Are dumb birds of the same feather flocking together in Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer -- a study says that users of other Web browsers smarter than the people who use Microsoft's Internet Explorer.

The survey by AptiQuant, a Vancouver-based Web consulting company, gave 100,000 participants above 16 years of age an IQ test, while monitoring which browser they used to take the test.

The result? Internet Explorer users had the lowest IQ as compared to users of other browsers, according to AptiQuant's Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and Browser Usage report.

"A significant number of individuals with a low score on the cognitive test were found to be using Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) versions 6.0 to 9.0. There was no significant difference in the IQ scores between individuals using Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Apple's Safari; however, it was on an averagehigher than IE users," according to the report.

Individuals using Opera, Camino and IE with Chrome Frame (a plug-in designed to let users view emerging HTML5 content) scored a little higher on an average than others, according to AptiQuaint.

The results were compared to another unreleased study of a similar nature undertaken in year 2006. The comparison clearly suggests that more people on the higher side of IQ scale have moved away from Internet Explorer inthe last 5 years.

Internet Explorer (IE 6 to 9) is the world's most popular browser, with about a 43% share in May, CNN said, citing figures provided by StatCounter. Firefox has just under 30%, and Google's Chrome has 19%. Global IE6 usage currently stands at 10.7 percent -- down 7.5 percentage points from the same time last year, according to Sci-Tech Today. In the United States, however, IE6 usage currently amounts to just two percent.

Scientific Method?

CNN notes that the method used by AptiQuant to compare individuals' IQ score and their choice of web browser is "not very scientific." It cites, among many things, the field of test-takers was self-selecting instead of a scientifically selected study group.

Sci-Tech Today points out that AptiQuant's survey didn't account for the fact that many business professionals have no choice when it comes to the browsers they use for business purposes, since IT administrators often make these decisions. "The people who took the test could either be using their home computers or office computers," AptiQuant President Leonard Howard in an e-mail to Sci-Tech.

In describing the testing process, AptiQuant explained that most of the subjects came to the website either by organic searches from search engines, or advertisements put on various search engines for keywords targeting users who were looking for a free online IQ test. The test was offered only to visitors of a few English-speaking countries namely the United States, Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand. The subjects were notified that some personal information would be collected and stored for a research study, but they were not aware about the nature of the study. Visitors under the age of 16 were redirected to another website, and their results are not included in the study.

AptiQuant is a Vancouver, Canada-based company that provides tools to corporates to help them measure the mental ability of existing or potential employees.

Why Internet Explorer

Users of Internet Explorer 6, released in 2001, scored the lowest on the tests, at just over 80. Users of IE 7 to 9 also got lower scores than other Web browsers.

"From the test results, it is a clear indication that individuals on the lower side of the IQ scale tend to resist a change/upgrade of their browsers, " ActiQuant concluded.

ActiQuant notes that it is common knowledge, that Internet Explorer Versions to 6.0 to 8.0 are highly incompatible with modern web standards. In order to make websites work properly on these browsers, web developers have to spend a lot ofunnecessary effort. This results in an extra financial strain on web projects, and has over the last decade cost millions of man-hours to IT companies.

Lawsuits, Backlash

AptiQuant said that since the release of its report, the firm has been receiving hate mail and is being threatened with a lawsuit by a group of Internet Explorer users.

Leonard Howard, the CEO of the company, said, "I just want to make it clear that the report released by my company did not suggest that if you use IE that means you have a low IQ, but what it really says is that if you have a low IQ then there are high chances that you use Internet Explorer."

Howard said the company has all the scientific data and logs to back their claims and survey results. "A win in a court would only give a stamp of approval and more credibility to our report," he quipped.

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