Why is Apple so despised?
a) They are far too successful.
b) They sell expensive products.
c) They make products that are too easy to use.
According to John Martellaro, the answer is C, by removing complexity from its products. Apple has made lots of enemies.
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When it comes to creating products that other people use, complexity has its benefits for the creator and for others in its ecosphere. Complexity bestows power, control and financial opportunity.
Apple removes complexity, and that creates havoc in certain circles.
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Martellaro went to explain his theory by suggesting the geeky brigades lose a sense of identity when complexity is removed from PCs:
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Even though we’re well into the post-PC era, there are strong and complex forces of the PC era that linger. A whole industry was built up to support the complexity of Windows-based PCs. There are small PC repair shops that can eradicate viruses — for a fee. There are Microsoft (MSFT_) Certified Professional classes.
Most important, there are intelligent people who have the time and patience to master the complexities of the PC and can make a decent living writing helpful articles in major PC publications.
The cult of the nerd arose, and there has been honour, prestige and profit when it comes to revealing the mystery of PCs.
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To drive home his point, Martellaro quoted Bill Palmer, who said:
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…most tech journalists despise Apple. In their minds, Apple makes products for the mainstream at the expense of the geeks, and so the geeks (and by extension tech journalists) mostly see Apple as an enemy threatening their way of life. It’s why they cling to [a] geekier platform like Android…”
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I totally agree with everything these guys said. Anti-Apple commentators quickly point to Android’s customisation feature and other complexities as the reason why it’s better than iOS. Very rarely do you read that ‘easy of use’ as deciding factor.
But the good news for Apple fans is that most folks just want devices that “just works”, which is what Apple does best. The only problem here is that these regular folks don’t comment on tech blogs to express their views. Nevertheless, Apple is reaping reward for getting rid of complexity by becoming the highest cap tech company in the world. And long may this continue.