:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63699262/mobile-differences-graphic.0.1467741689.0.jpg)
It’s fun to study the differences between iPhone and Android users.
BlueStacks, for example, once created a portrait of what the typical Android user looks like.
But in an era where companies are spending big money on mobile advertising, understanding the demographics can make a big difference to the bottom line.
With that in mind, Battery Ventures decided to do its own research.
“You would think iPhone users are all pinot-drinking yoga enthusiasts,” said Jonathan Sills, the Battery Ventures entrepreneur-in-residence who conducted the firm’s study. Well, that’s at least partially true.
It turns out more iPhone users do in fact prefer wine to beer. They are also more likely to own stock and to have flown on a plane in the past year. Meanwhile, Android users are more likely to rely on public transportation, describe themselves as religious, have eaten McDonalds in the past month or to smoke tobacco.
The study found Android and iPhone users equally likely to be homeowners or to own a gun.
Also noteworthy is that even where there are differences, Sills said many of the differences go away when the user base is adjusted for income.
Still, understanding the user base demographics as a whole can help, say, an airline or car company trying to decide where to spend its mobile ad budget.
If you are not thinking about that, Sills said, “you are missing out.”
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
