“Conservatives are so PC. Not PC as in ‘politically correct,’ though they certainly have more than their share of those who patrol the language for any nuance that gives off hints of liberalism. PC as in PC,” Devilstower writes for Daily Kos.
“No one has any doubt that PCs running some flavor of Microsoft Windows dominate the computer landscape as much as dinosaurs did the Jurassic plains. Little Unix systems pop up here and there, as do many less well known systems, holding down small niches in the computer ecosystem,” Devilstower writes.
Devilstower writes, “And then there is Apple.”
“The scampering mammals of the IT landscape, Macs have sometimes come close to extinction and even now hold down just less than 5% of computer sales. Hardware wise, that 5% is not so bad, considering that the PC world is divided up amongst Dell, HP, Gateway, Sony, whoever owns IBM’s name this week, and a thousand others. Apple is solidly among the top brands,” Devilstower writes.
Devilstower writes, “But on the software side, the share of the market held by Apple’s OS X operating system looks tiny beside Microsoft’s behemoth. It’s even smaller on conservative web sites. When it comes to visitors to Instapundit, OS X visitors make up only 2-3%, suggesting that conservatives are less likely to go for the Apple brand than the general public. On the other hand, Daily Kos statistics show that between 15% and 25% of visitors to this site are using Macs — an astounding 5x times the general population of these computers. If you were at YearlyKos last time around, you could spot more Macs at breakfast than you’d find in an Apple store.”
Devilstower asks, “So here’s a question: why? Why do liberals like Macs, while conservatives shun them?”
In the full article, Devilstower explores four theories:
• The Fiscal Conservative Theory
• Conformists vs Individuals Theory
• The Hip vs Tragically Unhip Theory
• The Artists vs. Sausage Makers Theory
Full article, with, oh, about 700 reader comments, here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Gandalf” for the heads up.]
MacDailyNews Take: Devilstower might be surprised at just how many “conservative” Mac users actually exist. Especially “fiscally conservative” Mac users. It really depends to the definitions you’re using for “liberal” and “conservative.” But, certainly in the opinion of most, Mac users are generally considered to be at least a tad more left of center than Windows PC sufferers. Forget about Apple’s usual quarterly guidance, the last time we looked, Al Gore was sitting in Apple’s boardroom, but we couldn’t find hide nor hair of Newt Gingrich. What do you think? How do you label yourself, if you do?
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What’s on Hilary Clinton’s Apple iPod? – May 22, 2006
Rush Limbaugh and Apple Computer to intro new podcast service via iTunes – March 08, 2006
President Bush shows off his Apple iPod (link to video) – December 16, 2005
Rush Limbaugh announces video podcasts for Apple iPod starting December 12th – November 30, 2005
President Bush’s weekly radio address podcasts available via Apple’s iTunes Music Store – August 11, 2005
Rush Limbaugh: ‘I am the hottest thing in podcasting’ – June 09, 2005
Rush Limbaugh and Apple Computer working to bring podcasts of radio show to iTunes Music Store – May 17, 2005
Rush Limbaugh says ‘Mac OS X Tiger Rocks,’ posts link to free Rush advertisement for Mac – April 30, 2005
President Bush’s use of iPod a lucky or bad break for Apple Computer? – April 18, 2005
President Bush’s Apple iPod features eclectic list of downloaded tunes – April 11, 2005
Die Welt: U.S President George Bush is ‘the Steve Jobs of World Politics’ – February 25, 2005
What’s on U.S. President Bush’s Apple iPod? – February 23, 2005
The Hill: Put Rush Limbaugh on Apple’s board of directors; he could sell tons of Macs – January 26, 2005
U.S. President George Bush a confirmed Apple iPod user (images included) – December 22, 2004
Rush Limbaugh calls for Apple iCal to Sidekick solution – November 12, 2004
Apple CEO Steve Jobs: ‘I’m going to just stay away from all that political stuff’ – August 25, 2004
President Bush, candidate Kerry both use Apple PowerBooks – July 14, 2004
Baltimore Sun: Vice President Dick Cheney a confirmed Apple iPod user – April 01, 2004
Rush Limbaugh: Why does Apple put politics first? – June 27, 2003
Rush Limbaugh comments on Gored Apple – March 21, 2003
The Mac is Bush to Windows’ Clinton (opinion) – October 25, 2002
Conservative Mac users miffed at Apple’s Jimmy Carter page – October 14, 2002
C’mon, this comes from the daily KOS. Have you ever read anything from that site? Talk about nutjobs….
I’m very conservative and I LOVE Mac. I think it may just “seem” like more Mac users are liberal than conservative because people who lean to the left tend to be more outspoken, artistic, etc. and therefore are more visible than conservatives who tend to be more quiet and reserved.
Well if you’ve been around this site for a while, you’d know that I am a die-hard fire-breathing conservative. (That means “freedom” guys — freedom from economic tyranny, freedom from regulatory tyranny, freedom from governmental tyranny, freedom of self-defense, freedom of association, and so on). That I use Macs has jack to do with politics, and it has 100% to do with efficiency. I got so tired of fixing, patching, fixing, praying, sweating, swearing, bleeding, and crying in attempts to keep my flotilla of PCs running. I switched back in the OS 9 days and it’s been good ever since.
DailyKos is the fever swamp of the American left. Marcos famously said “screw you” to U.S. troops and wished for their deaths. Then, he tried to cover up his actions. I’d like to believe that real liberals have more class than that.
I am a warmonger and I love Apple!
It has always seemed to me that conservatives use macs because they like to use superior systems and that liberals use them just to be different. I am a conservative. I think these articles are just dumb.
It has always seemed to me that conservatives use macs because they like being superior and that liberals use them simply for the sake of being different. I am a conservative, and this article is BS as I have at least 10 conservative friends, all with macs.
I heard Steve Ballmer’s school bus passed a gay man on the street during an elementary school field trip in the early 1970s. It gets worse. The fuel in the school bus came from a Mideast nation with a MUSLIM POPULATION!!! A GAY MAN! MUSLIMS!
Where did I get this information? The freedom-loving Fox News who reported Apple Inc. in Cupertino, California leaked the information to discredit Microsoft on the eve of the Vista launch. Bastards. This is a new low from the godless immoral liberal hippies at Apple. Ballmer is innocent and had nothing to do with either situation.
My thoughts and Christian prayers (are there any other kind?) are with Steve Ballmer and his family at this difficult time. Shame on you, Apple, and thank you Fox News for your diligent, fact-filled, non-sensationalistic journalism.
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
MDN, did you realize you would touch off the firestorm of idiocy that these comments reflect? Who gives a shit what your political leanings are? If you are a Mac user, you’re a welcome member of the Apple fan club. Please leave your politics aside.
I think the reason conservative sites are visited by more PC’s is because more businesses use PC’s and conservatives are the ones with jobs.
Liberals can use anything they want at the coffee bar or while smoking dope and planning the overthrow of the U.S. Government just sitting on the couch at home.
Just kidding…
~M
Umm… Should this article go under the Who Give a Shit article?
Do Democrats drive different brand of car than Republicans?
Although I think W is a dipshit I really don’t consider myself either one.
I’m voting for Howard Stern in 08
Conservatives FTW!!
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Flaming liberal (yes, flaming) and I love my mac!
very far from liberal here, dont know where they are getting these ideas from.
Conservative here, for the most part.
But it’s really not a black & white thing. There are issues on both sides that seem just.
Example: I would never own an SUV. I’d have an electric car, if there was a decent one (I buy American). I’m for saving fuel, but believe we should be drilling the hell out of Alaska (and any of our land that keeps us self-sufficient.)
I recycle, and believe in helping the poor (but not through government bureaucracies).
I usually vote Republican. The Democrat leadership have allowed themselves to be too associated with far left wacos.
Oh… Apple user since 1981.
Someone else said it:
Smart people use Macs. It really is like being enlightened to the world of computers that work and are fun.
Just ask any of my converts. Some liberal, some conservative, some could care less. All are thrilled with their Macs.
I am very conservative and I’ve purchased and used Apple computers since 1981. It appears that the Mac transcends politics and idiology.
I am a professional, educated, intelligent, conservative (fiscally, socially, morally), Christian Mac user. The only one of those things that has anything to do with my using a Mac is my intelligence.
What’s really interesting is I went to one of the most conservative Christian colleges in the country, and guess what? All of the computer labs and classes were on Macs except one or two used for teaching programming in very old languages. The bookstore even sold the blueberry iMac.
I didn’t switch to Mac until many years later, but that was my own stupid fault.
So no I don’t think conservatives shun Macs.
Ditto to macca’s comment – well said – I’m in your camp.
The Mac on your desk doesn’t care whether you’re conservative, liberal, fence-sitter, a tree-hugger, a suit-wearer, or anything, really, for that matter.
I’m a conservative and I love Macs! This is a totaly baseless argument and is only because SJ is a liberal and Al Gore is on Apple’s Board of Directors among other reasons is this “Devilstower” making this point.
BTW, Rush Limbaugh is one of the biggest Mac users out there and he’s about as Conservative as they come!
Conservative Mac using Art Director. Eat me.
Let me say for the record that I am utterly shocked by the orderly weighing in of the camps in response to the original question. After I read the MDN abstract I thought somebody was cold and needed some flaming to get warm, but no, its actually pretty civilized – so far.
In a purely politically conservative crowd I appear to be a liberal with right leanings (so I’ve been told), and working in a Christian org. I spend a lot of time around very conservative types. However I’ve noticed the opposite to be true when hanging with a miltantly liberal gathering (miltantly liberal, is that an oxymoron?). I guess maybe I’m looking for real solutions, and I often see the answers coming from complex equations that include such political and social elements as “conservative” and “liberal”, among others.
I see politics as a tool for getting something done, and that’s kind of how I see my Mac too.
I am a artist and a conservative, they can go together!
Just because you hold conservative views doesn’t mean you can’t look outside the box and express what you see visually.
Who the hell CARES???? This is like saying “liberals” like Splenda and “conservatives” like Sweet-N-Low!!! Both sweeten your coffee, it just comes down to personal preference. Some people, “liberal” and “conservative”, like Macs, others like PCs. Some poeple have a choice with the platform they use, others don’t. I use a Mac at home, and I have to use a PC at work. Does that make me a middle-of-the-road type? NO! Stupid, STUPID article that has no real meaning.
I think the lines are better drawn as follows:
1) Mac users…intelligent, good looking people
2) PC users….stupid ugly people
nuff said.
@Jen Voted for Reagan twice, Bush the elder twice, then for Dole, then for “W” Bush twice and would do so again if I could. I have used Macs since 1984. Do I win a prize?
Ypu…here is your Dell.