Mac vs PC People: Personality Traits & Aesthetic/Media Choices

November 24, 2009

Kelly Ford

Content lead, Hunch Inc.

Abstract

· This report examines the differences in selected preferences and opinions of self-described “Mac People” vs. “PC People”, with a particular focus on their respective aesthetic preferences, media choices, and personality traits.

· The report draws on aggregated data collected between April 2009 and November 2009 from Hunch, a website which aids in decision making.

Key Findings

· Mac People are more likely to see the existing world in a light of “sameness” and thus express a desire to be perceived as different and unique. This is consistently reflected in their aesthetic choices such as bold colors, “retro” designs, one-of-a-kind clothing and highly stylized art.

· PC People are more likely to see the world as “different enough already” and appreciate “being in tune with those around them.” This is reflected in their more subtle, “mainstream modern” (neither retro nor extremely contemporary) design choices and their practical choices in clothing, footwear, and cars that favor getting the job done rather than making an overt design statement.

· Media choices and preferences vary greatly between the two groups, with Mac People trending toward more independent films, specialized comedians and design-centric magazines, and PC People trending toward more mainstream alternatives as well as sports.

· From a personality perspective, Mac People are more likely to describe themselves as “verbal”, “conceptual”, and “risk takers”, with PC People countering that they are “numbers oriented”, “factual” and “steady, hard workers”.

Introduction

Hunch is a website which uses multiple-choice questions to help people make decisions, whether it's what kind of camera to buy, where to go on vacation, or more than 5,000 other topics.

To arrive at a customized suggestion for each user, Hunch asks both "topic-specific" questions (Are you an experienced photographer?, Will you be traveling with kids?) and also more general/personality-based questions (Do you like snow cones?,  Are you superstitious?, What types of books do you like to read?) which are called Teach Hunch About You (THAY) questions.  There are more than 1,500 THAY questions in Hunch's question pool, and more than 26 million of them have been answered since Hunch's launch. THAYs help Hunch get to know each user so that decision outcomes are customized to each individual.

As a by-product of all the questions being answered on Hunch to make decisions, the response data is available for analysis in an aggregated and anonymous form. Hunch frequently blogs about interesting correlations using this data.

Methodology and baseline

The data in this report relies on both "THAY to THAY" correlations (which might entail exploring how someone’s “Mac” vs “PC” identification corresponds with their age, for example), and also "THAY to RESULT" correlations (which might entail examining how “Mac” vs “PC” preference corresponds with their opinions of many different television shows, for example). 

More than 76,000 Hunch users have answered the following THAY question... ...which yielded the response below.

Note that the question above was consciously worded to avoid asking users what type of computer they actually own. The question thus allows users to self identify with their perceptions of what a “Mac Person” or a “PC Person” is, regardless of whether they own that type of computer or not. This is likely the primary factor explaining the high percentage of self-reported Mac People, which at 31% is far higher than the estimated Mac market share of approximately 8-10% in the US (less globally). The other factor is that this audience of Hunch users (which by definition is using a new technology) almost certainly has an actual Mac penetration higher than an average population would.

All secondary questions were examined within the context of this initial, baseline question, with the focus on difference between users describing themselves as either “Mac” or “PC”. Supporting graphs also indicate responses given by those users who chose the “neither” answer, although this group is not separately discussed in the data tables.

How Hunch works:

Understanding the supporting graphs in this report

Each observation in the primary data table provides a link to a supporting graph in one of two formats. The following explains how to interpret each respective graph’s information.

A “THAY to THAY” cross-tabulation graph:

A “THAY to Result” cross-tabulation graph:

When Hunch users ‘play’ a specific topic to arrive at a decision, they can also rate the result which is proposed to them. This aggregate feedback can then be compared to other results or THAY questions on Hunch to explore correlations.

Findings:

Category	Question	PC People trend towards/are strongly correlated with...	Mac People trend towards/are strongly correlated with...
Aesthetics	Preferred style of art	23% more likely to choose impressionism (50% more likely to choose dogs playing poker)	88% more likely to choose modern art
	Do you like Andy Warhol’s art?	60% more likely to say “No”	53% more likely to say “Yes”
	How do you feel about fluorescent lighting?	#1 answer: indifferent	#1 answer: don’t like it
	Which would you rather ride?	46% more likely to choose Harley	44% more likely to choose Vespa
	Which style of numbers would you prefer on your mailbox?	#1 answer:	#1 answer:
	Which do you most find to be a work of art?	24% more likely to choose a person or nature	18% more likely to choose an object or architecture
	Which color would you prefer the walls of your kitchen to be?	27% more likely to choose beige	27% more likely to choose orange
	What’s your opinion of this chair?	26% more likely to say “A dated relic”	18% more likely to say “A timeless classic”
	Which of these cars would you prefer to own?	18% more likely to say “brand new sports car”	24% more likely to say “fully restored vintage sports car”
	Where do you typically shop for clothes?	About twice as likely to say “mass merchant/discounter”	Twice as likely to say “one-of-a-kind small shop”
	Which of these 3 types of footwear would you be most comfortable wearing?	30% more likely to choose tennis shoes	56% more likely to choose boots, 16% more likely to choose sandals
Media	Newspaper preference?	More than twice as likely to choose USA Today	53% more likely to choose New York Times
	Which type of TV show would you generally prefer?	29% more likely to say “Sports”	25% more likely to say “How-to Show”
	Which type of comedy movie would you most enjoy?	75% more likely to say “Something About Mary”	47% more likely to say “Little Miss Sunshine”
	What did you think of the movie Napoleon Dynamite?	48% more likely to have never seen it	37% more likely to have loved it
	Which of these comedians do you most enjoy?	While both groups like Seinfeld, skews toward Jay Leno & Eddie Murphy	While both groups like Seinfeld, skews toward Bill Maher & Margaret Cho
	Do you think John Travolta is a good actor?	63% yes	50% yes
	TV Shows liked (1)	Two and a Half Men, Law & Order: SVU, Numb3rs	Flight of the Conchords, The Wire, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Saturday Night Live
	Which of these TV shows do you find funniest?	They enjoy The Office but are twice as likely to choose Everybody Loves Raymond & 42% more likely to choose Friends	54% more likely to choose The Office
	Magazines liked (1)	Sports Illustrated, Reader’s Digest, Car and Driver	Good, Harper’s, Dwell, Wallpaper
Personality& interests	Which describes you better?	31% more likely to say “I like to be in tune with those around me”	12% more likely to say “I like to be perceived as unique”
	If you were a car, which is closest to what you’d be?	67% more likely to choose truck or Dodge Charger	65% more likely to choose Mini Cooper
	Do you prefer jobs and tasks which are:	41% more likely to say “Well-defined and structured so I know what’s expected of me”	21% more likely to say “Fluid and flexible so I can take on new challenges”
	When it comes to authority, do you tend to:	43% more likely to say “Accept what is asked, even if it’s not how I’d do things”	16% more likely to say “Push back when I know things could be done a better way”
	Do you find this poster inspirational or cheesy?	More than twice as likely to say “Inspirational” (but still, 68% find it cheesy)	24% more likely to say “Cheesy”
		21% more likely to enjoy casino gambling	32% more likely to say they can draw well
	Which sounds most intellectually interesting?	#1 answer: debating politics	#1 answer: theorizing about ways to help nations end poverty
		14% more likely to have ever changed a spark plug	15% more likely to be able to read music
	Are any two random people more alike or different?	32% more likely to say “Different”	16% more likely to say “Alike”
	Which character are you most like?	37% more likely to choose Dilbert	21% more likely to choose Calvin
	Which better reflects your personal philosophy?	24% more likely to say “Success comes with steady, hard work and taking advantage of existing opportunities”	33% more likely to say “Success comes with innovative approaches and taking risks”
	What’s your opinion of this t-shirt?:	35% more likely to say “Funny”	29% more likely to say “Stupid”
	Do you generally prefer to work with numbers?	27% more likely to say “Yes”	20% more likely to say “No”
	Are you generally more conceptual or factual?	47% more likely to say “Factual”	38% more likely to say “Conceptual”
	Do you rely more on intuition or common sense?	22% more likely to say “Common Sense”	29% more likely to say “Intuition”
	Do you like your reflection in the mirror?	9% more likely to say “I’m ok with it” or “No, I hate it”	24% more likely to say “I quite like it” or “I’m very happy with it”
	How often do you throw parties?	14% more likely to say “Not very frequently”	27% more likely to say “Occasionally or frequently”
		53% more likely to prefer attending live sports events	More than twice as likely to want to read a funny book by David Sedaris
	Are you stronger at mathematical concepts/numbers or verbal concepts/langauge?	50% more likely to say “Math”	14% more likely to say “Verbal”

1. Items designated with this footnote are based on a lower sample size.  They involve comparing the THAY question about “Mac vs PC” with the individual 'like or dislike' responses which users can provide for Hunch decision results within one of Hunch's 5,000+ decision topics. 

Category	Question	PC users trend towards/are strongly correlated with...	Mac users trend towards/are strongly correlated with...
Demo- graphics	Where is your home located?	#1 answer: “In the suburbs” (26% more likely than Mac users)	#1 answer: “Major City” (39% more likely than PC users)
	Highest level of education completed	50% more likely to say “high school or equivalent”	17% more likely to say “4 year college or more”

Additional demographic breakdowns follow. Note that for the core demographics outlined below, the two user groups are similar but not identical. Differences include: self-described “Mac People” are somewhat younger, slightly more likely to say they are more financially comfortable, and more likely to be living in North America. The data in this report has not been normalized to control for these differences. Therefore, while the differences are not extreme, they almost certainly play a contributing causal role in some of the correlations explored in this report.

Summary and conclusions

The data in this report supports the conclusion that someone’s self-identification as either a “Mac Person” or “PC Person” has significant, broad, and distinctive meanings that go well beyond a preference for a particular type of computer.

“Mac People” strive to actively differentiate themselves in a world they see as trending towards “sameness”. To do so, they associate themselves with people, objects, design elements, and media that help them express an individual identity. They appreciate either very modern or “retro cool” design. They are more likely than self-described “PC People” to favor independent movies, comedians which make a strong social statement, and design-heavy magazines.

“PC People” think of themselves as team players who like to be in tune with the world around them. They favor the practical over the theoretical and trend towards media and entertainers which provide solid entertainment rather than necessarily a deep commentary on society. PC People are more likely than Mac People to enjoy sports (both live and on TV), classically modern (neither retro nor super contemporary) design, and practical choices in cars and clothing.

It is beyond the scope of this report to substantively explore the marketing implications of these findings for Apple or Windows-based computer manufacturers, but a few brief observations will be noted:

• The unique design elements of the Mac play directly into the needs of Mac users as a way to express their individuality and celebrate interesting design.

• There is a real risk at some point that if Apple continues to be successful growing the Mac’s share of PCs, Mac People may lose some of the feeling of uniqueness which the Mac provides for them. If these people begin to perceive the Mac as banal and mainstream, it could open the door for an innovative alternative to gain appeal.

• “PC People” focus on the practical. It would likely be a mistake for PC manufacturers to consider tradeoffs in computer performance simply for the sake of a flashier design, because it’s simply not clear that PC People really care that much.

• To the extent that a given PC model were to have performance advantages over a Mac, this would likely resonate well with many self-described PC People. By emphasizing “function over form” or “substance over flash”, this marketing messaging would appeal to PC Peoples’ appreciation for down-to-earth functionality and practicality.

As a final note, Hunch users likely have a higher percentage of Mac ownership than general populations. Still, the very high percentage (31%) of self-described Mac People in this report compared to the Mac’s actual market share suggests that at least some of these may be “aspirational” users who favorably relate to a perceived brand image even if they don’t have a Mac themselves. To test this hypothesis, Hunch will introduce a new question which explores the actual type of computer that users own in order to compare the results to the 31% described above.

Methodology and disclaimers

Hunch was publicly launched in June 2009 and since then millions of people have used the site.  More than 26 million THAY ("Teach Hunch About You") questions have been answered since that time. The motivation for people to answer Hunch questions is simply to receive better and more customized recommendations. For example, for the decision "Which magazine would I like?", Hunch would suggest a different answer to a "suburban working mom" than to a "college student in an urban area."

Hunch's THAY questions are designed to be engaging, innocuous and fun, and they are interspersed throughout the site so that they can be answered at a user's leisure.  Questions are not grouped by any sort of theme; a common sequence of 3 might include: "How old are you?", "Can you juggle?", and "What's your opinion of stem cell research?"  As a result, the Hunch team has found that users enjoy answering the questions and do so honestly and consistently.  There is little reason to answer dishonestly or attempt to "game" the system, since answers are solely designed to help the user get better recommendations. This research data is a by-product of Hunch's core business and mission, which is to provide smart recommendations to users.  (a similar analogy might be the way search engines release data on popular searches.  That data is a by-product of their core mission to help people find what they are looking for online).

Summary findings in this report are noted when there is a statistically significant difference in the answers of the two subsets being compared.  Links are always provided to graph data, which also includes the sample size used for the question and error ranges based on a 95% statistical confidence level. 

Hunch strives to uncover insights which are interesting, provocative, and which will stimulate discussion and debate. Hunch does not endorse or favor particular ideological points of view, and the contents of Hunch reports do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Hunch as an entity or its staff or directors.

It should be noted that Hunch is not a professional research organization and this data was not collected in a perfectly controlled way. For example, Hunch data is based on 1) a group of individuals who are by definition all users of the Hunch website; these users are likely more internet-savvy than the general population, more open to new technologies, and more interested in social media.  The group, while large at millions of users, has not been weighted to reflect actual demographic segmentation, and is not necessarily representative of general populations.  2) Questions on Hunch are voluntarily answered by users who choose to answer them, and any question can be selectively skipped.  Therefore it's possible that those users who skipped a question might have different views than those who chose to answer a question.  This said, generally only about 3-5% of users choose to skip a question when it is presented to them, and the percentage of users who skipped the question is always included in graph data.

This and other Hunch reports are available in HTML and pdf formats at www.hunch.com/info/reports.