Okay, folks, once again, we just gotta ask: who are these Mac users who are reading PC Magazine? We've asked a few times in the past, usually in similar circumstances, and every time all we hear is the sound of crickets chirping and then a tumbleweed goes rolling by. But clearly someone with a Mac is reading that fine publication, because the mag has just posted the results of its 17th Annual Reader Satisfaction Survey, which ranks the personal computer manufacturers based on the reported experiences of the people who use their products-- and guess who won the Readers' Choice Award by a landslide?

That's right, folks, Apple ran away with the prize in the desktop and notebook categories, and PC Mag is forced to admit that "evangelism alone can't explain the impressive high marks Apple receives again this year. In nearly every aspect, the company scores higher than any other vendor." The detailed ratings are definitely a reason to grin disconcertingly; Apple scores an "overall rating" of 8.8 out of 10 for desktops (compared to the average of 7.8) and 9.0 for laptops (compared to 8.0). Get more specific and things look even better; for "reliability," Apple scored a 9.0 for desktops and 9.2 for laptops, "at least a point higher than the industry averages." Due to a dearth of responses, Apple wasn't rated on technical support, which is probably just as well; while we've had nothing but good experiences with Apple's support, we've definitely heard a few horror stories from viewers, so it's probably best to leave the illusion intact.

But back to the mystery of just who's reading PC Mag while piloting a Mac. Like we said, lots of scores for Apple weren't tabulated due to a sub-threshold sample size; tellingly, the article is full of notes like "we had fewer than 50 respondents who purchased Apple desktops within the last year, so we couldn't rate the company in this area." So there aren't that many Mac users reading PC Mag-- but more tellingly, while the survey's scores are only reported for "vendors achieving at least 50 responses," the results are "based on answers from 8,250 PC Magazine subscribers." That means there are at least fifty Mac fans out there who don't just read PC Mag-- they actually subscribe to it. Spoooooky.

So if you're one of 'em, own up-- we're just curious, because we feel like we might be missing out on something. (If you're a closet John Dvorak fan, you can leave that part out; we're feeling queasy enough just pondering the mere possibility.) Is there a chance that at least a few of these people are subscribing just to get Apple listed in the annual reader survey? More to the point, what would happen if a bunch of crazy-zealous Mac fans were to subscribe next March or so, just to qualify for the survey? Because this seems like a deck that's very stackable, if enough people have the will (and the cash).

Then again, why bother? It's hard to imagine results much better than Apple got already. So thanks, mysterious Mac-using PC Magazine subscribers-- whoever you are.