Remember all of those people who lined up in front of the Lenox Square Mall Apple store to get an iPad a couple of weeks ago?

Besides getting their Apple-gadget fix, the early buyers were contributing to metro Atlanta’s status as a “Mac metropolis,” according to market researcher Experian Simmons.

Atlanta ranks 22nd in the percentage of the market that owns one of the popular Apple devices, such as an iPod, iPhone or a Mac computer.

According to Experian’s consumer data, 1.25 million people in metro Atlanta, or 26 percent of the market, owns one of those Apple gadgets.

Nationwide, 21.6 percent of people own an Apple device, Experian said.

Atlanta is home to AT&T Mobility, which is the exclusive carrier for the iPhone.

But the metro area of San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose is home to Silicon Valley and Apple headquarters, which is a likely contributor to that area being No. 1 on Experian’s list. Nearly half of the metro area’s residents own an iPod, Mac computer or something that was the brainchild of Apple creator Steve Jobs, Experian said.

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This is an aerial rendering of the first phase of the Stitch in downtown Atlanta. It was unveiled Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, during the inaugural Downtown Day hosted by Central Atlanta Progress and the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District. (Courtesy of Atlanta Downtown Improvement District)

Credit: Courtesy of Atlanta Downtown Improvement District

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(Photo Illustration: Philip Robibero | Sources: Hyosub Shin for the AJC, Unsplash)

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