4 ms·

The cult of mac is really interesting when you see it from a business perspective. It is similar to a religious cult in many respects - A sense of being superio

by mixmax 19y ago

The cult of mac is really interesting when you see it from a business perspective. It is similar to a religious cult in many respects - A sense of being superior to others, near-total devotion to their god (sorry, couldn't resist...), ,the constant need to tell the world that their way is the only right way. And they have a charismatic leader. This is what it is, and not all mac fans are like this - but many are. Whatever Apple puts on the market they will buy. And they will tell all their friends about it - whether they like it or not. This has to be one of the best marketing ploys ever deceived by man, Apple has thousands and thousands of fanatical marketing representatives in coffee shops all over the world who are ready to tell everyone of the superiority of the mac. I think that this cult is a primary success factor for Apple, evidenced by the fact that under Sculley's reign at Apple shares fell, and Apple wasn't cool. When Jobs came back he got the cult going again, and they are now heading for new heights. It's absolute marketing genius...

Tichy 19y ago
"And they will tell all their friends about it - whether they like it or not." LOL, especially the "whether they like it or not" part is so true ;-) I still think it is mostly cognitive dissonance ("I paid so much for this stuff, it has to be good or I'll look like an idiot").
tokipin 19y ago
one of maddox's classic articles: http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=macs_cant http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=macs_cant
m0nty 19y ago
"This is what it is, and not all mac fans are like this - but many are. Whatever Apple puts on the market they will buy." Same for Windows, Linux, etc. It used to amaze me the level of devotion to Acorn computers during the 90s, when they were sinking fast in terms of market share. It took years to convince my boss to buy PCs instead, despite Acorns often being 2x more expensive. I drive a car because it gets me from A to B. I use a Linux server because it's secure and doesn't eat resources. I do Windows consultancy because it pays the bills. I use a Mac because I like it and it's a productive environment. We should ignore the fan-boys because they'll never change, and articles like this one certainly won't change them.
ssharp 19y ago
Do you know what else was a "great marketing" ploy by Apple? Making products that were better than their competitors. Customer evangalists aren't created by a marketing team - they are created by making great products. Your cult references could be pretty much be applied to fans of anything: the Yankees, the Beatles, some restaurant, or even YCombinator. It's certainly not exlcusive to Apple.
- mixmax 19y ago
  No it's certainly not exclusive to Apple, and your examples of other instances of this phenomenon are good - My point is just how much they have perfected it.
  - mixmax 19y ago
    Oh - and look at the posts in relation to this post that got downmodded - what other company would be able to convince it's customers to actually start modding something that is the least bit negative about their product down? As I said - it's marketing genious.
    - chrisbroadfoot 19y ago
      Or genius.
- mattmaroon 19y ago
  Actually, it's both. They made some great products, and they cast themselves as a lifestyle rather than a brand. Others have done this, but Apple may have done it the best.

by mixmax 19y ago

Tichy 19y ago

"And they will tell all their friends about it - whether they like it or not." LOL, especially the "whether they like it or not" part is so true ;-) I still think it is mostly cognitive dissonance ("I paid so much for this stuff, it has to be good or I'll look like an idiot").

tokipin 19y ago

one of maddox's classic articles: http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=macs_cant http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=macs_cant

m0nty 19y ago

"This is what it is, and not all mac fans are like this - but many are. Whatever Apple puts on the market they will buy." Same for Windows, Linux, etc. It used to amaze me the level of devotion to Acorn computers during the 90s, when they were sinking fast in terms of market share. It took years to convince my boss to buy PCs instead, despite Acorns often being 2x more expensive. I drive a car because it gets me from A to B. I use a Linux server because it's secure and doesn't eat resources. I do Windows consultancy because it pays the bills. I use a Mac because I like it and it's a productive environment. We should ignore the fan-boys because they'll never change, and articles like this one certainly won't change them.

ssharp 19y ago

Do you know what else was a "great marketing" ploy by Apple? Making products that were better than their competitors. Customer evangalists aren't created by a marketing team - they are created by making great products. Your cult references could be pretty much be applied to fans of anything: the Yankees, the Beatles, some restaurant, or even YCombinator. It's certainly not exlcusive to Apple.

mixmax 19y ago
No it's certainly not exclusive to Apple, and your examples of other instances of this phenomenon are good - My point is just how much they have perfected it.
- mixmax 19y ago
  Oh - and look at the posts in relation to this post that got downmodded - what other company would be able to convince it's customers to actually start modding something that is the least bit negative about their product down? As I said - it's marketing genious.
  - chrisbroadfoot 19y ago
    Or genius.
mattmaroon 19y ago
Actually, it's both. They made some great products, and they cast themselves as a lifestyle rather than a brand. Others have done this, but Apple may have done it the best.