STUDY: Psychological profile of iPad owners summed up as 'selfish elites'

ajk23az

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http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010...tes-critics-are-independent-geeks-says-study/

iPad Owners Are ‘Selfish Elites.’ Critics Are ‘Independent Geeks.’

Bill Klein models a photo of Steve Jobs on his new iPad at the Apple's Fifth Avenue store on launch day, April 3. Klein, visiting from Boise, ID, and says this is only the second time he's waited in line to purchase a new release--the first being book seven in the Harry Potter series. Klein "didn't expect it to be as awesome as it is." Bryan Derballa/Wired.com

It’s not exactly official, but should also surprise no one: According to a new study the psychological profile of iPad owners can be summed up as “selfish elites” while have-not critics are “independent geeks.”

Of course the “haves” would probably call the “have nots” “cheap wannabes” to which the “have nots” would retort: “FANBOI!!”

Which is why we should stick to the science.

Consumer research firm MyType conducted the study, in which opinions of 20,000 people were analyzed between March and May. The firm’s conclusion was that iPad owners tend to be wealthy, sophisticated, highly educated and disproportionately interested in business and finance, while they scored terribly in the areas of altruism and kindness. In other words, “selfish elites.”

Chart courtesy of MyType
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They are six times more likely to be “wealthy, well-educated, power-hungry, over-achieving, sophisticated, unkind and non-altruistic 30-50 year olds,” MyType’s Tim Koelkebeck told Wired.com.

96 percent those most likely to criticize the iPad, on the other hand, don’t even own one, although as geeks, they were slightly more likely to do so than the average population — and far more likely to have an opinion about the device one way or the other (updated). This group tends to be “self-directed young people who look down on conformity and are interested in videogames, computers, electronics, science and the internet,” said Koelkebeck.

One might expect people with an interest in videogames, computers, electronics, science and the internet to be interested in a device that lets you play videogames, functions like a computer, is made of electronics, relies on science and connects to the internet, which suggests there would be a high convert rate if the “have nots” just went to an Apple Store for the afternoon.

Why does the iPad apparently appeal to self-centered workaholics who value “power and achievement” and tend not to be kind or to help others (iPad owners in the Wired.com ranks notwithstanding)? MyType speculates that one factor could be the device’s high price tag, and because screen-bound workaholics are likely to want another screen with which to stay engaged. The urge to include another screen in one’s life correlates strongly to seeing value in connecting to information in a new way, which is basically a nice way of saying what a lot of people were saying when the iPad was released: What do you need one for, really?

As to the critics-who-are-a-test-drive-away-from-being-fans, the study found that “bashing the iPad is, in a way, an identity statement for independent geeks,” wrote Koelkebeck.

“As a mainstream, closed-platform device whose major claim to fame is ease of use and sex appeal, the iPad is everything that they are not.”

Ouch. For the record: Koelkebeck said it, not we.
 

theogt

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I just bought one earlier this week.

I'm not wealthy or well-educated, but unkind and non-altruistic fits. So they weren't far off from the mark.
 

YosemiteSam

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theogt;3473352 said:
I just bought one earlier this week.

I'm not wealthy or well-educated, but unkind and non-altruistic fits. So they weren't far off from the mark.

:laugh2: Is that like "Unfriendly and Aloof"?
 

casmith07

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I'm sure that being wealthy, well-educated, and an over-achiever are horrible things. :rolleyes: is there no corner of "journalism" left unsullied? Everything is tabloid-style "shock journalism" these days from "mainstream" to tech to sports.

And no I don't even own an iPad.
 

YosemiteSam

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casmith07;3474282 said:
I'm sure that being wealthy, well-educated, and an over-achiever are horrible things. :rolleyes: is there no corner of "journalism" left unsullied? Everything is tabloid-style "shock journalism" these days from "mainstream" to tech to sports.

And no I don't even own an iPad.

I don't think it's shock journalism as much as stating the obvious. All they did was profile the average person that buys an iPad. The iPad is a $500-$600 luxury item. To spend that kind of money on a non-essential item that has limited functionality when compared to a computer is very much a luxury. For the most part, people that don't have excess income don't purchase iPads or any other luxury items.

The iPhone is a different story. You get it subsidized and it is also a phone which has become an essential item.
 
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