Are users of other web browsers smarter than the people who use Microsoft's Internet Explorer? A new survey doesn't quite say so. But it sure suggests it. The survey by AptiQuant, a Vancouver-based web consulting company, gave more than 100,000 participants an IQ test, while monitoring which browser they used to take the test. The result? Internet Explorer users scored lower than average, while Chrome, Firefox and Safari users were slightly above average.
I don't consider the results of the survey very scientific. What AptiQuant wanted to achieve with the survey is questionable. As a matter of fact, the company has been receiving hate mail from IE users since releasing the results of the survey. And is now being threatened with a lawsuit by a group of Internet Explorer users.
Here's a link to the site of AptiQuant where you can also find a link to a pdf file where you can read the full report.
8 comment(s):
I read a plausible explanation at Metafilter. People who surf the web at work are more likely to be using IE than people who surf at home. The distractions at work are more likely to cause people to do worse on an IQ test, and the browser they use is not their choice anyway. Such variables make this kind of survey suspect.
"People who surf the web at work are more likely to be using IE"
True, but that's because many workplaces provide only IE.
You go on to say:
"The distractions at work are more likely to cause people to do worse on an IQ test."
This is where the logic falters. You imply that people who use other browsers to don't browse the internet at their workplace. Additionally, I don't think there are any studies that correlate IQ with web browsing habits.
That's a very good explanation. Thank you.
I currently use FF, and I'm about ready to chuck it for something else because of its constant memory leaks that the fanatical user base fails to acknowledge. Their first response is "you must have a virus," or "you did something wrong," when the problem is consistent, repeatable, and happens to tons of users, with and without extensions. I like FF's features, but it's like dealing with Linux zealots whenever something in the browser is broken or not working properly.
One of the main points of a personal computer is that you should be able to personalize it, whether at work or at home. I don't like lumping people together and calling them stupid, but I think it's fair to say that many people are afraid to make changes to their computer and those are the people stuck with ancient software. It's sad really because they are missing out on all the advances that can be enjoyed. It seems like some people are afraid of their computers and afraid to explore what they can do.
I recently spoke to a woman who was having trouble with a site I designed. Turns out she was using Windows 2000. Microsoft themselves stopped troubleshooting that platform over a year ago. If she doesn't want to upgrade, then I figure she can just have a lousy online experience.
Meaningless "research". They based the results on an online survey through PPC. in other words, they randomly spammed users, probably with false claims of winning an iphone or seeing the "OMG MOST AMAZING VIDEO EVER".
Intelligent people don't respond to spam IQ tests, so anyone answering their survey is already in the idiot category to begin with...
If she's still running Win2000, chances are she'd have to buy an entirely new puter just to get current hard/software. Not everybody can afford to spend hundreds of bucks a year just to be current.
Chances are she probably checked her email once a month and did very little websurfing and had no idea what she was missing.
Very worth mentioning, this survey has turned out to be bogus. The BBC did a write-up of it: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14389430
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