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Apple's most valuable intangible asset isn't its patents or copyrights - it's an army of people who believe that using products from a $2.89 trillion multinational makes them members of an oppressed religious minority whose identity is coterminal with the interests of Apple's shareholders.
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If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/12/youre-holding-it-wrong/#if-dishwashers-were-iphones
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@pluralistic@mamot.fr The sad thing is that I agree with most of your criticisms, but when you veer off into calling Apple customers cultists … you just lose me.
People just want nice things.
Should they care more about repairability? Should we regulate abusive monopolies? Yes, of course.
But people don’t buy Apple products because of a reality distortion field. They buy Apple products because they’re nicer.
@Chrisdowney@mstdn.social I can only assume that you haven't read the parts of this post where I identify specific cult-like behavior.
@pluralistic@mamot.fr I just think that’s your interpretation of the behavior. The “Steve Jobs reality distortion field” was a term invented by people who just didn’t see the value in what Apple had made.
Don’t get me wrong, I love your writing, and agree with many of your points. Just seems to me that this focus on Apple being a cult detracts from the real issue which is that they are an abusive monopoly.