What is it about Apple computers that generates such a cult following?
I know people who just have to buy the newest thing from Apple.
They buy the newest iTouch when they already have the newest iPhone. I know a guy who bought every iPod that ever came out. When a new one comes out, he throws away the old one.
Yes, in the trash. This sort of fanatical behavior is an obsession with people. Now we have people waiting in line all night buying mulitple iPads and all we all know that not all of these people buying multiple pads are selling them on eBay later. So why are people so willing to marrying themselves to a brand?
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Steve Jobs does have charisma and enthusiasm, and Apple does offer unique products.
They work, unlike the other options.
If other options didnt work they wouldnt sell but they do.
PC’s still dominate the market.
They marry themselves to it because it is so easy to focus on Apple; the style of the products, the exclusiveness of the software/hardware, and the size of the company/market share all make Apple a solitary, unique brand with a style that is easily accepted and enjoyed by a large amount of people. Think of other brands of MP3 players, phones, and computers – all of them are made by several different companies that utilize all sorts of styles and functions.
MP3 Players all look different from brand to brand. Apple pioneered the field anyway, so that’s why Apple dominates MP3 players. When it comes to phones, of the major brands and, more importantly, operating systems, Apple is centralized in it’s single product while OSes like Android and Windows are all decentralized over several models produced my several companies. When it comes to computers, while most competition comes from Windows, the OS is available on a massive variety of computer styles, types, companies, and looks, not a small selection of similar looking and acting computers.
I think the key that Apple has is that it’s brand is so centralized – if you use Apple products you have either all Apple or none at all; you have both software and hardware or neither. There is minimal variety and difference – your computers, MP3s, and Phones are all similar. Once the brand is centralized and visible, it’s just a matter of finding the people who like the unified style to create your cult followers, and because those people who like Apple like very similar products, you get the “cult” sense.
@squirbel If by “work” you mean meet the expectations of their meager specs, then yes.
Disclaimer: I use a Macbook Pro and iPhone.
People waiting in line the night before release of a product is nothing new. I’ve done it for the PS2. I’ve done it for Wrath of the Lich King. I’ve done it many times before and after that. I’ve even done it for movies. I’ve never done it alone. There was always a huge crowd of people with me. It’s kind of fun.
The behavior of your iPod-chucking-friend is not the standard behavior of most Apple users. He just sounds like a wasteful douche bag. For the most part, I do like to buy Apple’s new products, but only when I can 1) fit them into my life and 2) afford it. There are people obsessed w/Apple as a brand, but I doubt many are able to do what your friend did (e.g. throw the old iPod into the trash). I’d say most people who buy the new products often sell/give away their old iPods (Apple products tend to have good resale value).
The thing that causes people to exclusively buy Apple products is the same thing that causes people to exclusively by Toyotas. Or Fords. Or Chevvies. It’s brand loyalty (whether that brand loyalty is warranted or not is another story).
Maybe it’s their core values.
“I have the simplest of tastes, I am always satisfied with the best”
-Oscar Wilde.
They are magically easy to use if one has been raised in the era of the manual typewriter, white-out, carbon paper, mimeo machines, Brownie cameras, black dial telephones and tin cans connected by string.
Each platform has its purpose:
Windows: Constantly fiddling with niggling problems and bragging to your geek friends that you’ve fixed it for the time being.
Macintosh: Just getting stuff done so you can get back to your successful social life.
@CodePinko And what about Linux? I’m not talking the old distros where you have to write your own FSTAB from scratch either; I’m talking ones like the newest Ubuntu where stuff is largely automated and idiot-proofed.
Linux rools: It’s mine, therefore I can do whatever I damn well please with it.
For me, a combination of ease of use and the look of the hardware and OS. (Though some open source OS’es equal it as far as software.) I also like AppleCare.
@Ria777 Never used a warranty in my life, and the only time I ever called Tech Support was for an MP3 player that was missing the driver CD.
Pretentiousness, heh. If everyone understood the appeal of Macintosh everyone would use it.
Mac’s just work. I don’t buy every product that comes along. Most of my Machead friends don’t either. But I do have a 24” iMac, 1tb Time Capsule, iPhone 3gs. I have an older iPod 160gb Classic that despite being several years old is still in excellent condition and I use it nearly every day.
My son has an iBook that’s nearly 5 years old. Despite it’s age it’s still a very good laptop. If it were a PC it would be ancient.
Mac products generally are workhorses & last a long time.
>Pretentiousness, heh. If everyone understood the appeal of Macintosh everyone would use it.
Not sure if that’s intentional or not, but either way you’ve got me laughing rather heartily.
A computer is like every other device one can own. I believe that if one must be burdened by having such devices in their lives they might as well be as easy to use and as much of a pleasure to own as possible. Windows clearly does not do this.
My high school history teacher (circa 2003) was still using an Macintosh Plus (1986 model) for all his class work.
So were several other teachers in the school. I think the longevity of the product speaks for itself.
@Seek_Kolinahr I know a bicycle shop that still uses a C-64. Commodore is cheaper than Apple, and just as reliable and long-lived (if not moreso) so I think I’ll go with one of these instead.
I had an amiga fetish for years.
@Seek_Kolinahr is right. I still have an old blueberry imac g3 from 1999. It is 400 mhz and it works! It works very slowly but it works. I never had to replace a hard drive, never got a virus, never needed a single repair. It’s nice to have it as a backup for when my PC needs replaced or repaired. When I ruin this laptop I’m going to need it. It doesn’t do everything a PC can do, but it does enough that I can check my e-mail, print out forms, and do what I need to do. It’s like a bug that won’t die!
@escapedone7: That tough old blueberry emac was my first (1998) but, boy, was it heavy.
I strongly recommend Macs for early education.
Subjecting a child to the Windows experience might ruin them for computing forever.
@CodePinko I think that that just shows how intellectually lazy people are these days. Personally, I had no problems learning computers as a small child before there were any GUIs, and when I first tried a Mac, the PC world was still dominated by MS-DOS. Even amongst those I know that started on Macs, it wasn’t the OS or the interface that determined whether they loved, liked, or hated computers.
No matter which way you go, you still have to think in a certain way to use a computer, and many people don’t like having to adapt their thinking style. Hell, even now, many kids only know enough about computers to turn them on and log onto Facebook!
The true horror of Windoze cannot be truly seen unless/until you are more computer-savvy than the average adult computer user nowadays is. ANd trust me, Macs are not immune to problems, especially in a LAN environment like most computer labs I’ve seen in schools.
After the years of putting up with constant windows errors, crashing, changing parts, viruses, and spyware I have finally purchased a Macbook Pro, and I definitely won’t be looking back! Sure, they are not immune to problems, but the probability that issues of the same magnitude as the ones I have come across from using PCs for years will certainly be less. The longevity and durability of Apple products is a very appealing aspect of all their products.
One of the magic apps with the iMac is Disk Utility. I run mine once a week, and it takes care of any buggers bugs that have snuck in. And occasionally I restart the machine. That’s it.
@sarahjane90 Windows is like that. Why do you think I prefer alternatives? Of course, if you look under the hood, OS X is fundamentally the same as Linux: BSD (which OS X is based on) and Linux are both in the UNIX family.
I admit that I like Apple’s durability and longevity, but I tend to avoid abusing my stuff so my equipment lasts at least long enough to be obsolete by two generations and is still working fine when I decide to upgrade. That is long-lived enough for me :)
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