Mac People vs. PC People [Infographic]

70% of Mac users would jump off a bridge if their friends did. 25% claim they already jumped off of a bridge before it was mainstream. 5% are saving up to jump off a taller bridge next month.

Holy… I would take every letter of this with a grain of salt… mostly due to the fact that the whole entire thing is based on self-perception.

Just because you ask me if I THINK I am beautiful and I say YES, does not actually make me beautiful.

The early adoption stat I have a hard time believing… and again, if I’m a Mac-head and I buy the newest iPhone the day it comes out ever year, in my self-perception, I would think I was an early adopter.
But show me a Mac-head walking around with a Nintendo 3DS, has Kinect in their home, a 1st gen Blu-ray player and plans on getting a Blackberry playbook. I think not.

I think the results clearly illustrate: The Mac niche is a result of a decade or so’s worth of brainwashing the Y generation into somehow thinking Steve Jobs’ products will define them as being anti-corporate free thinking individuals (the irony hurts so hard).

While I identify far more with the Mac-camp characteristics, including my very esoteric “indie” preferences, liberal leanings, and distaste for the general popular establishment (among others), I vastly prefer PCs. I feel much more control with PCs than Macs (even though I grew up using both), much in the same way I feel much more control with a manual transmission than an automatic.

And I agree with that classic meme: The Mac: It’s like shaving with a bowling pin.

Mac users are 54% more likely to have an over-rated opinion of themselves.

Mac users are 54% more likely to have an over-rated opinion of themselves.

Agreed. It’s such a glaring irony that the camp which fancies themselves free thinking anti-corporate individuals are the ones who goes ape over Steve Job’s Big Brother tracking-device over-simplified retard-proof products.

Crowd screams: I’m an individual!

One guy: I’m not!

Mac users are such posturing automatons.

You could be one too, if you took the time to use a Mac. I don’t think using a Mac is cool; I think it is smart and efficient in comparison. I used to be a die-hard PC fan, but I saw the light and it made complete sense. I now work with both PC and Mac, and the differences are staggering.

Steve Jobs has done a phenomenal job of wedging his products into the 25% of the population that is constantly trying to emulate what the “cool” and “intelligent” people are doing. This study is a perfect illustration of that. Hip, intelligent people tend to be tech savvy, liberal leaning, lovers of esoterica and beauty, and there are always people who will try to emulate them. And with a successful ad campaign artificially permeating the factually backward perception that Macs are used by “hip” and “intelligent” people, it’s no wonder that these impressionable, posturing, image conscious automatons fall for it.

This just in: people who shop at Old Navy are different from the people who shop at Urban Outfitters.

If you brand your product as “hip,” and “indie,” the people buying that product will -in their minds- most likely align themselves with the values you have set forth.

All we’ve managed to establish here is that Mac is reaching its target audience. Not that it isn’t an interesting inphographic…

But like someone else said: take it with a grain of salt.

“Mac people are 21% more likely than PC people to consider themselves computer-savvy gear heads.” — Ha, that’s because Apple doesn’t let them see anything but the glossy surface.

Also, as a PC user, yes, I can’t decide between The Office and South Park. They’re both the worst shows on television.

This graphic definitely cinches my view that Mac users are liberal artsy hipsters, and PC users are brainy, anti-social nerds. (I wear the nerd badge proudly.)

So I use a PC, but apparently I have the personality of a Mac user…
How utterly boring.

So I use a PC, but apparently I have the personality of a Mac user…
How utterly boring.

About as relevant as comparing people who use two slice toasters with people who use four slice toasters. They’re computers, they do a job, end of story.

I’ve been on Macs and PCs professionally for decades. I currently have a PC at home. I really don’t care about the paltform or the “identity” that everyone seems to associate with the machines. All I care about is that they do what I want them to. These days, they both do about them. The PC is cheaper and the software is cheaper (why I got it). The Mac is more consistent in function, and the software is more consistent in operation and reliability.

Ironically, so much of the technically frustrating elements Mac brought in with OSX are things that were frustrating with earlier versions of Windows (inserting files into peripherals, info tracking, needless permissions, etc.).

The hostility that PC people are expressing towards Mac folks are just weird. Those are personal issues, not computer ones. (Although I woudn’t want to be associated with a group that find “The Office” funny, either).

South Park is written by a couple of self-described conservatives, and even though they poke fun at both sides of the aisle, they point out the idiocies of liberalism far more often (and more effectively than just about anyone else).

Of those where I had a preference, my answers would’ve been split completely between the two camps. Most of the shows & networks I watch and newspapers I read, as well as what I eat and drink, weren’t even listed in the responses here.

That tendency to be different is also reflected in that I use both a Mac and a PC, as each has its strengths and weaknesses. And aren’t those of us who split our time between the two truly the rugged individualists? We refuse to be pigeonholed as “Mac people” or “PC people”, we just use the most efficient tools that work for us in any given situation.

(And I gotta agree with stache on “The Office” — everybody knows that the British version of “Top Gear” is the best show on the air!)

Simply put, Mac people: see also Hipster.

Actually, not at all. Much as I love my little Compaq laptop, and have written books and articles on it, In a professional workplace, particularly, a graphics-heavy environment, I would never trust the work to PCs. The lack of uniformity in the way different softwares are designed, the poor resistance to viruses, the peculiar way that software integrates into the operating system, and the lack of reliability, all clearly give PCs a failing grade. But if it’s just for networking, word-processing and running custom software, PCs are a great choice.

The two platforms serve different purposes, and are not really interchangable.

Agree that the hating on Mac users is just plain weird. Mac vs PC is just an individual choice based on individual needs. Coke vs. Pepsi is a much better conversation.

PC and Mac serve different purposes?

Sure.

But the main purpose of a Mac is to look cool, right?

Also, the thing about asking people 2000 questions and then picking 30 of them, is that you can makes the results imply anything you want.

Shouldn’t it be “58% of PC users would opt for USA Today over The New York Times” instead of “42% of PC users would opt for The New York Times over USA Today.”

Also, that ‘PC users watch The Rachel Maddow show’ stat seems a bit fishy…

Also suspect the Mac users on this survey that actually own a copy of Moby Dick are using it only as a coaster for their Hot Toddys, so as to not get drink rings on their designer/chic/upscale coffee table while they watch The Colbert Report.

I can’t afford a Mac. Plain and simple.

The funny thing about that is… most Mac people will let you know almost immediately that they’re a Mac person, PC people don’t really give a crap, it’s just a tool, not a lifestyle. I don’t have to stare at a logo while I use the computer, my computer is just “there” and there’s no one I need to impress with it.

I would like to add that Southpark is animated on Mac’s, oddly enough. The majority of cartoons are, that’s just a fact of life. You go where you have support. I’m not an Apple guy, I’m just stating it like it is. It’s the same reason corporations don’t use Mac’s all that often, not because they’re more efficient or better than PC’s.

Macs are for people who don’t know how to use computers. Get a real linux douche bags.

A Mac is a PC.
Just because an advert tells you it isn’t doesn’t make it true. Neither is it true that PC = Windows. Seriously I hate those Mac Vs PC adverts, absolutely nothing is true about them, and people believe everything! (Please not my anger is to the above mentioned points, please don’t reply with “…but Mac OS X is over 9000 times more secure”)

Sure Ben.. (Thanks for not actually reading my post).

I can’t help but get a kick out of the way the the Mac users are adressing various areas of the computers funtionality, while the PC users are uniformly railing against how cool they think the Mac users think they are.

The PC users are uniformly calling the Mac folks “Posers, hipsters, liberals” etc. Clearly, despite their talk, the PC users on this list are WAY more brand-loyal to PCs than the Mac users are to Macs, and they take this stuff waaaayyy too seriously. A computer is just a tool. It doesn’t represent you. No product does, but manufacturers will try to dupe you to beleive owning their product will make you part of something, but it’s really just to get your dollars. And to keep your dollars they try to get you to fight against the other brands. Buy what works best and don’t buy into the hype. If you feel a need to proudly stand up and say “I’m a PC!” (or “I’m a Mac” for that matter), stop it. Something else is bothering you–figure it out and fix it.

(Any time!)

There are several things that Macs do differently from PCs, but I think 90%+ of people who buy a mac-book do so for one reason only.

People don’t have a problem with graphic designers and sound engineers who work on their Macs. They have a problem with all the trendy kids surfing Facebook in Costa on their Macs and then claiming they are using one because they’re ‘better’ at ‘stuff’.

And these people are the majority of the market.

You may have good reasons for using a Mac, and that’s fine. No problem with that. But still, Mac people = Hipster. Generalisation? Sure, but probably fairly accurate.

Nothing personal.

That makes two of us

I agree that Macs have some really great apps and are very good for some tasks. If you aren’t rich, a more important question is whether the price is worth it. I have a 5-year-old Toshiba laptop that I paid around $800 for, and it does everything I need to do. My typical Apple-fan co-worker has bought 2 MacBooks, a Mac desktop, and an iPad in that time and is now shopping for another MacBook, for a net cost of around $7500. I don’t disagree that her MacBook is nicer than the ratty old Toshiba I use, but it’s not that much better and I don’t have thousands of dollars to spend to prove I am hip. I figure about 10% of the price difference is for better design and features, and the other 90% of the cost is just so you can bond with other Mac users.

ROFL there’s ALWAYS one :)

I agree!

Btw I use both, and still think they’re for limp-wristed, vegan hippy types (no offense if you are a limp-wristed vegan hippy).

They’re expensive and shiney, the fashion accessory of the computer world – of course people will buy :)

Thanks Ben! Good points. I’ve worked professionally on Macs for years, and to me, a Mac user is a professional, in the same way a high-end Nikon camera is a tool of a professional, evne though a lot of people buy them for status, and don’t really need them. I don’t tend to take much notice of the Apple advertising, or the bells and whistles and apps that I guess are the main selling point for everyone else.

While their advertising may lead you to think that 90% of the Mac folks are just luxury market goofs, I think the professional market is much higher.

You may be right, I guess there’s no way to tell.

The main thing is that when people moan about ‘trendy’ mac users, and other people defend the ‘professional’ mac users, they’re talking at complete cross purposes.

We should define more specific terminology to differentiate between them, then we can all whine about the MacTrendies together :)

What about your ever present, lurking in the dark, lone wolf Linux user then?

* Note: I’m not that guy.

That’s what shows the skew of this “Infographic” Like “36% of PC people are liberal”… what about the other 64%?

Accessibility is the big issue for me, not being hip or cool. Windows PCs don’t come with accessibility right in the box, certainly not for the severely visually impaired. You have to get the screen-reader separately, which costs more than the computer itself. The Macs come with their own screen-readers, so do the Ipads, Iphones and Ipods. Whether you have 2020 vision or none at all, whether you can hear well or not, you are welcome to get an Apple product and you get the same as everyone else, without having to pay a ton of money for extra accessibility softwhere.

Mac people certainly have more money than sense. Nearest Mac equivalent to my new laptop was over 3x the price – admittedly for a pretty piece of kit, but c’mon, get real!

Oh, and in response to MissCapri, my mum (who is registered fully blind) got a fully working and set up PC with disabled accessibility software delivered and set up for less than the cost of an off the shelf MacBook Pro, with email, skype, scanner, the whole hog, all working and usable out of the box.

well, the are using mayority I think is
42%Like the times
28%Like the Derp news
30%Like Usa Today
You get it?

Which screen-reading software? A JAWS upgrade costs about $200, once you initially get the $1000+ program, although there are free upgrades between each larger upgrade. Which company delivered the accessibility programs along with the computer?

Macbook (not the pro) with built-in accessibility cost less than my PC desktop and its screenreader and all the upgrades I had to get over the years. I can go into an Apple store and get working on any computer that’s there – with a keystroke that gets their screen-reader running. Can’t do that with any PC that’s just off the shelf. There are free versions of the JAWS screen-reader, but they can only run in 40 minute demo mode. http://www.freedomscientific.com

Now, for an intelligent post on a web site about the PC VS. Mac, history of some changes they went through, and why the debate is stupid. And yes, it’s from a PC user.
http://woggmusic.com/WP/?p=237

http://www.yourdolphin.com/index.asp?home=454. and it included a printer/scanner, speakers, etc, not just the box.

Great as that is, it’s still only the same as my desktop PC and JAWS, though probably a bit less expensive. You still have to order it specially. You simply can’t just go into some store anywhere, plug in a PC, activate Dolphin with a keystroke and have the computer speaking before you even get it to the checkout. What I’m getting at is that no PC comes with a built-in screen-reader, right off the shelf, out of the box. Having a custom job made to order and waiting for it to get delivered, well, sure, it’s an option, but not good enough when one company has accessibility right in their product. When Microsoft starts incorporating JAWS, Windowize, Dolphin etc right into their PCs and it’s as easy to get up and running as the Mac accessibility option, then I’ll agree that the PC has probably everything the same as the Mac.

Yeah the difference IS staggering. The difference being how much oxygen Mac people can waste around them about this supposed ‘Holy Grail’ of computing.

At work I produce on Mac, and fairly OS X gets the job done. But every time a client walks in and says “Ooooh those look nice” and some pretentious fanboy in the office starts off with “And they’re better too!”, like the components are some other worldly magic hardware made from unicorn breath and kitten giggles, I’m f* leaving the room, because I can’t bear hearing another word.

It comes down to preference of OS and sometimes what you’re willing to pay for your hardware.

“Saw the light”… OMFG!

Yeah the difference IS staggering. The difference being how much oxygen Mac people can waste around them about this supposed ‘Holy Grail’ of computing.

At work I produce on Mac, and fairly OS X gets the job done. But every time a client walks in and says “Ooooh those look nice” and some pretentious fanboy in the office starts off with “And they’re better too!”, like the components are some other worldly magic hardware made from unicorn breath and kitten giggles, I’m f* leaving the room, because I can’t bear hearing another word.

It comes down to preference of OS and sometimes what you’re willing to pay for your hardware.

“Saw the light”… OMFG!