Mac People, PC People, And Me; How Well Do You Fit The Profiles? – The ‘Book Mystique

Macs have long been regarded as “liberal” or “lefty” computers, popular with Democrats and selling best in “red” states. There certainly a lot of factual demographics behind those perceptions, but the profile often doesn’t hold up. Being of the conservative persuasion myself, I’ve long noted that an awful lot of fellow conservatives are Mac and IOS device fans as well. Rush Limbaugh has been an enthusiastic Mac user for years, George W. Bush used an iPod when he was in office and probably still does, while back in the day Barack Obama had a Microsoft Zune and is known to be a big BlackBerry fan, although these days he also has an iPad. Laureen Harper, wife of Canada’s Conservative prime minister and a graphic designer by profession is a big fan of the Mac. I also know lots of liberals and progressive types who use PCs. So much for broad generalities, but the profiling can be fun, and no doubt holds true more often than not despite those of us who break out of the stereotype.

Hunch Blog has conducted a data project to analyze scientifically in what ways self-described “Mac people” and “PC people” differ from one another in taste, temperament, and other personal characteristics. They’ve posted their findings in a handy and easy-reading “infographic” format, so I thought it would be interesting to take a cruise down their list to see how well I conform to the profile.

The report starts off with a breakdown of global personal computer sales by operating system, with the Windows PC still enjoying a commanding 89.2% of the market and the Apple Mac at 10.8%. If popular conception about computer platform preference held strictly true, that would be dreadful news for the liberal left, However when asked directly whether they were a Mac person or a PC person, 52% Of respondents in the 2000–strong “teach hunch about you” question pool answered PC, 25% Mac, and 23% “neither,” although that doesn’t translate to a 23% popularity share for Linux!

The Hunch survey found that PC people are 22% more likely than Mac people to be in the age 35–49 bracket, and that Mac people are 22% more likely than PC people to be aged 18–34. On the direct question about ideological and philosophical political affinity, 36% of PC people identify themselves as liberal compared with 59% of Mac people on the same question.

Residential geographics also had a bearing on the platform skew, with PC people being 19% more likely to live in the suburbs and 21% of them live in rural areas, while 52% of Mac people live in cities. Of course that leaves a large cohort of small-town and rural-based Mac users. Personally, I live in the outer boonies 50 road miles from the nearest town, and 150 Miles from the nearest Apple authorized dealer facility, and Macs are relatively rare in this (very beautiful) rural backwater.

Education wise, 54% of PC people have completed a four–year college degree or higher, but the corresponding figure is 67% for Mac people.

Figures for social conformity also showed significant deviation when related to computer platform choice. Twenty-six percent of PC people said they prefer fitting in with others, while Mac people are 13% more likely than PC people to say they want to be “perceived as unique and different to make my own mark.” Your humble servant has never been one to be accused of being a reflexive conformist or joiner. There was also a question about party-going. PC people were 23% more likely to say they seldom throw parties, while Mac people were 50% more likely than PC users to say they frequently throw parties. I virtually never throw or attend parties other than birthday fêtes of close relatives and friends, and other family gatherings.

PC people were 37% more likely than married people to say that any two random people are more different than alike, while Mac people were 21% more likely than PC people to say that two random people are more alike than different. I’m in the Mac camp on that one. I think. Then again…..

PC people were 38% more likely than Mac people to affirm that they have a stronger aptitude for mathematical concepts, while Mac people were 12% more likely than PC people to say they have stronger verbal (versus math) aptitude. Being a nearly innumerate math dunce (although I’m really good at making ballpark estimates of percentages and such) and being a writer by avocation as well as profession, I’m lopsidedly in the letters as opposed to numbers side of the equation, although I’m not much of a public speaker or orator. There are actually a lot of conservatives who are well read and comfortable with philosophical concepts.

Turning attention to fine art appreciation, PC people were 21% more likely than Mac people to prefer impressionist art, while Mac people prefer modern art and are design enthusiasts. Personally, I’m not crazy about Impressionist art, tend to intensely dislike modern art, but am an avid and enthusiastic fan of design.

More whimsically (or perhaps not) a whopping 69% of PC people said they would rather ride a Harley-Davidson motorcycle than a Vespa scooter, while 52% of Mac users said they would go for the Vespa. Now Vespa makes a fine motorscooter, but I’ll take the hawg any day.

On the other hand, PC people were 10% more likely than Mac people to prefer sweet snacks, while Mac people were 7% more likely than PC people to prefer salty snacks like chips. I’ve never had much of a sweet tooth, but do like salty stuff in moderation. Mac people were also an overwhelming 80% more likely to be vegetarian than PC people. For periods of time in my life I’ve been vegetarian, or even vegan. These days I eat modest amounts of meat, poultry, fish, and eggs, although by volume the bulk of my diet is vegetables, grains, and fruit.

Still with food, PC people said they prefer McDonald’s fries (34%) or steak fries (22%) while a surprising 40% of Mac people said they prefer “bistro type” fries with McDonald’s fries the runner-up at 24%. I relish most anything made from potatoes, but regrettably have a food sensitivity that prevents me from eating them these days. I do substitute turnip fries (hey, don’t knock them till you’ve tried them) occasionally. As for soft drinks, brands most frequently mentioned by PC people were Pepsi, jolt Cola, and Orange Crush, while Mac folks (according to the survey abstract) specified more esoteric things like San Pellegrino Limonata and Boylan’s Root Beer. I’m not exactly sure what the letter two items are in more than a general deductive sense, but avoid soft drinks entirely in order to steer clear of sugar and artificial sweeteners, and prefer tea as a beverage. In sandwiches, the PC folks went for tuna fish, hero, or patty melt, while Mac people said they liked hummus, Banh Mi, and Shawarma. I like both tuna and hummus, but being yeast-sensitive I don’t eat sandwiches or any other flour-based foods on a regular basis. I like whole grains, but prefer them straight-up (pressure-cooked is best to bring out the subtle flavors). I do eat certain types of unleavened bread occasionally.

As for booze in the cocktail category, PC people mentioned Strawberry Daiquiris, Irish Coffee, and a concoction called “Screaming Orgasm,” while Mac folks go for things like Hot Toddy, Gimlets, and Moscow Mules. In wines, the PC crowd fancies California-style Chardonnay, White Zinfandel, ans Pinot Grigio, while Mac types lean toward European wines like Chianti, Côtes du Rhône or Cabernet Sauvignon. I’ve been a tee-totaler for the past 22 years, but back when I wasn’t, I was never much for cocktails, preferring whiskey and water on the rocks, dry red wines, and beer.

A majority of Mac people (52%) and PC people (58%) said they regarded their respectively favoured computer companies as being most responsible for driving global growth and adoption of computing. In my estimation that’s an impossible question to answer definitively. Both have contributed immensely, but with different emphases.

On the other hand, PC people were for 43% more likely to say talking about computers is akin to “struggling with a foreign language,” and 36% more likely to describe themselves as later adopters, while Mac people (who often like to prattle on incessantly about their computers) were 21% more likely than PC people to consider themselves “computer–savvy gearheads,” and 43% more likely to consider themselves early adopters, belying the popularly conceived stereotype of computer geeks and tinkerers being PC oriented and Macs as “consumer” computers for the less tech-oriented.

The Hunch survey’s accompanying notes observe that most Hunch users tend to think debates about operating systems are pointless, but Mac people are more likely to regard weighing the relative merits of Mac vs. PC vs. Linux as important, while, 13 percent of PC users draw a blank if you bring up the great operating system debate. Personally I skew toward the Mac side in both categories, Although there is a spectrum of adopter tendency in the Mac orbit, and I’m usually considerably later than the dedicated bleeding edge surfers, but do try to keep my operating system updates fairly current.

Then there’s information media. Forty-two percent of PC people would prefer the New York Times over USA Today, while 69% of Mac people would opt for the Times. I’d go with the Times as well in that particular saw-off for the meatier content, but emphatically not because I agree with the Times’ liberal editorial and ideological bias. I thought the examples given for TV-watching preference were absurdly limited, with PC people reporting an even split between The Office and South Park, with Smallville, the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Law And Order: SVU getting mention, and Mac people considering the office the funniest TV show, and expressing an affinity for Parks & Recreation, Bored To Death, and Friday Night Lights. I can’t abide either The Office and South Park, Intensely dislike most contemporary sitcoms, and prefer dramas like police procedurals, especially Dick Wolf’s fleet of Law and Order variants, and Simon Baker’s delightfully quirky as The Mentalist. Smallville is an entertaining light confection.

PC people were 74% more likely than Mac people to express a preference for Hollywood films, while Mac people were 95% more likely to prefer indie films. I like both, or not, depending on content, and find it impossible to generalize. Ditto for websites.

As for cable TV networks, the PC contingent mentioned the Syfy Channel, the History Channel, and USA, while Mac folks like Bravo, Showtime, and HBO. Cable is not available in my neck of the (literal) woods, and I haven’t popped for a satellite dish (haven’t got time to make it worthwhile), so I can’t comment knowledgeably. For news, PC types cited The Rachel Meddow Show, The Newshour with Jim Lehrer, and 20/20, while Macheads like 60 Minutes, The Daily Show, and The Colbert Report. The latter two are the only ones mentioned that I can get off the air where I live, and I watch neither, relying on the Internet, network TV news and hard copy newspapers for most of my news information.

Books? The survey abstract only mentions six titles, which hardly seems worth the trouble, the PC side citing Great Expectations, The Millionaire Next Door, and The Lost Symbol, while Mac folks mentioned Moby Dick, Zeltoun, and The Road. I’ve read hundreds of novels, but none of those six are among them, although I of course recognize the titles of the Dickens and Melville classics.

Magazines? PC-types go for TV Guide, RedBoook, and US Weekly; Mac folks read Dwell, Ready Made Magazine, and Macworld. I like The Atlantic Monthly, and have bought or subscribed to a range of car enthusiast magazines like Car and Driver, Road & Track, and Automobile for going on 50 years now. I used to be a Macworld subscriber back in the day, but have pretty much switched to the Internet for computer news. I’m planning to finally get around to buying an iPad soon, and may shift some of my hardcopy magazine subscriptions to digital.

So there you have it. Profiling is undoubtedly a useful tool for marketers and product planners as well as for law enforcement, and it can be an entertaining way of pigeon-holing folks with certain group affinities. However this writer and probably many other people you can think of are proof that profiling is far from foolproof. If you consider yourself a either Mac person (most probably since you’re reading this on Mac Prices) or a PC person, how well do you fit the profiles?