If you're a self-directed, science-minded nonconformist who enjoys playing video games on your Linux PC, you probably don't much like the iPad. If, on the other hand, you're a status-minded, highly educated business professional who enjoys tracking the growth of your stock portfolio between work projects, you may very well be a fan of the device. Such are the findings of a recent study by MyType, a maker of psychological quizzes.
Based on the results of a survey of 20,000 users, the folks at MyType found some common personality traits among people who own or covet the Apple iPad and those who turn their noses up at the device. The former were lumped into an unflatteringly titled category of Selfish Elites; MyType deemed the latter as Independent Geeks.
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In general, iPad owners tend to care more about commerce, cash, power, and achievement than their peers, according to MyType's Tim Koelkebeck: "They're high-performance professionals and screen-bound workaholics," which could contribute to their desire for device with such a high level of portability. "People interested in business and finance are much more likely to be iPad owners than those interested in movies, music, books and literature, the arts, the Internet, video games, shopping, food and drink, nightlife or family."
Moreover, iPad users tend to be highly educated, wealthy (helpful for affording a $500 iPad), and sophisticated. Hence the "Elite" portion of the "Selfish Elite" moniker.
The "Selfish" portion stems from the fact that they scored lower on the survey on measures of kindness and altruism. Koelkebeck attributes the tendency to the possibility that they are so highly focused on work that they are less "attuned to the needs of their families and other private, offline pursuits."
