Why We're So Loyal To Apple
Apple is in the news lately and one of the things being talked about is the incredible brand loyalty many people have to the company and their products. To understand this, you have to go back in the mists of time to the mid nineties, right before the return of Steve Jobs. Here we had a company that was bleeding cash, with so many different models of computers that you almost needed a spreadsheet to keep up.
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Steve comes back and slashes the product line into four quadrants: Pro laptops and desktops and consumer laptops and desktops. iMac and MacBook for consumers and PowerMac and PowerBook for creative professionals.
Apple's 1999 product lineup
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At the time, some of the industry heavyweights had no faith in the future of the company. The much-despised Michael Dell, even had the nerve to suggest that he'd shut the company down:
Michael Dell doesn't get it, but others do...
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Luckily, Steve Jobs wasn't listening to him and Apple went on to Surpass Dell Inc. on it's way to becoming a trillion-dollar company. However, thought all of those years in the wilderness when Mac users were put upon and derided by the industry, a feeling of kinship developed amongst the faithful.
If one person saw another using a Mac on the subway, they'd nod to each other upon finding another member of the tribe who "got it." I can still remember when I was deciding between a PC and Mac as my first computer, that my friend from Philly told me "if you decide on a Mac, it;ll make my day!" I was surprised at his devotion and attempt to convert me and I did go to Best Buy to purchase an iMac, only to find that the anti-Apple clerks wouldn't sell me one as they hated them for not offering a payment for each machine sold as some PC maker did.
First they attack, then they copy...
I remember when Apple introduced the original iMac in 1998, in a stunning bondi blue color. The translucent computer stood out against bland beige PC's and became a sensation. The addition of the USB port, ignighted industry adoption. Soon, we began seeing a plethora of colorful accesories in it's wake.
The iPod was attacked for being an expensive paperweight no one would buy. The utility of a thousand songs in your pocket, was ignored... until it began to sell. Next thing you know competitors such as HP, Dell and the much-hated Microsoft, began rushing out iPod clones.
In 2010, Apple faced similar derision when Steve introduced the new iPad. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer first ignored iPad, then as the sales numbers continued to rise, the hairless ape promised an answer to iPad by Christmas of that year. No one was buying.
Copying iPhone
When the iPhone was unleashed in 2007, it clearly changed how mobile phones looked and the way we interacted with them. Now there was a full-fledged app store, a fluid touchscreen instead of a tiny clunky keyboard and one OS to rule them all.
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Samsung in particular has been notorius for attacking Apple's mobile innovations and then quietly aping them six months later. Touch ID, Face ID, removing the headphone jack, the inclusion of the notch and now the absence of power adapters, have all been mocked (and now copied) by Samsung and other Asian handset makers.
These companies have no shame. With well over a billion people in Asia, you'd think somebody over there would know how to innovate. But no, the response is always to wait and see what Apple does, mock them for doing it, then copy the hell out of it. I've often said that if Apple annouced a phone with Ass ID, Samsung would release commercials making fun of it, before rushing out a copy of their own.
iMac 2021
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When I finally did get my iMac, I recall a PC friend warning me about some new virus raging on their systems. I told him I wasn't worried, he was like "why?" my response? "I'm on a Mac." :)
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You may pay more for some Apple products, but you get more out of it. Customer service where they actually speak English without an almost impossible to understand accent. Products built like tanks, such as the original iPad from 2010 which still works today. Higher-quality components, meaning less downtime, which allows you to get stuff done. Even a higher resale value, so that you make more money when you sell your old Mac, iPhone or iPad, in order to upgrade to the latest model.
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Not to mention an operating system immune to most Windows viruses and built to get stuff done. How many clicks does it take to uninstall a program on a PC versus a Mac? Apple gets out of your way, knowing that time is money and you'll make more of it faster, using one of their machines.
The future
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So when you see pre-pandemic videos of all of those people lining up to buy the new iPhone, realize that they know exactly what they're buying into. A seamless experience with a company providing the highest customer satisfaction in the industry. The Apple watch continuing to save lives year after year and the iPad is replacing patient charts in hospitals. The M1 Mac has become a workhorse for creative professionals (with the M2 chip, waiting in the wings), while iPhone sets industry standards for protecting user privacy and it keeps getting better. Which Apple devices do you own?
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There are a lot of things I like about Apple and Macs. I bought a couple shares of stock way back in the day and those are doing quite well for me after a split or two or four. I use PC's every day, but I also enjoy Macs. It wasn't until OSX came out with the Nux backbone that really got me interested in them. I miss my old iPod, that thing was awesome. I have never owned an iPhone, but I love that the OS is pretty universal. I really do love all tech. I just picked up an M1 mini the other day, but I haven't had a chance to play around with it too much yet.
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You know, I was thinking of getting one myself, those things are little beasts. What I like about Apple, is that they don't make products for focus groups, they make what they'd like to use themselves.
I can still recall when they were attacked for releasing the original iMac without a floppy drive and this newfangled thing called a USB port. They said nobody would use the new connector and look at where we are today. When they got rid of the iPhone power adapter, I realized I had a drawer full of them and that this would help to cut down on waste. Same with the headphone jack, which I haden't used since getting BT headphones years ago.
Apple really does "Think Different" and I'm glad they do.
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Back when I was a kid we always used to have PC's. I am talking like the DOS days and then Apple came out with their computers and this thing called the "mouse". My dad used to say mice are just for people who don't know how to use the keyboard. Look at where we are today! :) That magnetic power cord was game changing for me!
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Lol, I like your dad! That mouse must have been quite a surprise to everyone. I think I read that the Macintosh was like $5K back then. My how times have changed!
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For sure! He is a pretty cool guy.
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I have a Apple macbook because its was easier to use that instead of a linux computer for coding. Besides that I don't exactly like Apple that much either and Apple itself hasn't been the best when it comes to making design modifications. I watch Louis Rossman and his right to repair videos as well. Although he always rags on Apple, it is because they tend to be the ones setting up the trends for specific problems in manufacturing that are then copied by other computer makers.
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I hear Mint Linux is pretty good and I think Linux is great for building a more secure system. The PC is good if you like to tinker and when it comes to having a huge selection of software for the platform as well as gaming. I wonder if Steve Jobs being raised as an orphan had something to do with his "outsider" status and infusing that into the culture at Apple. It's been said that they only hire people just like them and if you don't fit into the hippie, artsy culture there, you're removed. Steve said they either fit in, or they're gone.
And everyone who is an apple fan is among the faithful...lol
I am considering getting a new phone and my neighbor who is one of the faithful consciously keeps recommending apple products to me. He is the one person I know who keeps buying their products everytime he needs a change in device
Ranging from his PC to his phones are all apple products. And then there is another neighbor of mine who is always out to put him In a tight position for being a faithful
but my friend doesn't back out, he is a fan of apple and nothing stops him not even the idea that he has to keep carrying his power bank around because his iPhone is always out of battery most of the time.
Maybe it is time I joined this faithful and feels what they feel. what do you think?
I bet Samsung is lurking around waiting for Apple to introduce something else so that they will criticize and then copy as they always do
Kudos to Steve for beating off all of his competitors
A lot of thet attitude comes from the time in the 1990's when Apple was under seige. Users began to circle the wagons and it didn't look like they would survive. Part of the reason I bought my first iMac was that I saw how passionate he was about me choosing a Mac over a PC. He said "You have no idea what it would mean to me if you chose a Mac." He would be able to tell his locla Apple user group that he'd "converted" another one and there would be a celebration.
Think about that for a moment.
Users for other platforms weren't behaving like that and I was so intriuged, that I looked into this and saw just how different they viewed technology compaired to the PC world. I got that Mac and I suggest you consider that Apple has among the highest customer satisfaction in the industry and has since it first started in 1976. But at the end of the day, purchase whatever works best for you. :)
I completely understand where you are coming from especially where you getting converted would call for celebration with your friend.
Yes Apple are able to satisfy their customers, maybe, I will have to get converted myself...smiles
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