So should we consider Apple a cult yet?

[Elizabeth I]

Sorry, I just don't see it. Maybe it's because I learned on a PC and am just too inflexible to change, but the few times I have tried to use Apple products, I have been frustrated beyond words ("more intuitive," my Aunt Fanny's fanny.) So maybe that's kind of like being an Apple atheist trying to deal with the believers.

 

[ThatSoundAgain]

Have you ever been in an Apple Store?

No, not in the U.S. sense. Over here all we have are authorised resellers, although some try hard to recreate the Apple Store experience. I've been in those a few times. Mostly those are filled with clueless customers and almost equally clueless employees.

But that's retail for you. I've had to bite my tongue at both the Apple retailer and generic electronics stores while overhearing some salesperson getting basic facts wrong or customers being airheaded and vain.

Full disclosure: I've been known to buy Apple hard- and (especially) software when I prefer them to the alternatives. But never because they provide any "answers" (?).

 

[MG1962]

Well given how Jesus ended up - The Ipad could use a few nails through it

 

[NewtonTrino]

I don't think it's a cult. They just makes products some people are cultist about.

Personally I buy dell laptops but I do buy iphones (currently 5 in the house). I'm buying an Ipad this week as a gift, dunno if that counts as cultish though.

 

[Mister Earl]

Anyone remember that whole bit about "There's no white iPhones or iPods because white plastic is in a shortage right now" bit? I still can't believe he threw that out there without him being laughed right out of that turtleneck of his.

 

[phantomb]

All knowing Leader whose demise would signal the end of it all.

Are Apple followers really that melodramatic? I could understand someone saying that when Jobs dies the current Apple product design paradigm will change, but that's probably true.

Also, at least the leader in question is an expert in his field who's worth billions on paper as opposed to "that guy from the trailer down the road" with a degree in quantum magic from Unaccredited University.

Fanatical followers who seem to be deluding themselves more and more.

The continued extortion of money in order to "belong" and get "the answers."

Ridicule of those not already converted.

I haven't yet heard of anyone killing people in the name of Apple, devoting their entire lives to Apple, etc. so these are only true to a small degree, comparable perhaps to the purchase of expensive cars, designer clothes, popular music, and all the other things the average person does to fit in with a group or keep up with the Joneses.

Promise of protection for those that stay loyal and in the flock.

Cults claim to offer protection from the supernatural and the undetectable, companies claim to offer protection from poor product design. The latter is something you can actually study at a real university, so I don't see the problem with that.

 

[Puppycow]

The Human CENTiPAD is pretty creepy.

 

[Cactus Wren]

I've seen something cultic in Apple ever since one of Spider Robinson's characters claimed there was a deep spiritual significance in the jargon of Apple vs IBM-type computers. (On an IBM, he pointed out, you "press Enter", or even "hit Enter" -- "press" being a word of force or compulsion, "hit" being an act of violence, and "enter" being of course a term for sexual penetration -- while on an Apple you gently, lovingly, empathetically "touch Return".)

 

[Travis]

I think Neal Stephenson (sp?) wrote a neat, if long, essay on the mindsets behind the different operating systems and what they said about those that use them.



ETA: Here it is. If you have an hour or two to read it I recommend it.

 

[Aitch]

The reason I changed to using a Mac is that I spent a lot of time at work supporting (and writing software for) PCs running Windows (versions 2 through XP). Didn't fancy spending time at home with an OS that caused me grief on a daily basis.

Then again, a friend of mine who has more computing power at home than a lot of small companies, runs a mix of Linux and Solaris, mainly for reliability and security reasons. Mind you, he also collects B&O hi-fi...

 

[Travis]

I'm not against using Apple products. I just find the fanboys to be a bit grating sometimes.

 

[fls]

I'm not against using Apple products. I just find the fanboys to be a bit grating sometimes.

So what you seem to be saying is that fanboys are annoying (agreed ). But this doesn't seem to have much of anything to do with Apple or cults, since fanboys are a phenomena associated with lots of goods and services, and if "cults" is meant to be a useful term (i.e. as a category it has characteristics which distinguish it from "enthusiastic fans") it doesn't really seem to apply (the characteristics you listed in the OP seem more tongue in cheek than the description of anything real).

Linda

 

[Jekyll's Guest]

Well, I'm on my fifth Mac and my second iPad. Never had and don't feel any need whatsoever for antivirus or malware software. How much have you spent on antivirus software and how much time have you spent keeping it up to date?

ferd

Laugh it up, fuzzball.

Apple products are not magically virus and malware proof, hackers just focus on PC's. With increased market share expect a generation of anti-social turds raised on Mac programming to come your way soon.

ENJOY!

 

[Dragonrock]

Laugh it up, fuzzball.

Apple products are not magically virus and malware proof, hackers just focus on PC's. With increased market share expect a generation of anti-social turds raised on Mac programming to come your way soon.

ENJOY!

I was gonna say something similar only not as nice. Apple users who don't use virus protection are like the guy who laughs at people getting vaccines because has never gotten sick and never been vaccinated. The popularity of Macs has been below the herd immunity level which means that Mac viruses don't spread well. There is nothing inherently magical about Macs that protects them from malicious software, they just represent a low return on investment so aren't worth the hacker's time.

 

[Jekyll's Guest]

There is nothing inherently magical about Macs that protects them from malicious software

I think they maybe revived the debunked science of evil humors?

Since their #### doesn't stink their computers can't get sick

 

[fls]

Laugh it up, fuzzball.

Apple products are not magically virus and malware proof, hackers just focus on PC's. With increased market share expect a generation of anti-social turds raised on Mac programming to come your way soon.

ENJOY!

I was going to ask about that (since it seemed like an obvious possibility). I noticed in "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" that she used a Mac for her hacking and did not seem to have a problem doing her 'job' depending upon the OS of her victims. Yet, I would have expected a wave of viruses and malware to have already come Apple's way if it were that easy. After all, the iOS dominates the non-computer devices. And I thought Mac market share was big enough now to make it worthwhile (especially because Mac users may represent a more desirable target). But I didn't think of herd immunity.

You can now berate me for depending upon pop culture for information.

Linda

 

[Jekyll's Guest]

And I thought Mac market share was big enough now to make it worthwhile

Well you also need hackers growing up using Macs. If you're good at using a PC to annoy people then you won't just switch to Macs.

I figure the crop of little Mac using anti-social creeps is ripe for harvesting by now though. Congratulations, it's a hacker!

 

[Belz...]

Well, I'm on my fifth Mac and my second iPad. Never had and don't feel any need whatsoever for antivirus or malware software. How much have you spent on antivirus software and how much time have you spent keeping it up to date?

Pretty much zero.

I've only used antiviruses when I already have a virus. Which is twice since 1993. I had also a malware problem a few years ago. That's it. The difference is not the type of computer, but how careful you are with the files you download and the sites you visit.

 

[Vic Vega]

Sorry, I just don't see it. Maybe it's because I learned on a PC and am just too inflexible to change, but the few times I have tried to use Apple products, I have been frustrated beyond words ("more intuitive," my Aunt Fanny's fanny.) So maybe that's kind of like being an Apple atheist trying to deal with the believers.

They are different and take some getting used to, that's for sure.

What they are is much faster, considerably more stable, and far more bug-free than PCs. Overall, just a much better operating system. I get constant reminders about why it's better. For example, I needed a file from my computer this morning and had to grab it as I was on my way out the door for work. I logged off my son's desktop and logged on to mine to get the file. That took about 15 seconds. Try that on a PC and time it.

 

[Jekyll's Guest]

Honestly I would have possibly felt more of a lure from all this "it just works!' malarkey before Win7 came out. Win7 is great to use and I have no complaints, so myeh.