By querying users on their tastes in technology and otherwise, Hunch has come up with some nifty data on the relative self-identification patterns of PC and Mac users. Certain likes and dislikes strongly accompany computing preferences, according to the model created by nearly a million Hunch members. Not surprisingly, Mac folk are likely to have more expensive tastes in everything, not just technology. Those of the Jobs flock seem to fit neatly inside the yuppie demographic--but we knew that already.

While the stats make sense on a socioeconomic level--people who buy more expensive computers tend to have more money to burn--they're also indicative of the power of branding. Apple's marketing campaigns have always tried to make their customers feel like individuals. From "Think Different" to "I'm a Mac," there has always been an us versus them mentality hidden in Apple's advertising. You, the Mac user, are special, and you need a computer that communicates that to the rabble. 

Indeed, Hunch determined that self-identified Mac people were 13% more likely to want to be perceived as unique. PC folk, conversely, were 26% more likely to be comfortable fitting in with the norm. I wonder about the mechanics of this trend. Do people who like to think of themselves as unique and different purchase Apple products to reinforce this self-perception? Or do they begin to identify as unique after becoming Mac users? If they have the resources to use Apple tech exclusively, perhaps the sense of personal distinction sets in during the purchasing process. The Geniuses at the Apple store are trained to make you feel special, and the Apple website uses language that reinforces the idea that you are an individual buying unique products. This marketing technique may be so strong that it alters the way people self-identify.

Hunch's data also reinforces the image of the Mac user as a young, party-going hipster. Their surveyed Mac users were far more likely to be into modern art, indie films, and Vespas. They were more likely to live in cities, throw parties, and a whopping 80 percent more likely to be vegetarians. They watch Parks and Recreation instead of Law and Order. They read Cormac McCarthy over Dan Brown. 

All in all, the surveying shows that the preference for an Apple computer is more likely to be social than technical. It would be my guess that people electing to buy Macs aren't doing it because it's honestly the best computer for their needs when it comes to straight specs. Macs are great machines, for sure, but most people don't need that much power to check email and Facebook, to take notes for class. A lot of what people are buying is an emblem of social status. The glowing white Apple places you into a certain category and demonstrates to onlookers that you are a person with certain tastes. In many ways, it's a class marker.

And Mac users seem to be proud of it. They reported higher confidence in their computer skills and considered themselves on the cutting edge of tech trends. Buying a Mac isn't just buying a computer, it would seem: it's buying a certain kind of self-esteem.

The older, more conservative PC demographic also fits in with Microsoft's marketing campaigns. The Windows 7 advertisements featured imagery of "the everyday user" in contrast to Apple's special, individual target consumers. It doesn't come as a surprise that people tend to buy the products that are marketed toward them, but the ease with which the data fits into stereotypes is a little alarming. Sometimes we really are exactly who the companies think we are. To be fair, I'm skewing the data a little right now just by being a young, vegetarian PC user living in the city.

Check out the comparison and see if your tech preference matches up with your statistically likely lifestyle. Mine didn't, but it's a great study presented well either way. Swing by for the shiny infographic, stay for the hilarious partisan squabbling in the comments.

(via Hunch Blog)