Apple, new religious Phenomenon?

[jackau]

I am Jack, live in Australia.

I am a computer hardware engineer, I recently brought an ipad to study the new hardware form factor, cause i saw a lot of potential in the form factor for education and specialised industry.

 

I own a Mac, familiar with OSX but wasn't until I got my ipad I had my share with the iphone OS now renamed iOS.

 

It wasn't until ipad, I start to have more online run ins with apple fans and fanatics.

Unlike fans of gaming systems such as PS3 or Xbox, the top level apple fans are different. Whereas game system fans usually defensive against rival system fans over which system is better than the other and what game is better, they tend to accept their game system is nothing more than a game system. Apple fans however don't just fans of a system but fans to Apple the company and the CEO Steve Jobs.

 

I found Apple fans fanatically defend negative but logical comments and remarks base on facts about Apple products. On the other hand, they then went on to viciously attack potential rivals such as Microsoft, Adobe Flash, Android OS and Google. They tend to express deep indulgence being owner of apple devices, exchange praise and wonderful experiences within the ownership circle.

 

The Business model and Operating system model ipod and subsequently iOS powered devices base on is one more aim to monopolise the market than Microsoft ever attempt to achieve. Apple can do this because unlike Microsoft’s OS designed to run on open platform hardware (meaning many hardware producers can produce hardware for the OS to run on), Apple use close hardware, its OS will only run on hardware make by Apple itself. On a board base point of view, the iOS system is comparable to a strictly controlled law obeyed dictatorship, hence the iphone (idevice) hacking community call their hack: Jailbreak, a term perfectly reflects idevice’s restriction and strict control.

 

What was interesting is, a large buying public lived in liberal democratic marketing and political system willing purchase idevices and willingly become faithful then some turn into fanatics.

We are unlikely to see apple diehards go riot and bring down the authorities anytime soon, but this Phenomenon may be worth investigating.

A few already had similar ideas:

 

Apple as a religion: How the iPhone became divine • The Register

 

I am no expert in social sicence, therefore i would love to learn what experts think about this subject.

 

Thank you in advance for sharing your thoughts.

Wish you all the best.

 

 

Regards

 

Jack

[alexander]

This has been around for quite a while, there are various reasons why there is a term and a book called "The church of apple". Apple's approach has pretty much always been the full system approach, their OSes always ran on "their" hardware, and while nothing prevents a hardware manufacturer to make a device that will run an Apple OS, they, Apple, will never certify the platform, nor support the OS that is ran on third party hardware. Apple's approach has been argued, and you can agree or disagree with it, but bottom line is that in terms of stability and support for the hardware platform, Apple outperforms any Microsoft or any other open platform, because they provide support for both hardware and software, one package, one place to go to, one people to blame...

 

And although i don't agree with a lot of apple ideologies, and i hate the apple fan boys, because they have no clue what they are talking about more then 99% of the time, i think you calling Microsoft a democratic choice or "open platform" is hardly right either.

 

Microsoft’s OS designed to run on open platform hardware (meaning many hardware producers can produce hardware for the OS to run on)

That is not quite true, this is like saying that BP is an environmentally-friendly company because they use heat exchange technologies and solar power in their corporate buildings...

[Boerseun]

That won't be the iGod, then?

[Vox]

That won't be the iGod, then?

 

iGuess, it won´t ;)

Edited August 10, 2010 by Vox

[Vox]

Thou Shalt Love Thy iPhone as Thyself