Ology is a suffix denoting a field of study or academic discipline. Appleologists, as mentioned in Ars Technica, would be people who study the Apple field. Contrary to logic and belief, there are many who could fit this description.
As the buzz about Macworld 2008, Apple’s annual party, grows to a crescendo, the air is filled with speculation about what new products will be announced. After all, the iPhone was born a year ago. What will this year be?
The latest hype in the ‘Apple media’ is about the first posters to be put up at the conference venue in San Francisco. It says: ‘2008 There is something in the air’. What could that refer to? Could the new laptops to be announced be so light they could float? Images of ‘Float like a butterfly’ by Muhammad Ali come to mind.
It’s possibly another fabulous handheld device that’s a cross between a PDA, a phone, a movie-viewing device, a sound machine, and a camera. You know what I mean, right?
Or maybe it has more to do with wireless technology and convergence. And remember that if you get convergence right, you have the right to call it Convergence 2.0. Surely as silly as Web 2.0. After all, everything is a progression. Moving on, I’ve ranted about it before.
Apple has perfected the art of generating buzz and excitement. Just think of the rent a crowd staff whose sole purpose, apparently at the time, was to applaud shoppers for their iPhone purchase during launch weekend. Never mind the people who lined up outside the store doors all night enjoying their moment in the limelight.
On the other hand, of course, it could be an American thing: all the fuss, rah-rah, and the obsession of “having to be the first to buy the device.” IPhones haven’t been selling that well in the UK. I’d hazard a guess that the Brits are spoiled with their speed of mobile internet access and non-Apple junkies weren’t as keen to downgrade for an original toy.
Having been an Apple junkie since 1996, that OS did it for me after DOS, I’m getting the buzz and enjoying the speculation. I go to Apple’s website to see the latest ‘I’m a Mac, I’m a PC’ TV commercials. Pathetic I know.
It has been many times that I have wondered how a company, like Apple, could foster such incredible loyalty from its customers. I have never met anyone who values their PC the way Mac owners value their computers. Each of my Macs has had a name, after all, my computer is my friend. Ok, worse than pathetic.
The question I ask myself from time to time is at what stage does the company go from being loved to being tolerated and finally to being hated. For me, Google is a company that is beginning to go through these stages. Google’s position among its consumers was pretty good until about a year ago.
Slowly but surely the mood and sentiment have begun to shift away from the universal love vibe to one of slight mistrust and caution. At what point will mistrust turn into something stronger?
Does it have something to do with the size of the company? People may start to dislike a company when it is making huge profits. Nobody notices young children and what they do. Distrust and disgust may arise when the company appears to use shady business ethics. They could also be signs of consumer concern if the company is a monopoly. This could be why Microsoft doesn’t like it. And if you don’t dislike him, you certainly aren’t loved.
I’ve noticed for a while now that Apple is starting to head toward the tolerated stage in the love cycle. There are more articles against Apple than before. People in general, whether on blogs or in discussions, are starting to whisper about Apple.
Apple has been doing strange things lately. Consumers have not been so happy that the iPhone comes with a mandatory service provider contract. Then Apple cut $ 200 off the iPhone not even three months after its launch.
And then Leopard, the new operating system, is doing strange things on a nearby Mac. In other words, contrary to Apple’s promises to just plug and play, Leopard is not performing well.
Is Apple starting to become a bully because it can afford it? Maybe it’s no longer the rebellious kid on the block who makes wonderful tools and toys. Of course, he’s had his share of Edsels as well. Time will tell. Meanwhile, I wonder what is in the air.