What's so fantastic about Apple?

[Humes fork]

Apple triggers 'religious' reaction in fans' brains, report says

Next time Grandma asks why you're going to the mall on Sunday morning instead of church, tell her you're going to Apple Chapel.

For Apple fans, the brand triggers a reaction in the brain that's not unlike that of religious devotees, according to a BBC documentary series that cites neurological research.

The neuroscientists ran a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test on an Apple fanatic and discovered that images of the technology company's gadgets lit up the same parts of the brain as images of a deity do for religious people, the report says.

CONTINUES

Perhaps I've been missing something given that the only Apple product I've ever used is my iPod, but I don't see what's so great about Apple, or what sets them apart from any other of the big tech companies (like Google and Microsoft). Back in my early school days, owning a Mac instead of a PC meant to be cut off from computer games and the surrounding discussion of them at the schoolyard, so that has always tainted my view of Apple a little (even though it's not their fault computer games companies at least then almost exclusively made their games for Windows).

But congratularions for outstanding branding, Apple!

 

[Lamuella]

they're exceptionally well marketed, have a reputation for making things that are easy to use, and created an image of their products as lifestyle product at a point where other computer hardware companies were still mostly going after the tech nerd market.

I'm not a particular fan of most of their stuff, but that's just me.

 

[CynicalSkeptic]

outstanding branding

Answered your own question.

 

[El Greco]

It's a fashion statement in the computer world. I don't think there is any other brand in that field that have managed this. It's also recognizable by most (unlike eg Alienware laptops or Vertu cellphones). So your message is pretty much guaranteed to be received by the majority.

 

[bobhope2112]

I was a Mac enthusiast in the 80s and 90s, but eventually moved to PCs because it made more sense for me as a software developer. I now how an iPhone, but will likely get some type of 'droid for my next phone. I like Apple products, but do not like paying the "Apple Tax" to have one.

That said, though, I do think Apple generally does a better job on useability than other manufacturers. They spend time and thought on interface while other makers are adding features.

 

[El Greco]

That said, though, I do think Apple generally does a better job on useability than other manufacturers. They spend time and thought on interface while other makers are adding features.

Some of their decisions are exactly the opposite of user-friendly. When I got an iPod I almost had a heart attack when I realized I had to go through iTunes in order to download some music onto it. That was many years ago and it's still at the top of the most moronic computer-related things I can think of.

 

[Dancing David]

In the past their programs talked to each other nicely, so you did not have to convert files from one format to another. (The way you do between Word 2003 and Word 2007)

I hope that is still true.

 

[Stray Cat]

I've been fed up with the silly Mac V PC arguments for the majority of the 20 plus years I've been successfully using my various Macs to earn an easy living...

 

[GreyArea]

Apple triggers 'religious' reaction in fans' brains, report says
...

For Apple fans, the brand triggers a reaction in the brain that's not unlike that of religious devotees, according to a BBC documentary series that cites neurological research. ...

Maybe that's why the Beatles were more popular than Jesus.

Or maybe not.

 

[tyr_13]

Besides branding and marketing, which are by far Apple's largest accomplishment, they tend to be vertically integrated on many levels for good and for ill. They also tend to have a far greater level of 'polish' than other products, although not always.

 

[TheL8Elvis]

Some of their decisions are exactly the opposite of user-friendly. When I got an iPod I almost had a heart attack when I realized I had to go through iTunes in order to download some music onto it. That was many years ago and it's still at the top of the most moronic computer-related things I can think of.

Yes, stupid decisions like that are probably what kept the iPod from being as successful as it could have been...

Everyone knows products all suck and are just hype and marketing.

The iphone 3GS, 4, continue to lead sales because it's all a trick.

Yup, all marketing hype.

Humes Fork - were you really looking to start an Apple -vs- whatever flame war ? How else does this end ?

 

[El Greco]

Yes, stupid decisions like that are probably what kept the iPod from being as successful as it could have been...

Everyone knows products all suck and are just hype and marketing.

The iphone 3GS, 4, continue to lead sales because it's all a trick.

Yup, all marketing hype.

Humes Fork - were you really looking to start an Apple -vs- whatever flame war ? How else does this end ?

Well, the above post is a classic example of an Apple fanboy logic. Nowhere in my posts I said that their products suck, nowhere in my posts I said that their sales are not very good and nowhere in my posts I said that it's all marketing.

However, an Apple fanboy will stand by every Apple decision, even if it is as user-unfriendly as preventing drag-n-drop of songs in a media player.

 

[Almo]

However, an Apple fanboy will stand by every Apple decision, even if it is as user-unfriendly as preventing drag-n-drop of songs in a media player.

I thought this was an artifact of the old DRM system they used to get the record companies on board. Because if you can drag-drop em in, you can connect to another computer and drag-drop em out. The idea was to make the iPod a dead-end in the chain.

 

[TheL8Elvis]

Well, the above post is a classic example of an Apple fanboy logic. Nowhere in my posts I said that their products suck, nowhere in my posts I said that their sales are not very good and nowhere in my posts I said that it's all marketing.

However, an Apple fanboy will stand by every Apple decision, even if it is as user-unfriendly as preventing drag-n-drop of songs in a media player.

I understand I was totally over-generalizing what you said. But that's where it usually ends up It was a bit tongue-in-cheek ... the point being, where else does this type of topic end up going but a flame war ?

You say the ipod did well in spite of not having a drap and drop interface, I say it did well because it didn't have one. Who's right ? Who cares ?

 

[El Greco]

I understand I was totally over-generalizing what you said. But that's where it usually ends up It was a bit tongue-in-cheek ... the point being, where else does this type of topic end up going but a flame war ?

You say the ipod did well in spite of not having a drap and drop interface, I say it did well because it didn't have one. Who's right ? Who cares ?

I don't care who's right and whether it did well or not, but I care about the interface because unfortunately I bought it But being an Apple it would had done well either way.

Anyway, what's wrong with a little flame war ? In the old days we used to have a separate subforum for flame wars, now the best we can do is Apple vs PC.

 

[TheL8Elvis]

I don't care who's right and whether it did well or not, but I care about the interface because unfortunately I bought it But being an Apple it would had done well either way.

Anyway, what's wrong with a little flame war ? In the old days we used to have a separate subforum for flame wars, now the best we can do is Apple vs PC.

I've generally found this sub-forum to be rather non-skeptical - people just want their questions answered or to have nice discussions.

 

[Oliver]

What's so fantastic about Apple?

the prices

 

[gumboot]

Perhaps I've been missing something given that the only Apple product I've ever used is my iPod, but I don't see what's so great about Apple, or what sets them apart from any other of the big tech companies (like Google and Microsoft). Back in my early school days, owning a Mac instead of a PC meant to be cut off from computer games and the surrounding discussion of them at the schoolyard, so that has always tainted my view of Apple a little (even though it's not their fault computer games companies at least then almost exclusively made their games for Windows).

But congratularions for outstanding branding, Apple!

Regarding the article you cited, without knowing how the brain reacts to other highly familiar iconic images, it's hard to know if their findings have any real significance. The implication is that Mac fans relate to Apple like a worshipper of a religion, but what say all people have the same brain reaction to any familiar brand they like?

Rather than making a commentary on Mac fans, it could be a rather fascinating (and more interesting) statement on religion. I'm very disappointed. This could have been a pretty major ground-breaking piece of research on religion. Instead it's a fluff piece mocking fans of a particular corporation.

Lame.

 

[AgeGap]

Richard Stallman on Steve Jobs.

 

[Elizabeth I]

It's a fashion statement in the computer world. I don't think there is any other brand in that field that have managed this. It's also recognizable by most (unlike eg Alienware laptops or Vertu cellphones). So your message is pretty much guaranteed to be received by the majority.

As I've said in other threads, I have tried to use Apple products and not been happy with the experience. I think it's largely a matter of what you learned when you were first figuring out computers. I learned on PCs and that's what I feel comfortable with. I'm sure if I'd learned on a Mac I'd feel the same way about it.

That said, my religious expressions when dealing with computers usually tend to the negative rather than the positive ("God damn piece of *****," etc.)