The Apple Cult Is Dead

Apple lovers: we are not a cult anymore. Some say we are enthusiasts. Some say we are obsessed. There is certainly no doubt that we are loyal. But I hereby declare, we are not the minority anymore. Sure, we are still the minority in the purely factual sense of the word—Apple is indeed still trailing by double-digits in market share to their nearest competitor. But with the overwhelming success of the iPod, the ever present product plugs in the media, and the bombardment of advertising, we are no longer the small group of Apple lovers that we once were�attached with the stigma of being uncompromising, bull-headed, even stubborn! Gasp! The days of someone gawking at you on the train for pulling out your PowerBook are over. The days of feeling picked on by your PC using family at Christmas dinner are done. The days of your idea of a totally Apple office being shot down are dwindling.

I have seen a change in public perception towards Apple computers and other Apple products. As recently as last year, when getting into conversations about computers, people would say that Apple was inferior because it lacked significant software, it was difficult to network, it was just too darn expensive. And of course being a stubborn (admittedly somewhat irrational) Apple lover, I would come up with everything I could to counter these attacks. Guns a blazin” I would offer point after point until my opponent stopped fighting. What I failed to realize is that they didn�t care. They did not possess such fierce dedication to their computers. When I asked my father why he bought a Gateway, he replied, “It was the best buy for what I wanted.” That sounds fair enough right? But could you imagine, choosing anything else than an Apple product. I can’t. The biggest decision I made when buying my PowerBook was whether I wanted the 15” or 17”. I did not scour the sunday circulars for the best deals. I did not read up on reviews to compare models. I had and continue to have blind faith.

This year I have experienced a different phenomenon. People are not discounting Apple anymore for being different. They are simply accepting they don’t understand it. When showing my mother-in-law my new PowerBook, she was excited about it. She was not excited just to be nice to me. She was excited because an Apple Store had recently opened up and she was not recognizing the potential that a Mac could have for business and home use. She asked me to take her to the Apple Store and suggest what would be a good fit for her. Of course, I took her up on the offer and after 10 minutes I convinced her that a 17” iMac was perfect for their home. A cool thing was she knew exactly what an iPod was too. But the cooler thing was that she did not rule out Apple as the solution.

Apple is making huge strides in building their brand. It seems that good advertising and more importantly, flooding the marketplace with that advertising is working. And Apple has not compromised their vision and has not abandoned their K.I.S.S (keep it simple stupid) mentality. Apple is in the mainstream more than ever before. Let’s reserve that “cult” word for the Linux users.