform's popularity. Installed base is not the same as the total number of units sold at any given moment in time (cumulative sales numbers), since some of those units will typically be out of use because they have broken, gone missing, or been made obsolete.