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Count me in as someone who thinks the cult was a lot more significant back in the days when Apples products really kind of sucked (late 90s especially). If th

Count me in as someone who thinks the cult was a lot more significant back in the days when Apples products really kind of sucked (late 90s especially). If the iPhone is a cult it's bigger than Catholicism and almost as big as Islam. Most definitions of cult include that it's a relatively small group with a charismatic leader. Maybe in computer terms they were small and led by a charismatic leader (Jobs) back in the day, but when it's more like 1.5B people small doesn't really fit, and does Cook or anyone else really count as charismatic in the way Jobs was? Also funny from Doctorow, he always seems so into himself that you'd think he'd have been one of the mac cultists back in the day.

hbn 3y ago
I've witnessed cult-like behaviour in tech circles before, and it's always been from the underdogs. I used to frequent the Windows Phone subreddit in the OS's final days because most people paying attention got the signal that Microsoft was done with the platform, so what remained was absolute die-hards and they were fascinating to watch. They needed to constantly reassure each other that they were making the right decision by using a Windows Phone. They would brush off the app gap by acting like Instagram and Snapchat were just for stupid children, and their platform was better because it did the important things like Excel spreadsheets. They'd claim one of the few remaining phones - which was a bottom-of-the-barrel Nokia that could be purchased for something like $50 - was equal or better to the latest iPhone or Android flagships. It was a similar situation in the Blackberry subreddit too at the end of its life. The "losing team" feels the need to justify their side, whereas the "winning team" doesn't consider there to be a battle going on at all. I think there was certainly a point where Apple was the alternative choice and Apple users were acting like that, but these days most people buy Apple products because it's the default choice. The fanboys exist, but with how many users are out there, they're an overwhelming minority. Most people are just using the product they bought, and don't consider it to be a choice in a tech war.
deepfriedchokes 3y ago
A cult is just a religion where the founder hasn’t died yet, so technically Apple is no longer a cult.

hbn 3y ago

I've witnessed cult-like behaviour in tech circles before, and it's always been from the underdogs. I used to frequent the Windows Phone subreddit in the OS's final days because most people paying attention got the signal that Microsoft was done with the platform, so what remained was absolute die-hards and they were fascinating to watch. They needed to constantly reassure each other that they were making the right decision by using a Windows Phone. They would brush off the app gap by acting like Instagram and Snapchat were just for stupid children, and their platform was better because it did the important things like Excel spreadsheets. They'd claim one of the few remaining phones - which was a bottom-of-the-barrel Nokia that could be purchased for something like $50 - was equal or better to the latest iPhone or Android flagships. It was a similar situation in the Blackberry subreddit too at the end of its life. The "losing team" feels the need to justify their side, whereas the "winning team" doesn't consider there to be a battle going on at all. I think there was certainly a point where Apple was the alternative choice and Apple users were acting like that, but these days most people buy Apple products because it's the default choice. The fanboys exist, but with how many users are out there, they're an overwhelming minority. Most people are just using the product they bought, and don't consider it to be a choice in a tech war.

deepfriedchokes 3y ago

A cult is just a religion where the founder hasn’t died yet, so technically Apple is no longer a cult.