PS3 proves theres some brand loyalty, but only about 10%. The other 90% is price.

If brand loyalty was a major factor, Wii would be last like the gamecube and PS3 would be first by a mile.

People will always buy what's cheapest. Throw out a $199 Xbox 720 and it will sell like mad.

OS=Microsoft Windows

Gaming=Microsoft (360+Windows)

Apple has a marketshare of what, 5%?

I don't think you understand what brand loyalty is. People use Windows because they have to.

No they don't have to use windows. There are alternatives like OSX and linux(it is free). People choose to use windows, since they are most comfortable with it.

So why didn't everybody rush out and buy Vista? If you want to consider a monopoly as some ultimate form of "brand loyalty" then yeah, Microsoft has "brand loyalty."

Because people are happy with their windows XP. That is why I am not getting Vista. But even Vista has a bigger market share than all non microsoft operating systems combined.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_operating_systems

That isn't very loyal of you. Being comfortable with something isn't loyalty. If you are loyal to the king and the king does something you consider strange, you would prove your loyalty by going along with it.

Using Windows is like being on Earth, sure there are alternatives like building a rocket ship and going to the moon, but do you think I can do that? Am I loyal to the Earth because I haven't built a rocketship yet?

That's not brand loyalty.

That's in like 90% of the cases just going with the OS that is preinstalled on whatever computer they buy  - and not even knowing what an OS is or that they could use a different one - and in the remaining cases using the OS that runs the tools/software they need or are more comfortable with.

If Linux ran Office or whatever other program the user needs flawlessly, and demonstrably so, and users were offered the choice between a much cheaper preinstalled Windows-like Linux and the true Windows, do you think most would pay the big price premium for Windows? That would be your brand loyalty.

Back to OT: yes, I think MS has estabilished Xbox and Live as brands with a loyal following, especially in NA. They still struggle much more in EU (Japan is a differen world)

No, you can't build a rocket ship but you can install linux. It is even easier than installing windows nowadays. Just pop the dvd in and there you go.

That is very loyal, to microsoft. I am sticking with them. ;) Brand loyalty is not getting every new application/device. It is about not getting alternatives.

As far as I know, there are a lot of stores which offer preinstalled linux. Those computers don't sell as much as the ones which come with preinstalled windows. Why is that?

Yes, I think most people would still get windows. But you should not forget, MS office is part of the brand loyalty. People aren't getting the free open office, they get the ms office.