[LINK] Silicon.com on Mac vs PC users

[Bernard Robertson-Dunn]

The Weekly Round-Up
Silicon.com (A UK organisation)
2 February 2008

(An extract)
Mac users are a bunch of arrogant, self-satisfied gits.

At least that's the view you could come to looking at some
recently unveiled research into the demographics of modern
computer users. (The Round-Up added the bit about 'gits').

Actually, the agency Mindset Media focused on Apple versus PC users and 
found
Mac people are pretty much exactly the same as the way Apple
depicts them in its 'Get a Mac' ads.

Quick recap: Mac guy is young, hip and very pleased both with
himself and his purchases; PC guy is dull, flabby and obsessed
with spreadsheets and very likely to be unsuccessful with
members of the opposite sex.

The researchers reported that Mac users are indeed more assured
of their superiority, less modest and more open than the general
population, which suggests why they're willing to take a chance
on switching to a different computing platform.

Given that PC users make up the vast majority of the
computer-using world it comes as no great shock that there were
far fewer "cohesive personality traits" among the throng,
reports Advertising Age. (Though this guy would certainly
disagree with all of that...
http://newsletters.silicon.cneteu.net/t/284705/642015/423764/0/
)

However, one area where PC users did stand out as being
different statistically from their Mac-using brethren was in
creativity - much lower, apparently.

Mindset Media found PC users to be realists who are emotionally
steady and work well with what tools and roles they're given.

'Drones'. The word is 'drones', people. They've given up and are
just fuelled by a sense of futile despair, following whatever
tasks are allotted to them by their Mac-using overlords.

So why could Mac users be more self-satisfied and feel superior?
Let's take an analogy - and being a dyed-in-the-wool
traditionalist the Round-Up's going to use the usual car analogy
to differentiate between Macs and PCs.

Tradition dictates that a Mac is a BMW or Mercedes whereas a
Windows PC is a Vauxhall Astra or a Ford Mondeo. Both fine cars
by the way. Rather dull but fine nonetheless.

They get you from A-B but not in as much style and you may feel
slightly embarrassed and underwhelmed with the experience.

Some people accuse other people who drive Mercedes as being smug
and self-satisfied. This is almost certainly because they drive a
Mercedes. Wouldn't you be? The Round-Up certainly would.

The same applies to Mac users. After all, they pay a bit more
and get computers that are shiny, don't get loads of viruses and
generally work when they're switched on. You pay a bit less for a
PC and you get, well, you get what you pay for.

For completeness' sake, Linux-driven PCs can be a Mercedes, too.
What's more you can get one for free.

You just need to assemble it yourself.

Also according to the Advertising Age article, Mac users also
have a tendency to be more open (tarts), environmentally aware
(are you listening Greenpeace?) and socially and politically
liberal (tarts verging on slappers).

However, and here comes the money quote. They also "shy away
from looking to religious or moral leaders for guidance".

Are you quite mad? Have you ever seen the crowd at a Steve Jobs
keynote? They're like entranced cult members dutifully sipping
their Kool-Aid. And that's just the press pit.

Of course, the Round-Up's made a terrible mistake here. It has
made gross generalisations in that last sentence - and possibly
others - and making gross generalisations about people is a
stupid thing to do. Sorry.

It's a particularly stupid thing to do for a living but then
again that's marketing for you...

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-- 

Regards
brd

Bernard Robertson-Dunn
Sydney Australia
brd at iimetro.com.au