Are iPad Owners Selfish Elites?
By According to an article published by Wired yesterday, a new study about the psychological profile of iPad owners suggests that most of them are wealthy, well-educated, sophisticated, power-hungry, over-achieving and disproportionately interested in business and finance, while at the same time altruism and kindness are not their forte. In other words, iPad owners are selfish elites.
Interestingly enough, on the other side of the spectrum, the majority of iPad critics never actually played with the device. This group tends to be composed of self-directed young people who look down on conformity and are interested in videogames, computers, electronics, science and the internet. In other words, iPad critics are dubbed independent geeks, and owning an iPad would be a sign of conformance, something they seem to despise.
The study, conducted by the folks at the consumer research firm MyType on 20,000 iPad owners and critics, also gives pointers to explain the somewhat surprising results: in their opinion, both the iPad price tag and the fact that the device is more or less “superfluous” seem to appeal to self-centered workaholics who value power and achievement and tend not to be kind or to help others. On the other hand, the main reason why iPad critics are so vehement can be explained by the fact that bashing the iPad is no more than an identity statement for them.
Note that these results should be taken with a grain of salt, as based on what we have seen so far, the reality is a lot more gray than what Wired and MyType reported. Also, if you are an iPad owner and disagree with the fact that you have been dubbed a selfish elitist, you may want to start here.
Chart Credit: MyType
