Apple products in half of all US homes

Despite talks of tough economic times, Apple's products, which usually come with premium price tags, continue to be popular in American households. According to a CNBC survey, half of the households in the US own at least one Apple product, be that an iPod shuffle or a full blown Mac desktop computer. This ratio translates to about 55 million homes.

The American households that currently own at least one Apple product, own an average of three. The overall average is 1.6 Apple products per household with nearly one-quarter of them planning to purchase at least one more in the next year. Of those who currently do not own an Apple product, one in ten plan to purchase one within the next year.

Although the survey shows that Apple buyers tend to be male, college-educated, and younger, the age gap isn't as dramatic as one might think. About 63 percent of Americans between the ages 18 and 34 consider themselves Apple users and that same percentage can be applied to those between ages 35 to 49. That figure does drop to 50 percent for those in the 50-to-64 age range and down to 26 percent for those 65 and older.

Households with kids are also more likely to own an Apple product at 61 percent versus 48 percent of households without kids. And unsurprisingly, a higher percentage of wealthier households tend to own an Apple device with the statistics being 28 percent of those making less than $30,000 and 77 percent of those making more than $75,000.