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   VidBITS: Why Do We Still Support Apple?

   Adam C. Engst

   As Valentine's Day approaches, our thoughts turn to thoughts of love.
   Have you ever ended up in a love-hate relationship? Or rather, 'I love
   what you've done for me, but a lot other things you do irritate the
   stuffing out of me.'? That's how many of us feel about Apple these
   days, because, let's face it, we have a long history of using,
   supporting, and evangelizing Apple products, from early Macs to the
   latest iPads, but despite the way Apple's marketing always talks
   directly to us, it's pretty clear that Apple doesn't really care what
   any customer thinks.

   In this week's [1]staff roundtable we discuss just why it is that Apple
   engendered such loyalty back in the day, and why that support continues
   despite Apple ' and the entire technology industry ' changing in such
   fundamental ways. The two key insights:

   [EMBED]
     * Apple's ascendence is a bit like having your political party win in
       a landslide election. You've always supported and evangelized them
       because you like what they stand for, and after they win, you're
       ecstatic for a while. But then you realize that in large part, it
       will be politics as usual, and all those changes you hoped for when
       your party wasn't in power still aren't going to happen. Despite
       your disappointment, you can't go back on your voting
       recommendations to family and friends, because that would be
       admitting you were wrong all along, and, more practically, it's
       still better than the alternative.
     * One of Kurt Vonnegut's most enduring concepts is that of the
       '[2]granfalloon,' which he defines as 'a proud and meaningless
       association of human beings.' Whether or not there's any actual
       meaning in the association of those who identify as Apple
       aficionados, we humans do have a drive to belong. In Apple's early
       days, that drive was bolstered by a desire to find others who were
       in the minority of being Mac users; nowadays, the drive to belong
       is probably driven more by wanting to be part of the winning team.

   Anyway, I don't think anything was decided in our discussion (or even
   if there was anything that could have been decided), but if you've been
   pondering your own association with the ecosystem that has grown up
   around Apple, watch or listen to the roundtable and perhaps it will
   help you solidify your thoughts.

References

   1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTif2CgioI8
   2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granfalloon