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
