12.21.2011

My 2¢: Apple

My 2¢:

Because I tend to side with the underdog, I've been an avid and vocal supporter of the Apple Computer corporation over the past 20+ years. Anything that had the Apple logo on it I was a fan of, and I suppose I even qualified as a "fanboy." As a professional creative I loved what the company stood for--Thinking Differently--and I lived for bucking the status quo (the PC-centric society).

But lately things have changed. Apple has become the King of the Hill, doing anything and everything to defend what they feel is their inherent "intellectual property" at all costs, in the computer, mobile, and music industries.

When Jobs died many of his personal perspectives and vendettas were published. That COMPLETELY changed my opinion about him, and Apple as a result. Up until that time I had a great deal of respect and admiration for the man, in both a personal and business sense. I would never have guessed that he harbored so much hatred for the competition, based on what he perceived as "stealing" from Apple. Because that hatred and outward display of disdain was for Google and was completely unprofessional, I can say it drove me even further into the Google camp, and drove the nail even further into the Apple coffin as far as I was concerned. It basically made me WANT to go out and buy non-Apple out of spite, and spite alone.

Since 1991 I have owned half a dozen Macs, multiple iPods and Shuffles, an iPad, and Apple hardware and software too numerous to list here. That being said, I now prefer Google and the Android OS to iOS, because of the openness of their platform, and because Apple has thrust them into the underdog role. I will continue to use my Mac because I choose the best tool for the job, and I believe in the computer industry Apple still reigns supreme. But for my mobile and music needs I will not patronize Apple, Inc.

It breaks my heart to relinquish what I used to old dear for Apple--my undying loyalty. But thanks to Jobs and his demeanor, his misguided obsession for industry domination at all costs, and his company's focus on a controlled walled-garden philosophy to force what they think is right for the user, regardless of what the users truly want, I am happily donning the uniform of the defender.

Apple has turned into what they were fighting against and never wanted to be in the first place. Big brother. As a result my faith and loyalty in Apple has been replaced with suspicion and a sense of betrayal.

I don't have blind faith or loyalty in Google, but that is a byproduct of what I lost thanks to the behemoth that Apple has become. Regardless of if it is just a result of experience or becoming further displaced from the naivety of youth, I have learned not to put all my apples in one basket.

T Conkle

1 comment:

Ana said...

Great last line. I have sort of always known that Steve Jobs was more than his turtleneck and keynote addresses so I was not surprised when his memoirs revealed a man intent on winning at all costs. Isn't sad when you realize there are no heroes except in fiction?

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