One in 10 Britons think so. Right, comrades, everybody out!
A survey by Lewis PR to gauge the nation’s level of technology knowledge revealed that our industry's obsession with the Apple boss is a little inward-looking. For the great unwashed, he's not such a cult.
20 per cent said they had no idea who he is, and one in 20 believed he earns a living as a Division Two footballer.
A quarter of respondents could not identify Sir Tim Berners-Lee as founder of the Internet, with nine per cent believing he was head of MI5. Six per cent thought he was an Arctic explorer and five per cent reckoned he was the first British astronaut into space.
Although 72 per cent recognise Facebook, 11 per cent of people couldn't name a single social network.
Other findings from the fun poll included 10 per cent who believed a wireless dongle was a sex toy instead of a broadband adaptor. One in 20 thought SAAS – Software as a Service – stood for Special Aviation and Army Squadron and six per cent believed it was an ’80s pop band.
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And although 88 per cent knew Bill Gates was the founder of Microsoft, three per cent thought he was an American comedian and two per cent thought he was one of the Great Train robbers.
Eb Adeyer,i of Lewis S PR, said: “There is a digital divide in Britain between those who understand the importance of technology and those who are either not interested or frightened by it.
“This demonstrates a need for everyone involved in the industry to speak about technology and the benefits it brings clearly and succinctly, and avoid the jargon and ‘geek speak’ that deters so many from developing an interest.”
