What got me thinking about this is this; Today, I was reading an article about one of my favorite topics, Apple. The internet is rife with them. This one was in PC World’s on-line edition. The article was shrouded in anti-Apple speak, (it is after all, a PC Mag) questioning the logic behind Apple’s upcoming Macbook Pro upgrade. The article wasn’t all that critical, what got me was the comments. I’ve seen them all before. They are comments which are cloned by the Apple haters. Why would anybody pay THAT much money for a computer that has the same specs as a PC? I’m used to seeing that comment, it is a standard for all who do not belong to my secret organization. The part that got me was this; “All that extra money for a fancy cheap case and a boring OS.” OK buddy, them are fightin’ words. I had to force myself not to respond. I can’t think of any bigger insult, that a Window’s user could hurl, than to suggest that Apple’s ultra-elegant operating system, is “boring.” I wanted to actually sign in to PC World, (forcing me to become a member) so I could smack down the moron. “Cool your heels,” I thought to myself. Do not, allow this nitwit, to bait you into the endless PC vs Mac debate. They are, after all, Neanderthals, who will never, ever, in a gazillion years, understand the underlying force of what working with a beautifully designed, brilliantly conceived, magical as flying pony-unicorns, Macbook Pro is like. No amount of argument, with one of these boneheads, has ever once, budged him, from his redundant, sniping perch of ignorance.
Being a lover of all things Apple is an intangible experience to describe to outworlder, PC people. They are devoted to buying the least expensive, clunky, unattractive box in which to order their boring, unimaginative lives. Pouring over numbers and organizing legal briefs does not need to be done on a machine which is meant to create works of art. Ah-ha! I’ve hit on one of the core and principal reasons I was sucked into being a devotee of Apple. It was, after all, back in the late ’80’s when I needed a better, faster way to do graphic art. Making print ads the old fashioned way was just beginning to be done using Adobe Illustrator® and Image Pro®, Image Pro would soon become known to all who were in the Ad Biz as Photoshop® and Photoshop®, as well as Illustrator, were only available for the Macintosh OS. Using an Apple computer and creating advertising became synonymous. In fact, Apple became the industry standard. I started my computer life on an IBM word processor. I used it to do all of my writing until I got my first version of Quark Express®. That program revolutionized desktop publishing and it was only made for the Mac. Creative people were being culled from the world of IBM and its clones. To be a creative force with the assistance of a computer, there was only one choice and I jumped in head first and never looked back.
Then along came the iMac. It was a terrific little machine and they made great slaves for just about every ad agency and creative suite on the planet. Less costly than their bigger, more powerful brothers, they did the heavy lifting. People with kids recognized the bulletproof design. When my son was three and a half I bought him his first iMac encased in a brilliant egg shaped plastic womb with a handle on top. I have pictures of him, standing in front of that iMac, in his diapers learning to navigate the World Wide Web.
My music collection had gone from LP’s to cassette, to CD with a brief interlude onto Sony® Minidisc and then back onto CD when the first iPod was introduced. It was a must have option to pare down my music storage which was taking over one room of our house. I squealed with delight when I bought my first iPod, bringing it home in its cube-shaped box. Almost all my music fit into a thing the size of a pack of cigarettes. The battery sucked but my music was in there someplace. Of course I bought almost every incarnation of the iPod. It all came full circle with the advent of the iPhone. Yes it did.
I didn’t stand in line (all that long) to buy my first iPhone. I arrived at the Apple store, an hour before it opened, and stood in line with three or four-hundred fellow members of my cult. I was in position one hundred or so. The iPhone had been released for over two weeks and I thought the lines would have died down, but with each new shipment to our local Apple Store, a new horde of Apple people (and some sheepish looking PC defectors) would gather to worship at the alter. We bought two iPhones. The original, brushed aluminum back, with the pretty, shiny, Apple logo and for the first time ever, I experienced multi-touch-screen-technology-nirvana. There is no cure for this. Once I began using the multi-touch screen, I would never, ever understand why anyone, would continue to use a flip phone, Razor thing-a-ma-jig. Then the 3G came out and back to the Apple store we went. Husband, me and our two kids. This time we bought four. One for each of us. My husband and I were tired of loaning our phones to the kids so they could play games and music. Besides, my son was a real devotee of Apple and didn’t every, single cult member deserve their own iPhone? I think it’s in the handbook someplace.
I skipped buying the iPhone 3G-S. I was waiting for the iPhone 4. I watched cautiously through the antenna-gate scandal. But I visited the Apple store and publicly fondled it there. Yes, in public. My kids went back to Apple Camp over the summer and I held out. My 3G was still working. But then my PC loving husband (I know, it hurts to admit it) went off the reservation, went out alone and bought one for himself, he bought the iPhone 4. How dare him. I was struck with jealousy. Horrible phone envy. I had a wonderful iPod touch. I loved every bit of it’s design. But I wanted that iPhone 4. It was like some kind of crazy heroine addiction. Must. Have. It.
Okay, so I have one now. I love my iPhone 4. It doesn’t drop calls at any greater rate than any other cell phone and it is a work of art. I have all my music on it. The battery is superb. I have at least seventy apps and I have three stars on every level of Angry Birds®. What more could any, Apple-crack-head want?
The reason I love Apple is for exactly why that guy on PC World said he would never want an Apple. I love it’s sleek design, it’s beautiful graphic interface, it’s brilliant OS and because I am a creative person. The PC people will never, ever get it. They can not conceive of the way we feel about our computing. We are passionate about everything we do. If we paint on canvas, we are passionate about it. If we cook, we are passionate about it. If we are photographers, we feel deeply about that too. It’s a creative tool and it is the best tool for the job. Period. So, when a PC person renders the same, old tired argument which is inevitable, do not fall victim to outrageous attacks. Pick up your iPhone 4 and smile knowingly.
2 comments:
Wrote a comment which decided to self implode ahhhh hate that but then I hate the Facebook app on my beloved iPhone. Hello kindred spirit who has taste, class & a brain. Loved this post alot. Brilliant makes me realize Im glad I finally moved to the light of Apple life has never looked so bright!
Lisa- Thanks for the note. Come back for a visit!
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