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Mac Users May Be Smarter
micah_lanier writes "Thought I would point out an interesting story from news.com. It seems a NetRatings Study concluded that those owning Macs tend to be more experienced with the internet, as well as educated better in general. However, this simply illustrates the fact that Macs are generally bought by those with little trouble paying higher prices, and therefore those who can more easily gain access to higher education (and so on)." Then how do we explain all the people with less education buying premium computers from Compaq and Dell? I think it's just that people with bigger brains like better computers!
Macs are generally bought by those with little trouble paying higher prices
Didn't you just say that Macs Are Cheaper than PCs?
Prestige: Saying you own a Mac says something about you that saying you own a Dell or a Compaq doesn't. It conveys an artsy, "I like what computers can do but I don't like computers" image. The people who most want to project this image typically travel in more educated social circles (and thus are more likely to have been educated themselves).
Cost: As mentioned in the summary, Macs cost more. I bet if you did a survey that isolated the price of the system instead of the brand, much of the brain gap would disappear. I suspect that those who buy a premium Dell are more intelligent by the usual tests....
Market: Apple has always sold to education and graphic design markets. The education market is, of course, likely to attract a number of well, educated consumers.
Any other "correlation not causation" explanations?
Make cheese not war 8:)
I don't think Mac users are smarter or anything else because they use Macs...I think that they are people who are willing to try something different than what the masses use (Windows). If this theory is true, than any person who uses an alternative to Windows is smarter. I really think that people that follow a "herd" mentality are really going through life with blinders on and might not be flexing their intellectual muscle. This might be true in many aspects of life and not just computing.
Anytime you see a "this platform of users is better than that platform of users"...
You don't need syrup for them troll flap jacks, fer the syrup is spilln off the plate and
floatin dem grits.
This Article is an example of what has got to be the most unoriginal troll. Maybe it's even an
example of the oldest/first troll ever posted "my system is better than yours".
pudge, the caffinated coffee is in the orange pot, not the green one.
Funny how OSX is now of a Unix flavor....huh? Often genuis lack common sence.
If this item had been a comment it would have been moderated as troll and never seen again.
Sig is taking a break!
Now that OSX, a BSD-based OS has been released, more geeks are willing to use the Mac.
The only reason I always hated them was because they had an OS that was actually more full of eye-candy and dumbed-down than Windows, and it was just irritating. The only good part about them was the graphics capabilities... I'm a programmer, not an artist, so why should I care?
Now that the OS has jumped from lower than Windows to right up there with the Linuxes, (I must say congrats to the Mac people), more geeks are willing to use Macs, and they in turn are teaching the non-geeks how to do "cool stuff" on them.
So why get a Mac and not a Debian box or a RedHat box? Some people have always had a secret desire to own a mac, but no good reason to actually do it. Others are enticed by that display at CompUSA with the G4 Mac and that huge flat-screen cinema display... *drools*
"Software is like sex; it's better when it's free." -Linus Torvalds
The story was even posted by a troll: Had someone written that in a comment, it would have been modded down to -1 as Troll and Flamebait.
I have to say though, I am a Mac user I enjoy using it quite a bit (there, I admitted my bias
I've made an observation that I think may be relevant since I bought my mac.
- I use my Linux PC when I want to tinker. I've noticed that most PC users I know enjoy "messing" with the computer almost as much as doing things with it. Sort of like that old car in the driveway.
- I use my Mac when I just want to do something, and don't want to tinker. Writing a letter, ripping MP3's, burning CDs, surfing the web, etc.
I've also noticed that ultra-busy people with little free time also seem to enjoy using Macs. Not all of the ultra-busy people I know have them, but those that have tried them enjoy them immensely.I think the argument here of which is "better" really is pointless...it's just a different type of machine geared for a different type of person. Not necessarily smarter or dumber. If you don't want to tinker, and you don't have a lot of time--I'd have to say that most people would want a machine that just works and doesn't make a fuss (which the opposite could be true of Linux or Windows).
In summary though, I think people who use desktop computers long enough may come full-circle. Generally, beginners would want a Mac because its easy to learn, and doesn't mess things up as often as a PC. Intermediately, PC is are more appealing because on the surface, it seems it can do more.
But after a long time of using computers, I can personally argue that the simpliest way is usually the better way and I'm back to using a Mac once again. The software argument that a PC has more software is only really true of games. There's a Mac equivalent for almost any PC application out there. I'm not a big gamer, and those which I do play are available on the Mac (which right now is WarCraft III).
-brain
I am a mac user, but i realy do contend with this elitist garbage.
Slashdot has sunken to a new low by posting this one.
stupid, really really stupid
[quote]
Mac users are smarter, but what about Linux users. They are far more smarter than an average Mac user of course.
[/quote]
i am a biologist, and many researchers in my group use macs. they are all very smart people. most of them would be perfectly capable of running a linux system. but: they are just not interested.
you are confusing motivation with intelligence.
the greater affluence and education level of those who surf using a Mac is attributable in part to the company's comparatively pricier machines
The average Mac user appears to be better educated and wealthier than their PC counterparts, judging by this survey. However, by the report's own figures, Mac users constitute less than 5 percent of the overall market. That means the total number of well-educated and well-to-do Mac users, when compared with the size of the US market, is extremely small.
Stated another way -- there are many more wealthy and well-educated users currently using PCs than there are Mac users. Let's assume the US has 200 million people who use computers. 5% of 200 million people is 10m, which means there's a maximum of 10m Mac users in the US. Even if 50% of them are well-educated and affluent, that's a max of 5m people. 90% of 200 million is 160m, which means that if only 8% of PC users fit the same criteria for education / $$, you'll have the same number of smart, rich peeps using each type of computer. And if that number's higher, it means that more intelligent, affluent people use PCs than Macs.
If the study really wanted to back up the conclusions they stated in the article, they'd survey users whose educational background and yearly earnings were comparable. Given a large enough survey sampling group, I'm sure they would reach the same conclusion.
Right there, next to where it says "Posted by pudge?" The one with the Alt text that says "It's funny. Laugh." Maybe you all have Mozilla set to only accept images from the originating server out of some obsessive need to avoid advertisements.
;-)
That can be a post next weekend, Ads Make Your Smarter. A study has found that people who are able to ignore online ads have more developed brains than those who need to use software and settings to remove ads from web pages.
Well, I go to a major university, and the only place I've seen macs is in the General Purpose computer labs (open to everyone, in the computer sciance building) and in the design center. Other then that its W32 and UNIX. Lots of Unix in the math department, I was kind of suprised.
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
Computers make most people feel stupid. Most of the advertising that is created for Macintosh says that Macs are easier to use, more powerful, etc. Highly educated people have a particular aversion to feeling (or seeming) dumb. Therefore, when the highly educated person needs a computer, he/she minimizes his/her risk of feeling/seeming dumb by purchasing a mac for its supposed power and ease of use.
As a poster above noted, owning a mac has a certain prestige. It's the same kind of prestige that drives people to brag that they can't program their VCR. It embodies all that is hip and sexy about computers without the nerdy, confusing aspects that so many people (slashdot readers excluded) strive to avoid.
Amazing magic tricks
> If you want to debate whether or not CNet is
> justified with its wording on the headline ("Are
> Mac Users Smarter?"), but honestly, magazines
> and newspapers use such sensational headlines
> all the time. For that matter, Slashdot has made
> it worse, already jumping to a conclusion with
> "Mac Users May Be Smarter", a statement that is
> no way supported by the article.
Wow, someone actually read the article. You don't see that very often on Slashdot!
The title is a troll, but the article makes sense. They say that Mac users tend to be more affluent, have higher levels of education, and in general be more attractive marketing targets for premium products/services. This isn't to say Mac users are smarter; as a demographic, they're more attractive if you're trying to sell a premium product.
What this means is, in general, if you're planning on developing a web marketing plan for a product like Mercedes, Krupps, Williams Sonoma, or any other "premium-like product", you are likely to have better success if you target your ads to a web site that has a lot of Mac users. Or, if you work at Nordstrom, it would be a good idea to make sure your web site is friendly to Mac users (take the time to make sure it works for Macintosh browsers). If you're running a web site for Walmart, this might not be as important.
That's all it's saying. It's a sleazy marketing thing, not a Mensa-entry requirement.
Insert simplistic political, ideological, or personal proselytization here.
1- "trading commands" like "game cheats" and "easter eggs" is a far cry from "intelligence". Intelligence is going out, buying a book, and becoming engrossed in the how's and why'fors of the OS. Granted, the "trading of" things is how people START, but it's also a path that many abandon LONG before they learn a single thing. (BTW- it's dangerous to trade scripts and commands without the recieving party knowing what they're doing. rm -rf / is not ALL that far away.)
2- Linux comes with developers tools. Not all Linux users use developers tools. Not all Mac users are going to use developers tools, in fact I'd say that a significant minority will. In fact, I've had a number of OS X users say "You type stuff into the command line? That's *so* DOS." Pheh. Besides which, there have always been ways to jump into programing on the Mac. Codewarrior is inexpensive, and scripting is free. How many applescripters were there? Not many, I tell you. Most PEOPLE say they can't wrap their head around something like that.We'll get a few more script-kiddies, granted. (That's what the "trading of commands like easter eggs" is called.)
3- We've got Mac users switching over to Windows and to Linux, Windows users switching over to the Mac and Linux, and Linux users fleeing for the land of the Apples and Oranges. Switching, unlike Apple seems to like to believe, is not all that uncommon. It is also not moving in a linear fashion towards OS X. It's more akin to the panic of rats fleeing a sinking ship.
I could say more, but I already have a feeling I'm going to be modded down as flamebait. Although I don't know why. I'm NOT saying Mac users are stupid. I'm saying your "proof of the intelligence of the average Mac user" is unfounded and your reasons are silly.
-Sara
Mac users couldn't configure a UNIX or even NT machine if their life depended on it. Macs are for people who don't know how computers work and don't want to know. That has always been their market and it'll continue to be their market.
There's nothing wrong with not knowing how computers work; personally I have no idea how a car engine works and I'm not interested in learning. That's why I drive a Toyota: it's reliable and if it breaks I can have it fixed quicky by people who know how to.
But I'm not going to say I know more about cars than Michael Schumacher or Colin McRae just because their cars break down more often than mine and because they spends a long time tuning and upgrading them.
Macs are like Toyotas. Reliable but bland. People who enjoy using computers (and not just "doing things" with them) will always prefer PCs.
And people who use PCs don't feel so insecure about their choice that they have to keep saying how superior they are. I use a PC because I like to, not because other people do. Most PC users couldn't care less about what Mac users (or even other PC users) think.
So if you think your Mac is great, good for you. Now please shut up and do something useful instead of going on an on about how great your Mac is and how intelligent you are and how stupid everyone else is.
Also, you may be interested in some penis-enlargement pills to add a new dimension (ha-ha) to your life.
I know I'm going to be modded down as a troll, because despite being terribly intelligent and sexy and all that, Mac zealots spend their days sitting in front of their computer karma whoring and modding down posts on Slashdot insted of actually living their lives.
But you know what? You usually get what you deserve.
$999 is less money then $1500.
Yes, and ten-plus days a year of frustration and lost productivity dealing with a poorly integrated system is more than no days of lost productivity. How much is your time and peace-of-mind worth?
-- thinkyhead software and media