Mac Users More Generous Than Windows Users: Report

A new report suggests Santa might be more kind to Mac than Windows users this holiday season. The reason is simple: During the past year, they were considerably more generous about making donations to charity.

Donation management company Qgiv recently examined the giving patterns of approximately 165,000 people, analyzing a total of 320,000 donations made by these people between November 2011 and November 2012.

Mac Users Were 25% More Generous

The results: The average Mac user gave non-profit charities $182, while the average Windows user donated only $137. If these statistics are to be believed, Mac users are roughly 25 per cent more generous than their Windows-using counterparts. (Source: forbes.com)

However, there are a few issues with Qgiv's study. First, it focused on how much someone gave per donation, not the total amount they donated over time.

Second, the study doesn't control for a person's annual income. So it's possible many Windows users are donating fewer dollars than Mac users but larger percentages of their smaller net worth.

Observers suggest it's unfair to conclude Mac users are more generous without knowing how deep both groups are digging when they make their donations.

Gmail, Safari Users Most Generous

Qgiv's study also provided some interesting results unrelated to the Windows vs. Mac rivalry.

For example, the average Gmail user donated $143, while AOL, Hotmail, and Yahoo users donated $138, $128, and $120, respectively.

Contributions segmented by choice of web browser showed that Apple Safari users were the most generous, with average donations at $168. (Source: theregister.co.uk)

In rank order, Google Chrome users donated $153, Mozilla Firefox users $140, and Microsoft Internet Explorer users $138.

While it's unlikely these numbers will cause one group to unleash pent-up rage against another, most experts believe the study's results will add more fuel to the ongoing Mac vs. Windows debate. (Source: macworld.co.uk)