Do Mac and Windows Users Read Blogs Differently?

All the talk about Chrome OS (GOOG) got me thinking about operating systems and how different OSes are used by people. Also, a comment on my post yesterday by Scott Shapiro got me to segment my blog reader base by Windows and Mac (AAPL) users in Google Analytics this morning. I looked at all the visits to my blog year to date by Mac users and Windows (MSFT) users and then looked at where each set of users come from. The data is interesting (click to enlarge) and here it is:

The most interesting fact is that 56% of Windows users visit my blog direct or via a Google search whereas only 46% of Mac users get here by those two methods.

That 10% difference is offset by a much higher percentage of visits from Mac users coming from links on Twitter, Google Reader, Hacker News, Techmeme, Facebook, FriendFeed, Disqus, and several other services.

There are a few services that weight heavier with Windows users, like Delicious, Stumbleupon, and Yahoo Search (which is barely used by Mac users).

This community is a leading edge geek community so it's dangerous to make too much of this data. But I think it is safe to say that Mac users are more likely to jump on new services like Twitter and FriendFeed more quickly than Windows users. And it is also true that tech news junkies who hang out at places like Hacker News and Techmeme are more likely to be Mac users than the average news junkie.

The Twitter data is particularly interesting to me. Over 10% of Mac visits to my blog come from Twitter, whereas that number is only 5% for Windows users. That's a big difference and I'm not entirely sure what to make of it. I wonder if Twitter's user base skews Mac way more than the Internet as a whole?

Thoughts?

Comments

[taojones:]

windows user's are used to 4 or 5 weeks on the phone with tech support every time they try something new or even if they haven't done it in a while and windows disabled it "for their own good" I did notice all my windows using friends stand up at attention when they heard of any other OS than windows that they might use only to sit down again with a look of long suffering resignation when i explained centralized Applications to them.

Jul 09 02:20 PM

[Paul Zimbardo:]

Interesting data and I have two observations:

1. From my experiences, Mac users tend to be younger which may explain why they are more willing to experiment with new services. This could easily explain the Twitter data.

2. Despite the growing popularity of Macs, corporations are still dominated by Windows. Given the financial nature of your posts, you are more likely to draw a more corporate crowd that goes directly your site. As with my first point, the average age at corporations is likely to be higher so age could again be a factor.

Jul 09 02:39 PM

[ain't no fo...:]

windows users know how to read?

where do I fit - I have an iMac and a quasi partitioning program that let's me run Windows side by side with it for those financial program providers who were bribed and blackmailed by MSFT into not supporting Mac OS, with a dual monitor set-up.

I'm 59 (so not a kid) - but very immature.

Jul 09 03:22 PM

[Alan Young:]

what amazes me is that 1/3 of your readers are Mac-based. Yet I still am told that Apple has an insignificant market share, which is (ostensibly) why so much financial software is designed only for windows. I'm in Dragon's camp, except I haven't sprung for the windows software.

Jul 09 06:48 PM

[Jon T:]

The idea that Mac users are 'younger' is nonsense.

I and many people I know are middle aged Mac users. We're certainly more likely to experiment than Windows users, in my experience.

Jul 10 07:58 AM

[Mac'em X:]

"Do Mac and Windows Users Read Blogs Differently?"

Yes. Windows users move their lips.

(Ba-dump-ching. Just a joke, all.)

Seriously, the data is interesting, yet not surprising. I have no doubt that Mac users will on average be heavier users of new services. I think the reason's simple: They're highly represented by individual purchasers who chose the Mac on their own, and have the freedom to use it how they like. Whereas while many Windows users will also fit a similarly independent profile, many, many more Window users will be using a machine chosen, owned, and managed by an organization, with accordingly less freedom of use.

That's not a dispersion on the Windows users, just an obvious nod to the platform's overwhelmingly huge presence in corporate deployments and other managed organizational settings.

Jul 10 08:54 AM

[brewer:]

People use a Mac because they have evaluated the options and they really want the best computer experience.

People use Windows because they don't know any better, or think that the people they listen to, IT support, etc... actually know what they are talking about instead of just protecting their jobs. Or they just don't care, they want whatever "everyone" else is using.

Jul 10 02:00 PM

[TinyTim:]

This Mac - Geek thing is kind of a red herring. Most of the geeks I know steer toward Windows not because of the operating system (obviously), but because the hardware can be tinkered with and there's a lot more aftermarket (hardware) goodies.

I am also surprised at the percentage of direct Mac readers.

Jul 10 03:59 PM

[Paul Zimbardo:]

@Jon T

Apple's market share upon high school and college students is much higher than the average population (approaching 50% at some schools). Obviously there are Mac users in any age bracket but they tend to cluster in the under thirty crowd. For a detailed article discussing the age debate, check out "Apple And Microsoft Users Differ On Age And Bias" linked below.

www.informationweek.co...

Jul 10 05:06 PM

[DJP200:]

Must have a very small circle of friends...


On Jul 09 02:20 PM taojones wrote:

> windows user's are used to 4 or 5 weeks on the phone with tech support
> every time they try something new or even if they haven't done it
> in a while and windows disabled it "for their own good" I did notice
> all my windows using friends stand up at attention when they heard
> of any other OS than windows that they might use only to sit down
> again with a look of long suffering resignation when i explained
> centralized Applications to them.

Jul 17 07:08 AM