Apple has consistently ranked as one of the most admired companies in the US, and their
loyal user base has grown rapidly over the last thirty-five years.
But Apple is also one of the most hated companies in the tech industry.
And these negative feelings toward Apple has also become directed at their users.
No matter where you look online, it’s become common find someone criticizing others for
saying they use an iPhone or Mac.
And in this video I want to confront this behavior and make the case that no tech fan
is better or worse than another simply because of their platform preference.
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Now I’ve actually been struggling to decide whether or not I should make this video.
Mainly because it may cause even more division between tech fans, but also because I mention
some people by name.
So please, do not personally attack anyone mentioned in this video.
Let’s keep the conversation civil and respectful.
Now the Apple-hate trend that I mentioned earlier has gotten so out of control that
it’s basically become impossible to say anything positive about the company online
without either receiving backlash or losing intellectual credibility.
And if you think I’m being overdramatic, just take a look at this thread on the Apple
subreddit.
User AdamCannon posted an article from The Verge which discussed Tim Cook calling on
the FTC to give consumers the right to track and delete their own personal data, rather
than allow companies like Facebook, Google, and Microsoft to collect, hoard, and sell
user data without their knowledge.
Now you’d expect the comment section to be praising Tim Cook for standing up on behalf
of consumers, something that no other tech CEO has done to my knowledge.
And the comments were generally positive, but pay attention to how these statements
were framed: “Never bought an Apple product, probably never will, and he’s right about
this.”
“Not a Tim Crook fan and back this” “I don’t like Apple but I respect their privacy
policies.”
Notice how these users couldn’t simply say something positive about Apple or Tim Cook
without making it clear they weren’t supporters.
I think Reddit user p_giguere1 summed up the situation perfectly.
Here’s how he described the phenomenon: “By pointing out that you generally dislike
Apple before saying something positive about them, you basically say "Please don't dismiss
my point because you assume I'm one of those sheeps that systemically likes everything
Apple without applying critical thinking.
It'll go like: “I got the new iPad Pro and it's really powerful.”
“Apple products suck, you only bought one because of the shiny logo you fanboy.”
(I'm exaggerating, but barely.)
On the other hand if you show some dislike initially it'll go more like: “I usually
dislike Apple products and hate Apple as a company, but that new iPad Pro really is powerful.”
“Yeah I'm an Android guy too and would never buy an Apple product, but I have to admit
the new iPad is pretty great, although overpriced.”
I’m sure many of you have seen comment threads that follow a similar pattern, and I think
it’s something that needs to be called out.
Not because I don’t believe in criticizing Apple, but because it creates a hostile climate
for the users of those products.
If people online are afraid to praise Apple, it’s because they expect to receive backlash.
And that signifies a prejudice against people who like or use Apple products.
Now I want to make it crystal clear that I am completely open to criticism of Apple.
There are many people, like Louis Rossman, who have made valid critiques of the company.
But when people are simply insulting Apple users by calling them names like mindless
fanboys or sheep, then there’s an issue.
And speaking of Louis Rossman, he actually responded to a video I made a few months ago
called “Why Apple Repairs Are So Expensive,” where I described various factors that result
in Apple charging high repair prices.
I tried to make sure everything I included in that video was factual and based on evidence,
not speculation.
But I was surprised in the first day of uploading that the like to dislike ratio was two-to-one,
whereas a typical video would have a ratio of 9:1.
And I eventually discovered the reason behind this discrepancy.
Viewers from Louis Rossman’s channel were sharing the video among their community, and
downvoting it.
Why exactly?
Well, here are a couple of the comments: “the bloke who makes these videos is an apple fanboy
- don't trust a word he says﻿” “This channel is paid by Apple”
I left out usernames from those comments because I don’t want those users to be attacked
by my viewers.
So please, let’s keep this discussion civil.
The problem was, when Louis Rossman himself respond to my video, he actually agreed with
the majority of the points I made.
And at the end of the video he said this: “[Greg’s video] is actually far more reasonable
than I thought it was going to be.
I was reading through a lot of the comments and things that people were sending me and
I really thought this was going to be something awful.
But the guy actually seems very reasonable in his approach.”
And when I left a comment thanking Rossman for responding to my video, one of his viewers
replied with this: “Dang didn't expect something like this, i thought it was another fanboy
channel but i got proved wrong.﻿”
And while I deeply respect this viewer for recognizing their own bias, I think that example
perfectly demonstrates how out of hand the Apple hate has become.
All it took was seeing the word “Apple” in my channel name for people to discredit
my videos, even though they probably hadn’t watch any of them.
But when they did, they found out I’m pretty fair and unbiased.
Which is a very similar circumstance as when Apple introduces a new product, and people
find a reason to hate it without actually using it.
After the original iPad was introduced, it received some of the most severe internet
backlash that I’d ever seen.
Even Apple users were dismissing the iPad as a pointless product.
Because after all, it’s just an oversized iPod touch, right?
And everything you do with an iPad can already be accomplished with your computer.
So why does the product even exist?
Well, the iPad went on to become one of the fastest selling products in Apple’s history,
has dominated the tablet market ever since, and is likely to replace tradition computers
in the near future.
So it’s almost as if Apple’s success is the reason why so many people hate them.
After all, back when I was in middle school the only really popular product Apple had
was the iPod.
And very few people were hating on Apple then compared to recent years.
In fact, I remember someone in high school telling me they don’t like Apple because
“they’re popular for no reason.”
Which is what’s referred to in economics as the Snob Effect.
Where individuals prefer to own something unique rather than something that’s popular,
even if the popular item has more practical value.
But things really start to get ugly when you combine this phenomenon with the platform
superiority complex.
When Android users believe Apple products are inferior, they assume Apple users are
unintelligent and uninformed.
Which is why when I Googled “Why do people prefer iPhone?”
This is the answer I got, “iPhone buyers are attracted to the Apple brand as a prestigious
status symbol or fashion accessory, for the same reasons people like Rolex watches or
Gucci bags.
The iPhone is a smart phone for dumb users.
The iPhone is supposed to be easy to use, so novices are attracted to it for that reason.”
And just to prove I’m not taking this quote out of context, let me explain it’s source.
Mike Elgan with Computerworld conducted an experiment where he asked his Android-loving
friends why they thought people bought iPhones.
And his question received over 500 responses.
Here were some of the most common: “The iPhone is a status symbol.”
“The iPhone is a smart phone for dumb users.”
“iPhone users are ignorant.”
“iPhone users are suckered in by skillful marketing.”
“iPhone users will buy anything Apple sells.”
And my personal favorite, “iPhone users don't like technology.”
These sentiments aren’t anything most Apple users online haven’t already heard, but
it’s worth pointing out how damaging it is to generalize a user base that’s made
up of hundreds of millions of people around the world.
The tech community shouldn’t be platform shaming one another.
Everyone has their own priorities when it comes to products and some devices fit people’s
needs better than others.
And the internet’s Apple hate echo chamber is having a detrimental effect on civilized
discussion across a number of websites, including here on YouTube.
I mean, have you noticed how many videos there are that feature titles like these:
Many of which are clearly clickbait to capitalize on the internet’s hatred toward Apple.
But most of those videos frame the argument completely wrong.
Just take a look at this clip [clip] He’s asking the question as if one product needs
to be better than the other.
But it’s like comparing apples and oranges, Macs are different from PCs.
And PCs are different from Macs.
They both have their place in the market and it’s unfair to say PCs are the best option
for everyone or vice versa.
But what really upsets me are how many YouTubers will simply criticize Apple and their users
for completely erroneous reasons.
[clip 2]
Now, there’s a couple problems with that clip.
He said iPhones are user friendly and easy to use while also saying he doesn’t understand
why anyone would buy one.
But more importantly I think criticizing any flagship smartphone, the iPhone especially,
for having cheap materials is simply wrong.
Aluminum and stainless steel aren’t cheap, and I think most people would agree that virtually
every flagship smartphone is designed to be premium with materials to match.
And even though this person is making some weak arguments, the video is almost ninety
percent upvoted.
If I ever made a video railing against Android users for owning a phone that has a completely
fragmented install base, a slow processor that hasn’t come close to the iPhone’s
for years, a mediocre design that pays little attention to detail, and suffers from feature
creep since every company is trying to claim their phone does the most things, then I would
be destroyed by the tech community and called an Apple sheep that’s been brainwashed by
slick marketing.
But that’s clearly not the case when someone unfairly bashes Apple.
So I guess it all come down to this: everyone has their own unique set of preferences and
priorities when deciding what kind of smartphone, computer, or tablet they want to buy.
And every platform has its own unique set of strengths and weaknesses.
And just because my set of priorities aren’t the same as yours doesn’t make me less intelligent
or less of a tech fan.
I value devices that have a clean, aesthetic industrial design that’s built around the
software it runs.
I value high power efficiency, ease of use and seamlessness between products.
I value devices that make my day to day life easier.
I’m not interested in removable storage or customizing my app icons or running video
game emulators or fiddling with advance notification settings.
I just want optimized devices that work seamlessly with each other exactly how I would expect
for the tasks I need without overcomplicating things.
And even if you’re the most vehement Apple hater, wouldn’t you agree that the iPhone,
iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch would best fit my needs?
On the other hand, if you prefer all the advantages of Android and don’t care about the benefits
of Apple’s ecosystem, then of course the iPhone wouldn’t be the right device for
you.
I know many people who switched from iPhone to Android and loved how much more they can
do with their phone.
And I think that’s a good thing.
But we also have to recognize that people switch from Android to iPhone and enjoy that
ecosystem more.
That doesn’t make them dumb or not true tech fans, it’s just what works best for
them.
So what if, instead of trashing someone who uses a different device, we celebrate others
for being part of the digital revolution that’s making our lives easier than ever and is evolving
faster than ever.
After all, this is the best time to be alive if you’re a tech fan.
We’re bound to see some of the most incredible breakthroughs in technology during our lifetimes
and I’d prefer us all to experience those exciting advancements as tech friends, rather
than platform enemies.
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Thanks for watching and I’ll see you next time.