July 12, 2002 2:05 PM PDT

Are Mac users smarter?

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Apple's 'Real People' ad seeks PC crowd

June 9, 2002















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Massaging the numbers
"8.2 percent of Americans who surf the Web at home do so using a Mac...Nearly all the rest of those who go online--89.4 percent--do so using a Windows-based PC."


Out of 100 people, 54 of them have college degrees. And of that 54, 3 are Mac users (70.2% of 8.2% of 54.2%). 51 college graduates use PCs (Windows or UNIX-variant) vs. 3 Mac users.
Posted by crimson667 (2 comments )
Reply Link Flag
Massaging the numbers again
I could be wrong, but isn't it:

Out of 100 people online, 8 (8.2%) are Mac users. Of those 8, 70.2% -- 5.6 -- have a college degree. That means of the number of people online that have a college degree -- 54 (54.2% of the 100 people) -- 5 or 6 are Mac users, and 48-49 are Windows users.
Posted by aabcdefghij987654321 (1721 comments )
Link Flag
Do you realize that a Mac is a "UNIX-variant"?
Posted by PadawanGeek (3 comments )
Link Flag
Mac is a unix variant which allowed me to change my custom built pc into a mac when i got tired of failed updates . Yes a custom built mac same bull as your pc deals with failed updates but aleast I don't waste days reinstalling everything only takes 1 hour to fix everything i mess up.
Posted by shawnk67 (1 comment )
Link Flag
I don't know how this is so hard for you to grasp. yes, there are more PC users with college degrees compared to Mac users with college degrees. That's because there are less Mac users. But the percentage of mac users that have college degrees is more than PC users.

I'm a PC user and even I understand this article.
Posted by johnsiano (1 comment )
Link Flag
Mac users = smarter?
To claim that people who use a certain product are more
intelligent than others is just plain insulting. With results such as
these, how can they say that Mac did not pay this publication?
Here is a question for you: how many Mac users know what's in
their mac? how many mac users built their machines from
scratch? How many mac users know how t decide on different
mac is tailored, quite simply, for metrosexual idiots and college
students who don't know any better. They are simple,
sttraightforward, block out a lot of power user features, and will
automatically fit themselves to what they think is best for you.
They don't leave a lot of choice, the models are few and limited,
and the hardware is comparable to a mid-range PC, but for twice
the price. So far, i don't see anything that makes mac users
smarter, just more gullible.
Posted by tidalkraken (1 comment )
Reply Link Flag
I agree.
Posted by lxMoNsteRxI (2 comments )
Link Flag
Since when does specialist knowledge define intelligence? I don't know what's inside my PC to the extent that if I took it apart, I would be able to categorically define every component. Does that make me an idiot? Certainly not.

That's even more insulting than the assertion made by this author, who is simply using facts to highlight demographic trends. He's not saying they ARE smarter, he's just highlighting that the ratio of well-educated users to not-so-well educated users is higher for Mac users than PC users. It's just an observation of FACT.

Now, compare his statement to yours:

"mac is tailored, quite simply, for metrosexual idiots and college students who don't know any better".

Clearly, if Mac users are statistically smarter, I can see why you use a PC.

Although, ironically, I agree with you. I just think you're a total idiot.
Posted by dog180 (1 comment )
Link Flag
Watch you're language you nerd!
Posted by mukunzabusisa (1 comment )
Link Flag

Actually trends show that PC users are more Gullible as well ;)
Posted by DJRumpy (3 comments )
Link Flag
this comment shows you are one the stupidest people on the face of the earth ,,, let me ask this (have you ever owned a mac?? ) if you haven't,,,,, shut the hell up .. because i have owned lots of PCs in my life new ,and old they are all crap . i got so tired of them crashing, being so slow,and all the 10000 of problems with them window, so i tried mac and have not had i problem , i love my comp and i have used lots of other peoples and every one i talk to that owns one loves them . so i know your stupid a$$ cant under how to use a comp that actually works without crashing and having to restart it every 5 min.
Posted by lakekover (1 comment )
Link Flag
Actually, I have built my Macintosh from scratch, along with plenty of us Mac users. A book was released titled "How to build your Hackintosh" and it was a step by step instructional guide on building your own Mac. For those of us that didn't need the guide, we went ahead and did it ourselves. These statistics are based on the people that bought a Mac, not the people that made one.
Posted by johnnyboy21 (1 comment )
Link Flag
@lakekover I hate it when stupid people like you call other people stupid. Not only your grammar is freaking awful, but you have no idea what the frock you are talking about. A Macintosh computer IS a PC. All of you keep saying that PCs are non-mac computers and macs are some different thing. WRONG!

PC == Personal Computer

Why is a Macintosh computer not personal? Asking a question like "Do you have a mac or pc?" is like asking "Do you have a pc or a pc?"

Also, macintosh computers can crash like that if I ran a crappy version of windows with bloatware that starts at startup. It is mostly the operating system that sucks. If you ran OSX on that computer that crashes every 5 minutes, maybe it would be more stable.
Posted by BenBap (3 comments )
Link Flag
I have build at least 50 pc from scratch, and one Hackintosh, I have now my third macbook and my Hackintosh that I have change the hard drive, the dvd unit and the memory on all of them but as a former pc fan I most say macs are superior and you can change them more than you think, the software is superior and once you learn how to use, pc feels like a prehistoric computer.
Posted by mcorao (1 comment )
Link Flag
i have a mac... i know what i put into it, and i built it from scratch... but i do agree that it is somewhat rude to say that macintosh users are smarter that PC users.
Posted by thetrumpetboy (1 comment )
Link Flag
@BenBap i hate it when stupid people call other people stupid by calling other people stupid. PC is not mac and mac is not PC. Stupid! read more and you shall know. PC is a term used when you are referring to a computer that is IBM architectural-based, while mac has its own architectural design. And a PC runs windows-based OS and Linux. and a PC can't run MAC OS. The same as PC, mac can't run Windows-based nor Linux-based OS. Even though PC stands for personal computer, it is already a term that has its own meaning, just like a 'title'. it's not just two words that mean a computer that is being used personally.
Posted by ryezone (1 comment )
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Smarter? Do they build their own 'puters
How can Mac users be smarter than PC users when they obviously cannot build their own computers. They rely on some rich guy telling them what to buy and what is best for them rather than building their own dream machine. Smarter? Nay, lamer is more like it. They probably even believe those lame Mac versus PC commercials. And doesn't that make Mac users more Communistic (everybody the same) and PC users more democratic (free thinkers)? Think about it. But it's OK to disagree with me, after all I am democratic.
Posted by Metaspherz (44 comments )
Reply Link Flag
That is such a "STUPID" comment!
See, that's just what I also am talking about concerning PC users. First off, a Mac user can build his own machine with the hardware he wishes to have in it. All he needs to do is get Mac Pro 3.0 GHZ with dual 1950 Radeons in crossfire, 8 cores on board and stick any hard drive in the tower he wants. Mac Pros have more space, are more customizable, and can take on any added hardware components available that you want to put in them. As for the PC user who made this comment, he simply is like all the other PC users who don't have a clue about Apple technology and what Apple computer systems can offer a user. They just say this! They have never used a Mac most of the time!
Posted by powershaker (4 comments )
Link Flag
You've proven the author
Well, we don't build our own roads either. Why? Because it's
smarter to use your time wisely.

Think about it, if you have the capacity.
Posted by Lethality (31 comments )
Link Flag
Lethality, it's not about Mac roads vs. PC roads... it's more like Mac soup vs. PC soup (home made)!
Posted by drumeag (1 comment )
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WOW! Clearly, you've just proven the author's point! What does building your own computer have to do with anything mentioned in the article? I certainly don't know. But I will tell you this - I would rather have a computer that works well, such as a mac, built for me than have some crappy piece of junk that runs an operating system that is totally unreliable and unsound.
Posted by dydxfxdx (1 comment )
Link Flag
I have built many computers (PC desktops, linux desktops, and linux servers), although I use a mac as my main computer. Your argument is invalid.
Posted by PadawanGeek (3 comments )
Link Flag
Actually they can but their is no need to when macs are so well built from the start.
Posted by PetarL8149 (5 comments )
Link Flag
BS article, but go easy on mac users
Mac users smarter? I'm a mac user, and even though it would be
totally flattering, I'm in agreement with you other folks that it's
bullcrap. There isn't any doubt that the different comps are used
by different subgroups though. Personal experience; PC is the
default computer people buy, just because it's cheaper, the guy
at the counter is more likely to sell it to you, and it's hard to
make the transition from windows to osx because of all the little
niggling differences (it was extremely hard for me, and now that
I've switched over, I find myself a bit lost on windows). You can
see the different mac/pc clientelle just by visiting college
campuses. In a liberal arts setting with a majority of creative
artsy folks; video, music, art, that kind of stuff, macs are
extremely popular. Damn, but macs are nice for editing audio
and new media. You don't need to know much about the inner
workings of the computer to create amazing things, and the
whole interface gorgeous, with a great batch of programs. for
example, in our film program, 20 out of 22 have macs. I visited
MIT, and kind of expected macs to be big too, (assuming it was
a college thing). Nope. All pcs and Linux. These guys are SMART,
and they are techies. No doubt they find mac too pre-packaged,
and they clobber together these souped up machines from the
bottom up. really neat stuff that is totally beyond me. Finally,
when you visit a school that isn't polarized towards computer
hackers or avant-garde geeks, you find the normal ratio of pcs
and macs. So this whole "mac users are smarter" is reaallly an
absurd headline. But then, it might be easier to market whatever
their products are to liberal arts folks than programmer folks, so
I guess I see why they did the "survey".
Posted by sloggerbum (1 comment )
Reply Link Flag
Mac users = n00b
1. It just works.
-<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.macfixit.com" target="_newWindow">http://www.macfixit.com</a> here you can find thousands of people having problems with: logging on, drag and dropping, Keys not working in lower case. if every thing works there would be no need for a tech support.
2. You can make amazing stuff.
-Yes you can make amazing stuff on a Mac with Adobe Photoshop and Macromedia products, but these programs are also available for the PC as well. Mac portraits these things as if they are not available for the PC.
3. Everything-ready.
-If you buy a PC from Dell you get the same damn thing you are going to get if you bought a Mac, its not like Dell if going to make you install everything when you get it. Yes if you build your own PC you have to but big deal. if you install the programs you will learn how to do it YOURSELF witch would make your brain have to work. If you know how it works, odds are you will know how to fix it.
4. 114,000 viruses? Not on a Mac.
-No one is going to make a virus for an operating system that no one uses. this only applies to Mac OS X users not to XP or Vista users. but, if every one gets a Mac, hackers are going to start making more viruses for Macs.
5. Still the most advanced OS.
- Windows has Vista duh, yes right now Vista sucks but when OS X first came out there were holes in the program too. This goes for every thing that uses technology. What about X-Box, X-box 360, PS2, PS3, the Wii. all of these had problems first starting out, they got better. not so much for the PS3 but that b/c it is $600.
6. The latest Intel chips.
-Intel makes chips for Windows at the same rate for Macs. and Intel isn't the only chip for computers AMD makes are very nice chip. Mac uses Intel for a reason. People who don't know jack about computers will not know about AMD. AMD chips are used in the X-Box 360.
7. No hunting for drivers.
-it is not that hard to find a driver. when you buy a pice of hardwear %99.99 of the time the hard wear will come with a driver. if you lose the disk go to there web site and you can find it there.
8. Design that turns heads.
-Apple has built there Mac's like a piece of art. WOW look its sooo........ white, MACS ONLY COME IN ONE COLOR! Oh wait there were the old iMac's that had the computer in the monitor but those very pricey. the fact is your not going to show off a white cube. People who have built there own PC's have Glass/Silicon cases with LED's in them with fans that change color, they look like a computer not a piece of art.
9. Instant video chats.
-....if i am going to talk to some one that i would want to look at i would call them up and say "Hey man wanna go see a movie?" not talk to them using a camera. now if it is a business call i could understand, but most business would have a secure line they would use, or they would meet in person.
10. More fun with photos.
-If you need a program to organize your photos then you don't know how to create a new folder.
11. Hollywood-style movies.
-Lie. iMovie will NOT produse a movie that will compare to any movie that comes out of holly wood, maybe a porno but not a movie like 300 or MI-3. there are programs that you can get that do much more then iMovie can.
12. One-click websites.
-if you could make a website in one click, why did i have to take a 2 year class to learn how to. it is not that easy and if it is you website will look like crap and will lack originality. And again, there a programs to fix this Dreamweaver is one of them.
13. Amazing podcasts.
-www.youtube.com free iTunes podcast $$$$$$$$$
14. Rock star tunemaking.
-the reason why Mac's are so easy to use and favor musicians and artiest are because they don't have the intellect to use PC's thats why their professions are so basic.
15. Awesome out of the box.
-really? will all the games and 3rd party programs and want to use be already installed.... no. Apple is sugar coting this you still have to install all of you 3rd party programs. but you can just take the Mac right out of the box and plug it in then your set. The speakers on the Mac's are not the best. i would never want a computer with a built in camera to many hackers.

On top of all of this Mac are a pain in the @$$ to upgrade your hardware inside. you have to take it some were for the warranty not to be voided.
So stop with the saying Mac's are better and PC's are for boring people. Mac = n00bs PC = 1337!!!1one
For people who dont under stand what i just said
Mac = People who dont understand what is going on around them but think they know alot, but they dont know what they are talking about. PC = People who know about computers and will have more fun than Mac users.
Thank you <a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/" target="_newWindow">http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/</a>
Posted by vash657 (1 comment )
Reply Link Flag
For once, you don't get the same thing with a Dell that you get on a Mac. You get a better OPERATING SYSTEM for one! You aren't dominated and owned by Bill Gates. You don't have to admit that you follow the masses and aren't willing to be a leader. You don't have to admit that yeah, you could run Windows as your native OS, but why not realize Mac runs Windows XP and VISTA, MAC OS X and Ubuntu LINUX (I have them all three on my Mac) and runs them BETTER than a PC machine. The reason? Well, it's simple. The hardware components in a PC suck compared to the quality components that go into an Apple machine, and the Apple machine always adds taste to the equation. I looked at a Dell Laptop in the XPS arena and was going to buy it. I decided to get a Macbook Pro. Later - after I had purchased my Macbook Pro - I saw a brand new Dell XPS gaming notebook in the Atlanta mall. My Mom and I just looked at each other. GLAD WE GOT A MACBOOK PRO! This thing looks cheap, and it isn't as good. Plus, I want my Apple iPod to know it's connected to an Apple Laptop. As far as games? I play Neverwinter NIghts, Pac-Man X, Chopper and tons of other games. Just because I can't play the junk game applications in the hundreds that are put out for Windows doesn't mean I don't have games to play. I only play quality!
Posted by powershaker (4 comments )
Link Flag
El Replyo
Heres the thing, an educated person wouldn't go around posting
stuff like that.
You said that Macs come out of the box with applications.
Your completely right, but then again, its better than Windows
"ESPN TV" or "Dell Virus Cleaner". Who would want those. If you
want applications go download them.
You can't hack an iSight camera, and have you ever used web conferencing? It's quite more interesting than you think.
You can upgrade Macs, I'm typing this on a 9 year old G4 thats
been upgraded to have more RAM, USB 2 ports, and bigger hard
drive. It's still the same 500Mhz processor and it's running
10.4. Can a 9 year old Windows machine rune Vista?
You said artists and musicians (you need to learn how to spell),
are to stupid to use Windows? I think you have your ideas
You said there aren't to many viruses out there for Macs. There
aren't because UNIX doesn't just launch something because it
feels like it, unlike Windows. I've downloaded viruses before, but
of course they couldn't do anything.
So yea, theres my response to you, and my Mac is Graphite
Posted by inunacho (2 comments )
Link Flag
why don't you get facts instead of posting this crap?

1. You only posted 1 site, is that the best you can do? there are more than 100 websites reporting PC users having much worse problems including the BSOD
And I have owned both Macs and PC's and Macs are better and most of the time THEY DO JUST WORK and that is because there is better software and hardware compatibility, which is non-existent in Windows

2. "You can make amazing stuff -Yes you can make amazing stuff on a Mac with Adobe Photoshop and Macromedia products, but these programs are also available for the PC as well. Mac portraits these things as if they are not available for the PC"
Again, post facts, you are proving yourself to be biased and you have not posted any facts, if you didn't know, Apple makes the most used film making software in the world called Final Cut Studio and it's Mac only, we also have Logic Studio which is also Mac only and most of the things any person would want to do that is editing related can be done in a Mac without having to buy anything, if your intelligent enough, you would know that iMovie is much better than Windows Movie Maker because it has more features and iTunes is better than Windows Media Player because iTunes keeps your files more organized so the answer to your argument is that Apple portraits things as if they weren't because they actually aren't IGNORANT.
3. Yes, everything is ready, I switched from PC to Mac and i don't regret it at all and I DO know how to fix computers and work with them and if you have to it doesn't make you any smarter, it just means that you had to open your computer to troubleshoot problems (something that you have to rarely do on a Mac) meaning that the PC is a piece of crap, the average computer user doesn't want to open their computer and troubleshoot because they find it too technical.
4. (you were really showing your ignorance on this one). How come it be that when Mac OS 9 was out it had about 2% of the US market share but there were still about 80 to 100 viruses for it and now we have 11% and we have none so far??? The answer is simple, we have UNIX which is much more secure and second, we use HFS which is a file system that viruses don't recognize meaning that they can't spread. Btw, 50% of people that are buying a mac are switchers (meaning that there are a lot of people angry with Windows)
5. Windows Vista still sucks and i can prove it: first of all, it's darn slow, it lags on 1GB of RAM and it has very high system requirements and btw, when Mac OS X came out in 2001 it was competing against Windows XP (which copied) which had a lot more bugs than the first version of OS X, Vista came out to compete with OS X Tiger but then Apple released Leopard to compete with them (I'm running Leopard now) and Leopard just came out about 6 months ago and i am yet to find a bug on it and it runs smoothly with 1GB of RAM and you may be happy to know that the PS3 has the least failure rate of all consoles, 0.2% to be exact, the Wii has 1% failure rate and the XBOX 360 has 11% failure rate (which is very high). PS3 now costs $400 so your argument is non-valid anymore.
6. The XBOX 360 doesn't use neither AMD or Intel Chips, it uses the IBM PowerPC processor (which was made for Macs by Apple and IBM) and all of the consoles out now use a PowerPC processor (including the Wii and PS32 too), do some research before you post.
7. I don't want to download drivers, i just want the darn thing to work, which is why Mac OS X comes with many drivers for many different products, btw, did you notice that all versions of Vista except Ultimate are 32-bit and therefore can only address about 3GB of RAM and Vista Ultimate costs a lot more than Leopard and Mac OS X has had 64-bit support since 10.3 Panther (made in 2003)
8. Apple cares about how their products look like and they care about the environment unlike most PC manufacturers, that's part of the reason why they make everything so minimalist, including boxes, like i said, they like to help preserv the environment while making products that look great, why don't you try making a PC that has a case that looks like the Mac mini's??? And the reason they use white color in almost everything is because that's the color that represents the company and your cases argument is just soooo old and stupid, that just makes the computer look childish and unprofessional.
9. with the video chat they want people to be able to look at each other and because it's a better way to communicate, if my family went on a trip I would like more to be able to look at them and hear them than just typing words like a dumb***
10. Im not even gonna go into that one, your argument was laughable
11. What they mean with that is that with the editing tools iMovie provides, it's easy to do so and make many changes, making it look like a great movie, can't you interpret things???
Btw, Windows Movie maker can't produce a good movie at all and that's because it lacks so many features.
12. WIth 1 click websites they meant that you can select the layout of it with just one click, are you too dumb to interpret things?
And no, on iWeb you don't need to get a 2 years class unlike in Front Page, Apple makes things easier to use
13 is too stupid and you failed to prove a point
14. Like i said, people shouldn't have to learn how to use a computer, Apple makes it so that you can just use it without any problems
15. Computers were not made for gaming to begin with, they were made for work and simplicity, gaming consoles were intended to be used for games unlike computers and with awesome out of the box Apple means that you don't have to waste time setting up things and that it has lots of multimedia programs. Btw, My mac mini is easy to upgrade, the only thing you need is a putty knife, that's it and i can upgrade the RAM, HDD, Optical Drive and the processor and I would bet that the new iMac is the easiest computer to upgrade the RAM on (apart from the Mac Pro)

The only one that has been proven wrong here is you, you are a Windows fanboy and you are an ignorant, once you use a Mac for a week then talk so please don't post crap like this on a popular site like this, your just annoying people and btw, what you said about Mac users doesn't reflect in many polls and surveys that have been made, maybe it's just that you were stupid enough to buy a computer with a crappy operating system and that has cheap hardware
Posted by Axel2010 (2 comments )
Link Flag
1. It just works.
Are you so ignorant to not realize that all technologies will always have problems? Apple doesn't mean that Macs work and they'll keep working and they'll never stop working, they mean that Macintoshes have far less technical problems than Windows PCs do.

2. You can make amazing stuff.
I'm pretty sure they are referring to iLife.

3. Everything ready.
Apple is not talking about building computers. They are saying that most Windows PCs require that you connect the tower, monitor, etc, whereas on Macs (excluding the Mac Pro and Mac Mini) you just need to plug in the keyboard and mouse (excluding laptops), plug the Mac into the wall, and you're ready to go.

4. 114,000 Viruses? Not on a Mac.
I'm ignoring you on this topic, considering you made yourself look like a self-contradicting idiot. ("for an operating system that no one uses [Mac OS X]. this only applies to Mac OS X users"

5. Still the most advanced OS.
Mac OS X originally had problems, yes, but the message is referring to the present and close past.

6. The latest Intel chips.
Using a Mac =/= Knowing jack about computers. On the topic of AMD being "better" than Intel, the best AMD CPU available on Newegg.com is a 3.2 Ghz Dual-Core. An even better Intel chip is available- the 3.2 Ghz Quad-Core "Nehalem," currently used in the latest Mac Pro.

7. No hunting for drivers.

8. Design that turns heads.
Tell, me how does a glowing, color-changing metal box look less like art than a Mac?

9. Instant video chats.
Would you rather be able to see and hear who you're talking to or just hear their voice? I'd go with the first.

10. More fun with photos.
iPhoto is not photo-organization software. It's more a digital center, where you can download photos and videos directly from your camera. You can also edit photos within the program, and all pictures/videos are automatically sent to the iMovie library in case you need them there.

11. Hollywood-style movies.
Well, maybe not LITERALLy Hollywood-style, but iMovie can make videos faster and better than what i've seen in Windows Movie Maker.

12. One-click websites.
It means that the Mac already comes with website-making software

13. Amazing podcasts.
I don't even know what you're point is here.

14. Rock star tunemaking
Musicians are definitely NOT idiots. Well, maybe quite a few rock stars are, but most musicians (like my uncle, a Mac Pro user) are definitely not idiots.

15. Awesome out of the box.
No, you idiot, 3rd-Party Software and Games will not be installed on a Mac, or for that matter, a PC, unless they specifically offer it. That's why it's called 3rd-Party (Third-party developer, hardware or software developer not directly tied to the primary product that a consumer is using). And, you contradicted yourself AGAIN, stating that you don't want to be using a computer that someone is most likely to hack and watch you through the camera, when in fact earlier you stated nobody is going to bother hacking a Macintosh!

If someone really wants an upgradeable mac, they'll buy a Mac Pro.
As far as your analogy goes (Mac = n00bs PC = 1337!!!1one) anyone who uses leet-speak or spells a ! as 1 or one shouldn't be on the internet.
Posted by Vaius (1 comment )
Link Flag
I have been power-using PCs and Linux computers for years and have just recently switched to mac because I want something that just works. That doesn't make me lazy or stupid, it makes me efficient.
Posted by PadawanGeek (3 comments )
Link Flag
I will give it to you on the speakers but when you have trouble with your NEW dell like my anti now mac friend and have to call customer service in India and they send your laptop back and forget to put in the screws you will get it. I will take mine if need to be to just about any good mall, my friend got his screws, the WRONG ONES. See how much resale your unit has in 5 years and get back to me on that one.
Posted by donmattayo (1 comment )
Link Flag
None the less, it is irrelevant why Macs don't get viruses; just that they don't have them is a reason enough.

Apple invented the movie industry. They didn't however invent the movie industry with iMovie. There is not one PC user in this thread who has actually USED a Macintosh. Also, to the other poster who was going on a rant about 'PC's being Macs' that made no utter sense. Yes a Macintosh is a personal computer but, it is called a Mac as it is a sub-group.
I.e. There is chocolate and there is Cadbury chocolate. If I were to compare the two, I would not be comparing 'apples and apples', I would be comparing a sub-genre with a larger containing genre.

-Mac user
Posted by polarbeared (18 comments )
Link Flag


You can never end an argument with something similar to 'Millions of people just need to understand that they are wrong and that I am right so that this argument can be put to rest'.

Also you aren't some wise, enlightened one by using 7337. A lot isn't one word either.

-An average Mac user
Posted by polarbeared (18 comments )
Link Flag
Problem in Reasoning
So far the claims of those refuting the idea that users of Macs are more intelligent is the idea that Mac users have not built their own computer. This is not germane to the question at all as it merely shows that Mac users may not be as hardware-savvy or that they can't be bothered with something so esoteric as the details of the hardware they use. Somebody who is intelligent views a tool as a means to an end, not an end in itself. It may well be that those that are of the high echelons of intelligence find that the Mac provides a more unobtrusive tool to their goals.
Posted by caffeinefiend999 (1 comment )
Reply Link Flag
Anyone see the irony
MAC's are designed for weak users, and now they're smarter? wow
Posted by djbryson (2 comments )
Reply Link Flag
Boy, you're dumb!
HELLO! I'm a MAC USER! B.A. English Lit. B.S. Ed. Secondary Education. 3 classes shy my Masters degree. I have a computer tech certification, been in computers for over 20 years. I say the Macbook Pro is one of the best computers to come onto the market in the past 30 years. I'm typing on one right now. Mac users are weak? Actually, I'm not that weak. I'm 6 feet tall, 200+ lbs, and most likely can lay you out in a heartbeat if I want to. Lucky for you, I'm a nice guy. By the way, I also have programmed computers and can see that this little thread here talking bad about Mac users is made up of mostly PC users who have sold their rear ends to Microsoft and aren't smart enough to support OPEN SOURCE! Sad people!
Posted by powershaker (4 comments )
Link Flag
This study is illogical. There are less mac users than pc users and therefore only a smaller number of them would have to be educated for their percentages to be higher. Seems like pride is getting in the way of basic math.,
Posted by SL8Rok (13 comments )
Link Flag
Mac isn't an acronym it's an abbreviation (you don't need the caps!).
Posted by polarbeared (18 comments )
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@SL8Rok are you a PC user? Yes, it takes a smaller number to create a boost in percentage but it also takes far less for the percentage to drop at the same rate. You can't twist maths to work the way you want it to work. The numbers are proportional so changes are equal
Posted by polarbeared (18 comments )
Link Flag
Anyone see the irony
Posted by djbryson (2 comments )
Reply Link Flag
are mac user smarter?
Smarter? who knows...who cares...I switched but I didn't throw
away my PC. I have both which must make me a super genious!!!
Reading this and the responses to it have made me feel really
good. Seriously, for what I use a computer for, I like the mac better.
If this makes me smarter, thats good too.
Posted by mladue1 (1 comment )
Reply Link Flag
my theory on this
I have a characterization of the Windows versus Mac dichotomy:

windows provides a system that is FAST, leaving organization to WETWARE(user brain), and is compatible with multiple types of hardware

thus, the REASON for the monopoly. Windows is like a POLYMATH, speaking multiple languages
it is thus inherently more INTELLIGENT because is has built in CAPABILITIES to interact with infinitely more hardware situations (and software situations, because the generality and cheapness(often pirated) of it engenders more SOFTWARE development for it)

the mac os is MORE SPECIALIZED and LIMITED. its users have to show more variety to offer quality information because the machine is LESS INTELLIGENT.

The purpose of a computer is to provide QUALITY INFORMATION. how the LOAD is BALANCED in this task is up to the ratio between USER and MACHINE CONTRIBUTIONS.

Thus, mac users might be smarter than windows users, in the default situation.


also, if lazy windows users were able to elevate the quality of their own output to that of Mac users (be more intelligent) then they would be at an advantage because their machines are more POWERFUL

BUT most people aren't interested in being more intelligent (THINKING).

that is why, to own an Apple is to said to be to THINK DIFFERENT, in the default situation.
Posted by mtasquared (1 comment )
Reply Link Flag
Windows XP and VISTA
If my machine is less intelligent, I just wonder why I can run your OS and run any application you can run with the exception of some Direct X10 games that I really don't care to play. Let's be honest. Most PC users aren't tech nerds. They are people who just go out to Wal-mart and buy one of those cheap butt Dells or Acers. A sea of PCs and most of them are totally junk and made from cheap parts unlike the Apple Computers which have quality parts and a quality operating system. If I want a PC, I'll use Parallels or Boot Camp and install Windows. Hear Mac runs Windows better than a clone any way.
Posted by powershaker (4 comments )
Link Flag
my theory on that
I see this all the time. you don't know how to react when
something you don't like happens, you get upset(nice touch on the
BIG words to sound smart).
Posted by clmmtz (1 comment )
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if u really wanna think different, use linux redhat, kubuntu, or haiku, go learn to program your own apps using python. better still, get a conventional pc, run hackintosh.
Posted by youguysgojumpnow (2 comments )
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Posted by youguysgojumpnow (2 comments )
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Mac users are smarter. They pay less for hardware than the PC
folks do for the same setup.

They upgrade constantly (true mac fans) for the same computer
with faster memory and 200mhz faster for the chip. Once again
its cheaper then purchasing a more powerful processor.

They use an OS that is based on unix that can do tricks that
linux can do for free. But its Apple and I'm surpriesed Cnet is
even asking this, they should just do apple and sony stuff and
screw everything else.
Posted by webterractive (38 comments )
Reply Link Flag
'Mac users are smarter. They pay less for hardware than the PC folks do for the same setup.'
This statement is wonderful - this is an example of smarter Mac users?


Let me tell you what webterractive;
We both have 2000$ to spend - you go and buy a mac with yours, and I will build a PC with mine, and then we will run a benchmark test to see who is faster.
The reason PC users upgrade constantly is because in case you haven?t noticed, hardware is constantly changing - contrary to your belief, the mac does not come 'future proof'. And on top of that - at least we CAN upgrade something on our PC's besides the RAM -
There is too much to write here to even try and justify this articles' ridiculousness.
As far as I?m concerned, if overpaying for hardware and having limited compatibility with 75% of software available to computer users is smart ? I will stay dumb.
Posted by masterkyle (1 comment )
Link Flag
They pay less? ROFL! Boy have you been had. In mac world there are a few machines to pick from. They are middle of the road, nice systems at high prices from apple. In PC world, you can pick practically anything from crappy, cheap, to top end. You have choices. Example. I have an i7 based PC at 4ghz. It can run rings around a $1600 core2duo imac. In fact it's quite a bit faster than a $2000 i7 based imac. And since mac hardware ARE PC's. As and example, and for fun, I showed my mac friend that I can also hackintosh in leopard and watch it go faster than what is offered by apple. Of course I put windows 7 back on, but the difference here? I paid $750 for my PC. And the components are of higher quality than apple's. It's top end. I got it at that price because I shopped around! Instead it's mac users that wish they could upgrade constantly. But many of them (not all), end up replacing their entire imac. So if you are supposedly more intelligent, why couldn't you figure that out?
Posted by zoing7 (116 comments )
Link Flag
vash657's comments are a tad humorous. This supposedly intelligent post is grammatically painful. The arguments against Macs are simply silly. It's a solid computing platform. XP is a solid computing platform. Vista? Depends on how solid your computer is but it, too, can be an ok computing platform.

Having always built my own pc through my first install of XP, I am not what most would call the stereotypical "mac fanboy". I have used and managed Windows extensively (2000 certification) as well as various flavors of Linux and Solaris. Believing Macs to be one trick ponies that excelled at graphics design but lagged behind elsewhere, I bought my first Mac as part of a "digital darkroom" a few years ago. That little underpowered mini was so much easier to use and so much more advanced in its rich feature set than my Windows computer that it soon replaced all but gaming. Once I bought a Mac Pro (quad core, tons of memory, excellent gpu) my Windows box was no longer necessary. I've been thrilled with the performance on everything from graphics and movies to daily internet related tasks to online gaming.

Does this make me smarter? Of course not. These statistics probably say nothing at all actually in my opinion. A statistical coincidence does not necessarily prove a causal relationship.

A statistic I've personally seen, however, that is somewhat significant is everyone I know who has tried a Mac has realized very quickly for a variety of reasons that the platform is far superior. Every time.

From a marketing standpoint, a statistic that is interesting is Macs do tend to be used more. Mac based internet traffic is a higher percentage of overall use than the Mac share of the computer market.
Posted by mrcqm (2 comments )
Reply Link Flag
I used to be a PC-only person. I hated the Mac OS. Then, an interesting thing happened: I bought a MacBook White. Now, I cannot imagine every being PC-only. The thing that I love about my Mac is that, contrary to a lot of the comments here, it has multiple purposes. For example, I can use it for gaming, video editing, website creation, music editing, photo editing, and word processing.

I will admit, I use Microsoft Office for Mac, but only because it is the de facto standard for word processing. strangely, even this Microsoft software is better on Mac.
Things just make more sense on the Mac OS. The user can see the file structure of the OS. Applications (that would be "programs" to Windows users) can easily be found. Documents and multimedia can easily be organized and integrated into nearly any application. The operating system is more powerful and intuitive. The best part is that I have yet to get a virus on my Mac despite running no anti-virus software and accessign the internet everyday. Try that on a Windows-based PC.

The best feature that exemplifies the Mac's versatility is the fact that you can have multiple operating systems. I have put a Linux partition on my hard drive. I have since removed it, but it is more than possible. Currently, I have a Vista partition on my hard drive. I have two computers in one machine.

From a hardware standpoint, dollar for dollar, Macs are the same or better than any PC that you will find. I am a college student with a campus job. My job is fixing Mac computers. I will be the first to admit. Macs have hardware and software problems, but the moment you find ANY computer model that will remain free of hardware or software problems for four years we shall all throw our hands up in the air and sing a song of jubilation! When we do see issues with Macs, it is easy to diagnose the problem because the OS is so closely tied to the hardware. We can use more problem-solving steps and solutions to fix the problems.

NOW, I am not saying that I am smarter than PC users just because I use a Mac. I have, admittedly made a wiser choice in purchasing a Mac, but that does not make me smarter. My suggestion to you is to get a Mac and give it a month. I think you will find that it is easier to use than any other machine. However, please be warned, it may even be difficult for you to want to go back to Windows.
Posted by cj201189 (1 comment )
Link Flag
The biggest error that I am seeing here, disregarding the statistics as I do not feel qualified to evaluate them, is the equating of educated and intelligent/smarter. With the erroneous exception of the title, this article states, correctly or not, that Mac users are more educated. It does not say that they are more intelligent. Intelligence does not imply education, nor does education imply intelligence. Now if a study was done by comparing IQ numbers with OS preferences, maybe that argument could be made. Assuming that everyone agreed on the IQ tests as being accurate. Which they are not based on use versus design purpose, but that is another argument. This study was based simply on what degrees a person held and what computer was used.
Posted by moonmica (1 comment )
Reply Link Flag
To answer the question posed by Mr. Fried, the answer is no. Wealthier people buy macs. Wealthier people are more likely to be educated. This does not mean people who buy macs are more likely to be educated.

The hotter it is, the more ice cream sales there are. The hotter it is, the more shark attacks there are. This does not mean that the more ice cream sales there are, the more shark attacks there will be.
Posted by jvLin (5 comments )
Reply Link Flag
Hello, I am aware that this is a very old post however, I felt I needed to respond to your post.

you say, "Wealthier people buy macs. Wealthier people are more likely to be educated. This does not mean people who buy macs are more likely to be educated."

and then compare that statement to,


So, for the computers, Yes it does mean that, because Wealth is almost without fail caused by education. The more education you have the more money you are likely to make.(ex. a doctor compared to a macdonalds employee) The more wealthy buy macs and the more wealthy are usually more educated(remember, in order to make more money) so it is not an outlandish statement to say that more educated people generally buy/use macs.

Now the shark attacks, (admittedly I am pushing it on this one but I am bored.) a similar principle can be applied. The hotter it is the more ice cream is sold (you have already stated this). The hotter it is the more people go swimming, the more swimmers the more shark attacks. now you state that it does not make sense to say that the more ice cream that is sold the more shark attacks there will be. and to a certain extent this is correct, However, you forget that there is still a positive correlation between ice cream sales and shark attacks so it is possible to assume that when more ice cream is sold there will also be more shark attacks.

Hopefully you get the point
Posted by randomlygeneratedusername (2 comments )
Link Flag

The big point is that just because someone with more education and more wealth has NOTHING to do with how good of a decision it is to buy a mac. Nothing. If someone makes more money as a doctor, but know little about computers, and then turn around and say, "Wow, I have lots of money because I'm educated. Therefore, if I buy this more expensive computer, the mac, it will mean I made a more educated choice because I am smarter". None of that works. Like I said before, it's just like a doctor who makes a 1/2 million a year can maybe afford an expensive car. It doesn't mean he knows anything about those cars other than he can afford them. And just because a computer costs more, doesn't mean it's necessarily better and so on ...
Posted by zoing7 (116 comments )
Link Flag
I am a PC user and I built my own PC, which I would say most Mac users wouldn't know how to do. The reason that a lot of Mac users are smarter in general and NOT computer wise is because Macs are a lot more expensive than PCs and if someone has more money, it is more likely that they are better educated.
Posted by lxMoNsteRxI (2 comments )
Reply Link Flag
Has anyone read beyond the headline?
All this article is stating is that the relative expense of Apple products mean that it is more likely the owner is from privileged background, and therefore more likely to have had a better education, not necessarily smarter. Much like you would find if you compared Bentley drivers to Toyota drivers, one is more likely to be wealthy (hint: not the Toyota driver). The amount of rage that seems to get generated over the Mac vs. PC debate is comical. It seems to be the tech version of "My daddy can beat up your daddy".
Posted by Beenoit (1 comment )
Reply Link Flag
Exactly!! Thats what I did. Now I have windows on my mac too!!!!
Posted by Alaskadanfish (1 comment )
Reply Link Flag
i think the point everyone is missing it that the Mac user AREN'T smarter. It's just an attention getting line to make you read the article and find out some rather unexciting news....as I just did. FYI, I used to think Macs were for dumb people who couldn't handle two mouse buttons and thought a sexy package made their computer better. As a mac owner, I can now say there are definitely things that make Macs "smarter" but not Mac users.
Posted by ravigsir (1 comment )
Link Flag
My daughter just bought a Mac Book. She is already a convert to the iphone and ipod. They are nice looking products, but I believe they are for people who are looking for style and simple functionality. I am a PC user and I build my own systems. I love the idea of being able to chose my own parts and tinker with my system to supercharge it! I play games and also run various applications on my

Yes stability has been a issue at times, but the Windows operating system has made me a more computer smart user over the years. It also has improved by leaps and bounds since Windows 95 and 98. I'm looking forward to using the new Windows 7 on my PC.

Mac's are probably good for some who are not desiring to go into in depth computer understanding. but still want to use computers with style. PC's are for the people who want a tool at an affordable price that they can open the hood and work on themselves if needed to. For people who wan the freedom to customize, optimize and not be bound by a cookie cutter.
Posted by Ramraji (1 comment )
Reply Link Flag
If only macs didn't ever have problems or crash. But they too are not perfect. Your daughter is part of the mac generation that buys them as a fashion statement. She likely has friends with macs and now that she has one, she likely feels she has shown them that she too can afford one. The fact that she has everything from apple also shows that trend. And I"m not putting her down as I don't know her. It's just a typical thing that happens to all teens, college students and basically young twentysomethings. That's why apple markets towards them. It's sad, but I guess it makes apple very happy.. And you're pockets a little emptier... I don't have any stability issues. I've had a malware way back, but haven't had any issues for a long time. Windows 7 is great.
Posted by zoing7 (116 comments )
Link Flag
I will never own a Mac. I do understand the advantages of of an Macintosh design, the vertical integration model in that Apple facilitates all aspects of its hardware and creates its own operating system. Any comments above that claim Macs have a better stability, UI, better hardware, higher price are all directly related to this fact. However, those that claim that Apple has better hardware are just plain -incorrect. The hardware used by Mac and Dell are not different. Intel Core 2 Duo is Intel Core 2 Duo whether used in a Mac or Dell PC. This also applies to most other parts used by Apple and Dell.
I prefer to have the ability to buy any hardware (not just the ones that are sold at the apple dealership/website) and then run it on another company's software. The software can be WindowsXp, MacOSX, Redhat or Fedora Core. This may lead to instability, but nothing I haven't seen or solved before.
I have seen the specs for Mac Pro (8 cores for ~$3600), quite good; but the price is high. I can build a system (anywhere from 4 to 8 cores) and overclock it to function better than the Mac Pro (8 cores) and it will still not cost me more than $3000.
Mac seems like a good option for my parents (who need stability over function). They don't care what is in the computer, and they only use the computer for checking mail and browsing internet, and hence a system based on the vertical integration (which is inherently slightly more stable than IBM architecture) model suits them. But Apple does not have answers for me.
Posted by admadhavan (1 comment )
Reply Link Flag
Whats the point of agruing about which one is better? Just use the one you like and be happy. They each have their own distict advantages. Macs commercials **** me off and i have always used a PC because I understand how they work. Macs are tailored to people who dont like BS and dont know how to turn on a PC. Whatever.
Posted by windowsftw (1 comment )
Reply Link Flag
They arent necessarily smarter, they just have more money.
Posted by tipoo_ (1419 comments )
Reply Link Flag
Ummm. This wasn't Mac OS X vs Windows, it was Mac hardware vs PC hardware. PC hardware aint 'cheap', in fact it is the exactly same hardware that is inside macs. Yet, using a PC doesn't mean your using windows. There are several other operating systems such as Unix based ones.
Posted by darksyyde (1 comment )
Reply Link Flag
The average person that goes shopping, they look for the cheapest price and rely on the salesperson. The salesperson gives them a sales pitch like this. " Well, yes it can do all the things that you are looking for, because of the new macro high speed multifunctional web structured fiber optic, fan cooled inductor." The battery will last 43 hours too. The price is right too, just $299.00

Meanwhile, the Mac user spends $1,952.34 and gets an OS that works, never gets a virus does all his graphic work done. Really likes his machine and keeps all the Microsoft users at bay with his Mac Book.
Posted by Mexa788 (1 comment )
Reply Link Flag
oh come on!!! may custom pc worth more than 5000 USD. and mac users should be thankful that windows are more popular. if windows os is not around, mac will be the target of hackers. STUPID!!!
Posted by steveass (2 comments )
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Finally! Someone else that also understands statistics and is willing to explain to everyone else...
Posted by Zeebeez (3 comments )
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Crap, posted to the wrong thread after a long trail of cnet sign up directions. Sigh.
Posted by Zeebeez (3 comments )
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Thanks @steveass. You comment just made me feel smarter cuz i know that thank to all the other people, we don't need to worry about hackers, how smart is that? we are using U!! And i paid less for my Mac and it never crashes!! how does ur pc crashes??
Posted by FaabiMJimenez (3 comments )
Link Flag
A colleague at work pointed out that an average family that owns a Ferrari has a lot more money, owns a bigger house, plays more golf, has many more computers than a family that owns a Kia.
Posted by willyoutech (1 comment )
Reply Link Flag
So true. Mac's are for people who don't understand computers and how Internet Technology works. On a PC, when something goes wrong, and it rarely does, I can fix it. On a Mac it's just LaLa Land until it breaks. Then what? Doiky doiky doik. Might as well buy a new Mac.
Posted by deberiksson (1 comment )
Reply Link Flag
No really Bro!! People can tell U've Never had a Mac!!
Posted by FaabiMJimenez (3 comments )
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