You know you are an Apple fanatic when...

You are an Apple fanatic is you do or are one of the following (Heaven, forbid is you actually have all of these):

They tattoo Apple's logo on their arm. They help sell Apple products, even though they're not paid to. One couple met at the Macworld Expo conference, got engaged and were married there.

Apple customers are a loyal bunch. Though they're only a small percentage of all computer users, they make up for it with their passion and outspokenness. In Apple's 30 years of business, they have formed a tight-knit, unique community.

"They're probably the largest subculture" among computer groupies, said Leander Kahney, managing editor at Wired News, who has tracked these quirks and more in his books "The Cult of Mac" and "The Cult of iPod." "They definitely have distinct traits and rituals and rites of passage."

It's right there in the numbers: 50 percent of Apple customers plan to buy another Apple computer, a far greater percentage than for any other personal computer, according to MetaFacts.

So, here on the 30th anniversary of the company's founding, how do you know if you're hooked on Apple? Well, you might be an Apple fanatic if:

You believe that Apple is superior and have tried to convert people.

During Apple's darkest days, Apple loyalists became de facto salespeople, going into stores and helping sell Macintosh computers that were gathering dust in the back of the showroom, Kahney said.

Thomas Avallone of Shreveport, La., recalls how he happened to be shopping the day before Christmas when he overheard a couple trying to buy a computer for their child. He introduced himself and spent an hour and a half promoting the iMac, ultimately persuading the couple to purchase it.

"I was a Mac salesman before I went to work for Apple," said Avallone, who used to work at Apple's retail store in Dallas and is now a Mac consultant. "We love talking about it. We love sitting someone down in front (of a Mac). ... They find everything they'll ever need comes with it."

You start your day by reading Apple blogs.

More than 1 million people a month check out AppleInsider, one of dozens of popular online sites where Apple customers virtually congregate. They speculate on Apple's next big thing, dissect Apple's current products and even spoof the whole phenomenon at the Crazy Apple Rumors Site.

Hadley Stern, who started the Apple Matters site 3 1/2 years ago, said: "There's no 'HP Matters,' or 'Windows Matters.' There is something about Apple and the Macintosh experience that strikes a chord with a significant number of people that they will dedicate their free time discussing everything to do with the company."

You consider Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs your god.

This one is pretty self-explanatory.

You sent a "happy 30th birthday" message to Jobs.

Hundreds of fans have filled out birthday wishes at HappyBirthdayApple.com. You can, too.

The site's operators said the messages, which cost $2 each, will be compiled in a book and sent to Apple on April 1, the day the company was founded. The deadline to submit a message is Tuesday.

Avallone also set up the site ThankyouSteve.com, offering T-shirts, a daily Jobs quote and a countdown to April 1.

You refuse to throw away your old Mac computers and/or collect vintage Macs and other Apple paraphernalia.

Stern said he has stored about 30 old Macs in his basement in Boston. He's not the only one. Some have taken their old Macintosh computers, filled them with water and goldfish and turned them into "MacQuariums."

On eBay, buyers have their choice of vintage Macs from 1984, a "rare Apple logo watch" and original "Think Different" posters.

You go to the Apple Store to find a date.

Chances are you'll find a compatible soul at the Apple Store, making it a popular place to score a connection.

"They design the stores so they can be public meeting places," said Gary Allen of Berkeley, who has chronicled this and other details about Apple retail stores at ifoAppleStore.com. Allen has camped out for store openings in Palo Alto, Walnut Creek and Tokyo, among others. "They want them to mingle and socialize, and that brings together like-minded people."

Located around the corner from four modeling agencies, the Apple Store in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood is apparently a "singles hotspot," according to the New York Post.

Apple customers have also posted ads online on Craigslist's "missed connections" space, in the hope of getting in touch with the attractive customer or employee they spotted in the store. A recent one in the Bay Area said: "You were at the Apple store (Palo Alto). I walked by twice and you looked up with those amazing almond brown eyes and smiled."

On Craigslist in Chicago, a man reported a happy ending: "He was in the Apple Store to buy a PowerBook and a new iPod. ... He's great. I'm swooning, but realistically. We have a date tomorrow."

You get annoyed with how the media portrays Mac fanatics.

"One thing I don't like is newspapers and TV newscasters reporting how 'fanatic' Mac fans are, without even trying to explore the reasons for their preference," said Keith Ray in an e-mail. "Please don't you continue that lazy tradition. We're not crazy. Some Mac fans are rocket scientists at NASA and JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory); others are very non-technical like my mom."
Apple users are more likely than PC users to

-- Have a higher household income.

-- Have received a graduate degree.

-- Be self-employed.

-- Live in California, Massachusetts or New York.

-- Live in big cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York.


From the San Francisco Chronicle. Read more here.