Brian Lam is the editor-in-chief of Gizmodo, a blog by experienced journalists and talented young writers with one thing in common: An unnatural love for gadgets and tech. It's also one of the world's largest blogs, with over 37 million page views a month. Gizmodo was launched by Gawker Media in 2002, and since then it has won several awards, including the weblog awards in 2007 for best writing, and has been quoted in and on The New York Times, Wired, the BBC, Today Show, and others. Brian was listed in Business 2.0's list of 101 people "Who Matter Most."
Brian offers his thoughts on Apple:
David,
I'd say there are aspects of faith here, but for the most part, it's faith of the most practical sort.
People trust Apple to make technology that is easy and reliable to use, based on a proven track record. And some would say that it's done in a way more stylish than could have been imagined, which doesn't hurt the adoration. 100 Million iPods, or so, not mentioning the computers. That's kind of makes it the bible of MP3 players, as far as the numbers go.
What's interesting is that there are MP3 players with bigger storage capacities, features like built in radios, bigger screens, WiFi, and other tricks. Often they go for less money, too. By the stats, it doesn't make sense to go for an iPod. Yet millions have because of the ease and friendliness of the controls, design, and software. I've never been aggravated using an Apple product, and have lost many nights of sleep playing with PC Hardware (I started out in my industry as a zealous PC user, only to come around to the Mac after many years of experience with all sorts of technology.) This is completely practical, even if the resulting appreciation I have for Apple gear is as close as i'll ever get to loving a machine.
You mentioned some of the earlier ads, having religious tones. Today, there is none of that. Check out the iPod ads, where people are dancing around in silhouette, to all kinds of music, with colorful backgrounds.
I'd say there are several things going on here. Simple color and shape, the technology isn't emphasized nearly as much as the movement and music. In a word, I'd call it human, where technology is typically viewed as a cold, geeky, thing.
Does that make it religious? Maybe, but only so much as anything human does. I have faith Apple will take care of me. That my Mac won't crash on me when I'm in the middle of a big assignment. That they'll make gadgets that I won't be annoyed to use. Stuff that isn't clunky or ugly. That works for me. And I'd be much worse off as a writer, and technologist if they weren't around.
Read David Kuo's original post on the Apple religion.
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Preach on brother, preach on!
I couldn't have said it better myself. I feel exactly the same way (posted from my sweet MacBook).
It is NOT "apple-sim". It is Jobs-ism. Or maybe "the Jobsons" would be a good term for them.
If Steve Jobs left Apple next year, the stock would plummet and Apple would be back to Pippin's and crap like that and nobody would give a damn about them.
I would imagine also that quite a few of the die hard Apple lovers of now would then become die hard "[fill in name of new corporation with Steve J. as head]" lovers.
It's not a cult of Apple, it's a cult of personality centered around Steve Jobs.
Fitting, really. Self-described as "@sshole", with friends referring to him as "@sshole" and "sociopath" and "genius"... it fits the bill of most of the Mac users I have come across. They all tend to be the edgy, artsy, wanna-be SEEN as mad-genius types who want power over others so that they can 'teach' that person how to live / eat / dress / what to smoke and what not to smoke / etc. Ergo, an overwhelming portion of liberals (not classical liberals, mind you) use Macs and worship its' creator.
Of course you can't convince them of this. Have you ever had a conversation with a cultist of any stripe? No matter what ground you are standing on, persecution is to be expected and re-infores their identity with the group. You are a labeled an outsider who does not have their special knowledege of salvation. Likewise, when they have a problem with their religion/cult, it is instinctively their own problem and not due to anything on Apple's behalf.
Saw this firsthand with a Jobson friend of mine. He laughed when I had a BSOD and started the trash talk about MS. But when I was over and his Mac crashed hard --- hard enough it had to be unplugged to get it to reboot --- he took the blame and said something to the effect of "it must be something I did" ....
Sigh.
I'm not sure I appreciate the religiosity, but I am posting this from my MacBookPro which replaced my PowerMac which replaced my G3 titanium. Does Jobs' name strike anyone else as funny? I alone am left to tell the story.
Religion is probably one of the most mis-understood words that we use. It simply means "To be bound by" or to be "To be tied to" and basically anything can attach you to anything you are willing to believe in or be bound by. Atheists are some of the most religious people I have ever met! Is Apple great, yes indeed, it also has a great price, and most of the world would not have a computer if it wasn't for Bill Gates dream for that to happen . . . and that dream has made him a very rich man . . .on the other hand Steve Jobs' dream to become rich has also been fulfilled, running down a completely different road and ideals !
LUV 2 ALL
Wisdum
You've got to watch out when Gizmodo writers talk about "as close as i'll ever get to loving a machine"...
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