PC, Mac stereotypes may have some basis, says unscientific survey
Remember the survey not too long ago that showed people who have less-prestigious domain names in their email addresses (like Aol instead of GMail) actually were older, less tech-savvy and so on?
Hunch, the website behind the last batch of data, has gathered up a bit of info on the Mac versus PC debate. Apple has somewhat successfully positioned itself (and thus its pricier, somewhat hype-y products) as the choice of cooler, younger, more urban users. But is that rooted in any sort of actual user data? Hunch’s blog splotched together the information in an infographic, the internet’s favorite way of consuming statistics, and the results might not surprise you.
According to the data, PC people were 36% “liberal,” on average, compared with 58% of Mac-using commies. Mac users were 22% more likely to be in the coveted 18-24 year old demographic, compared with a 22% likelihood of PC users to be a creaky 35-49 years old. Mac users also tended to have completed four years of higher education at a rate of 67%, versus 54% of PC users. 52% of Mac users live in cities, while PC users were 21% more likely to be hicks and 18% more likely to live in the suburbs.
PC users were 26% more likely to want to “fit in,” while Mac users were 13% more likely to see themselves as unique and special. But PC users were almost 40% more likely to rate themselves as mathematically talented, while 12% more Mac users think they’d do better on the verbal portion of the SATs. Mac users also self-identified more frequently as parties, at a 50% higher likelihood to say they “frequently” throw shindigs.
Some of the differences were a bit more esoteric, with PC users preferring McDonald’s fries to Mac users higher likelihood of liking pretentious “bistro” fries. PC users also tended to like Pepsi and Jolt, while Mac users say they prefer to sup San Pellegrino Limonata or Boylan’s Root Beer.
The list of differences is pretty extensive, and you can view it via the link above. Do you think Mac users are as sophisticated as the infographic makes them out to be, by and large, or is Mac preference just an affectation? Do you think your preference in computer is as definitive as the data suggests it might be?
