Anti-Apple: Has The Worm Turned?

30 Responses to “Anti-Apple: Has The Worm Turned?”

1. Ypulse
   Posted from: 63.247.129.32

   January 18th, 2005 at 11:17 am

   Ypulse Essentials

   Rolling Stone rejects bible ad (music mag cites an unwritten policy against accepting ads containing religious messages. The Onion will carry a similar ad next month. These ads are part of a $1 million campaign to reach young adults who…
2. Ypulse
   Posted from: 63.247.129.32

   January 18th, 2005 at 11:20 am

   Ypulse Essentials

   Rolling Stone rejects bible ad (music mag cites an unwritten policy against accepting ads containing religious messages. The Onion will carry a similar ad next month. These ads are part of a $1 million campaign to reach young adults who…
3. Simon King
   Posted from: 82.35.240.149

   January 19th, 2005 at 7:05 am

   Has the iPOD cost Apple its coolness?

   It looks like Apple is fast loosing its coolness. Once the preserve of design teams who would look down on the rest of the office for their use of dos based PC’s now the brand has taken an everyday presence on our high street.

   So much so that a recent press article offered suggestions for headphone alternatives to the white ones supplied with the iPODs so that people could not tell that it was an iPOD you were listening to.

   Does this happen to all brands which go from cult to mainstream?

   After all the fashion and design press who infuence the mass market have hyped the iPOD to such a degree that there’s nothing left to say about it. And these influencers are only influencers as long as they are introducing something new to their readers. When they stop their readers get bored and move onto another influencer.
4. Piers Fawkes
   Posted from: 83.238.15.201

   January 20th, 2005 at 4:35 am

   From New York Times

   The important feature of Apple’s new designs was the price, not design as something you could not live without but, paradoxically, design as something you might finally be able to live with. Does design, too, have to think different now? As Apple reaches for a mass market, as yet out of hand, is it dropping the ball on design?

   “The most affordable Mac ever,” Apple.com, the company’s online store, announced. And the iPod Shuffle was pictured next to a package of bubble gum, as though to suggest that at $99 you could stuff it into your mouth and chew it for a while, then spit it out when it lost its flavor.

   http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/20/garden/20appl.html?ex=1263963600&en=6368ee9bf47a7b85&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt
5. Piers Fawkes
   Posted from: 67.153.100.238

   January 24th, 2005 at 1:47 pm

   Is this the same Apple of “rip, mix, burn” and “think different” and “our company founders were once acid-dropping phone phreaks”?

   Annalee Newitz comment: http://www.alternet.org/columnists/story/21026/
6. Guy Brighton
   Posted from: 151.205.113.166

   January 30th, 2005 at 1:07 pm

   A dying breed - Apple’s helping hand (NY Times):

   http://news.agendainc.com/mt-agenda/content/archives/2005/01/a_dying_breed_a.html
7. Mary Jones
   Posted from: 151.205.113.166

   January 30th, 2005 at 8:28 pm

   You should check out this piece: Is iPod the Razor or the Blade?
   http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20050127.html
8. PSFK
   Posted from: 66.151.149.17

   January 31st, 2005 at 5:01 pm

   iHalo Update

   Business Week has just produced an analysis into how Apple plans to “keep the party going for its many partners.”
9. PSFK
   Posted from: 66.151.149.17

   February 9th, 2005 at 2:15 pm

   Sirius: Jobs Says No Radio iPod

   (But PSFK doesn’t believe him!) CNN reports that Mel Karmazin, the new CEO of Sirius Satellite Radio, speaking at a media conference in New York today said that having spoken to Apple, Steve Jobs current thinking is
10. Clue Giver
    Posted from: 68.146.189.151

    February 18th, 2005 at 4:32 pm

    Desperate nowhere wannabes like you perpetually try to shit on Apple and have since the beginning. But your no more significant than the flies circling an elephants ass hole. Just a mildly distracting 0.00001% than no one listens to or cares about. So try to whine about something that can get traction, or better still invent a new delusion, perhaps something people care about. Oh right, I forgot you can’t invent because you can’t develop an original thought form. Sad little puppy can only regurgitate other peoples bull shit, too bad.
11. Piers Fawkes
    Posted from: 67.153.100.238

    February 18th, 2005 at 4:58 pm

    An interesting opinion Mr/Ms Giver - but, we’re not trying to shit on Apple. We
    re trying to take a step back and see what’s going on. Pity you had to go on with such a dull rant, you started with an interesting point.
12. Andrew Bowman
    Posted from: 129.65.18.213

    February 18th, 2005 at 6:13 pm

    Just to clarify on that cheeky iProduct ad, the submitter of that image posted that he was making fun of extreme Apple evangelists (the zealot variety), not Apple products.

    Additionally, Gizmodo posted a rebuttal (http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/images/AppleHaters.gif) to that picture making fun of Apple haters.

    Just ensuring that your article is balanced.
13. Andrew Bowman
    Posted from: 129.65.18.213

    February 18th, 2005 at 6:16 pm

    The parenthesis messed up the url. Here’s the correct link:

    http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/images/AppleHaters.gif
14. Dave
    Posted from: 68.70.148.188

    February 19th, 2005 at 7:11 am

    Hmmmm… stock price up about 25% in 2005 with a split next Friday… both new hardware and both new software products seeling quite well… next version of OS X on schedule and out a year before MS will have their watered-down version of Longhorn out…

    Counter-balance that with one lawsuit against a 19 year old who they didn’t know was that age when they brought it up… oh wait, they put it on hold… oh wait, now two class actions… BUT ALL REALLY JUST BUSINESS AS USUAL FOR APPLE… by that I mean that we’ve seen Apple act like this and have these complaints against them many times before…

    Then there’s the competition… Napster? Lowest rated commercial of the Super Bowl and still an unknown in terms of a business model - oh, and like THEIR integrity and history are much “cooler” that Apple’s… Microsoft? Um, well, hey - they did FINALLY annnounce a beta will soon be coming for both Longhorn (forget about how many years overdue it already is) and IE (forget about how many years too - but why only for ZP SP2?) - oh, and like THEIR integiry and history are much “cooler” than Apple…

    Conclusion? Very very few people will agree with what you have to say.
15. Jose L. Hales-Garcia
    Posted from: 68.66.142.119

    February 19th, 2005 at 9:46 am

    So Apple will go down for being too concerned with security and Microsoft will go down for being too little concerned…

    http://www.vnunet.com/news/1161348
16. JT Barnhart
    Posted from: 4.30.32.7

    February 19th, 2005 at 2:16 pm

    Wow, Clue Giver needs to take some happy pills or something.

    Consumer cults are like religious cults and Mac has a pretty big one. Cult brands rarely survive the shift from cult to mainstreem. Apple is loseing it’s cool because it is going mainstreem. The mainstreem will never embrace the edge of anything. So if they want to grab the market they have to water down the product. I will hazard a guess that rabid Mac cult members are experiencing late stage cult things like; rise in “power/prestige” due to early adopter status and the compulsion to defend the cult they joined even if it now has gone sour since if they don’t they “look bad.” Pretty simple really. Mac has a cult of emotionally bonded people that were kind of counter-culture. Now that it is jumping to mainstreem the counter-culture folks are sort of displaced.

    I could rattle on but this stuff is fairly academic. See:

    Ryan Matthews and Watts Whacker
    http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/56/deviant.html

    George Gerbner
    http://www.utexas.edu/coc/journalism/SOURCE/j363/gerbner.html

    Matt Ragas
    http://hbswk.hbs.edu/pubitem.jhtml?id=3228&t=marketing

    Gale Group
    http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g2699/is_0004/ai_2699000433

    etc. etc. etc. No, seriously, it’s all related. I wrote a couple of academic papers on it.

    Apple has to lose it’s cool on some level because it’s market is no longer Gladwellian early adopters.

    Don’t drink the flavor-aid.
17. JT Barnhart
    Posted from: 4.30.32.7

    February 19th, 2005 at 7:18 pm

    I debated posting two times in a row but I’m not known for always knowing when to shut up.

    Dave, you are completely right. Even your conclusion. Problem is everything you said is exactly why people “should” agree but “won’t.”

    This is a shining example of why trend forecasting doesn’t work. People confuse it with trend watching.

    Man, you are so right on with your observations but a very (note lack of sarcasm) strong argument can be made that what you pointed out is exactly why Apple is/has lost it’s cool. Money, ratings, earnings…? Cool is only a popularity contest after the early adopters are finished with it. That is the stuff your dad cares about. Statistically speaking roughly 90% of all dads are not cool and 90% of all children at some point think they are cool.(”joking” and “not joking”)
    http://management.about.com/cs/generalmanagement/a/Pareto081202.htm

    The point is getting confused with Apple’s success and Apple’s cool. The success is the death of it’s “cool”, not the death of it’s NYSE score. Walmart, Starbucks, McDonalds; very successful, not very cool.
    http://www.mcspotlight.org/media/books/klein.html

    http://www.supersizeme.com/

    http://www.mcspotlight.org/media/books/schlosser.html

    http://starbucksgossip.typepad.com/

    Napster hasn’t been cool since people started going to jail for using it. Ad ratings? The fact that they had an ad during the super bowl is the biggest sign that they are not cool. The fact that it was the lowest rated… who cares. Unknown business model. So was assembly line production at one time.
    http://www.bergen.org/technology/indust.html

    The reason “cool hunters” have a job is because people are obsessed with numbers and “don’t get it.” Cool can be a science but marketing isn’t that science(dissention with Gladwell acknowledged, yeah, I am an anthropology guy). There is a hint here.
    http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cool/

    And I mean, “hint”. It is by no means a road map because Rushkoff doesn’t totally get it and even when it was current everyone who was paying attention already knew this stuff. “Cool” (I’m getting sick of that word) runs and hides at the first sign of pursuit.

    “Conclusion?”
    1.Dig a little deeper, Dave.
    2.Yeah Simon, things seem to suggest this does happen to all brands making the jump (but you knew that).
    3. Clue Giver is actually pretty funny and easily distracted since they clearly listenned to someone in the “mildly distracting 0.00001% than(sic) no one listens to or cares about.” and cared enough to get really upset and make a public fool of themself commenting about. Must have given away all their clues.
    4. I wish there was a better term than “cool hunting.”
    5. I am totally digressing.

    The point is that Guy is far more right than some folks are willing to give him credit for.

    I’m not trying to tear Dave down either. I mean, really, right on observations.I wouldn’t be surprised to learn you make a ton of money.

    Clue Giver, I am totally making fun of you and sincerely hope you are having a better day.

    If people want to keep going we can talk about Dee Dee Gordon, William Gibson, the differences that set the vital 10% apart and what those three things have to do with each other and Apple but,you know, whatever…

    Apple isn’t totally tired but it isn’t as cool as it used to be either. It is really starting to smell of fake authenticity.
    http://www.hermenaut.com/a5.shtml

    I guess I decided to rattle on after all. Sorry; too much coffee.
18. Dave
    Posted from: 68.70.148.188

    February 20th, 2005 at 12:00 am

    But you don’t get it either JT. It ain’t about being “cool” by your definition. It never was!

    Name me one time ever, one moment, when anybody anywhere went into business with the ONLY goal of being “cool”. After all, it’s a business! It’s about pleasing the stockholders, making profits, and - at it’s most idealistic - gainfully employing people and having them be happy working for you.

    Name me any industry…. any. Auto makers. Television. Journalism. Movies. Restaurants. Anything.

    The cycle goes from unknown to cult to trendy/cool to mainsteam to behind the times…. and back. The ONLY constant is can you make a buck.

    So first off, whether Apple remains the “coolest” or not - I won’t sweat it. Right now they make quality hardware - if a bit overpriced - interesting software and are about to release the best OS ever (I’ve been working with their seeds since early November).

    You know what JT? Somehow I think Apple doesn’t care much about being “cool” either. Hell, I’m guessing they never did. By that I mean if you only think they STARTING to smell of fake authenticity then you need to wise up some.

    My only other point I hoped to make in my earlier comment was this… if Apple is no longer “cool”, who replaces them? Microsoft? Napster? Sony? Sun? Nah. Besides, by time the MSM starts calling something “cool” it’s usually an indication that the moment has long since passed.

    Okay - one last point. The post is titled “Anti-Apple: Has the Worm Turned?”

    Um, wazzat? Name me one thing - ONE THING - to indicate anything truly “anti” or that their fortunes have really turned. Losing their “coolness”? ROFL…. only the supermarket rags would use that as a reason for saying such a thing.

    Which is better for the majority of people - being the “cool” cult thing or making a product the the masses want (even if it means that cult no longer has the passion)? Anyone who really believes that anything written in this post matters at all is living in a fantasy world. Period.
19. Dave
    Posted from: 68.70.148.188

    February 20th, 2005 at 12:07 am

    Sorry, I posted too quick. JT, I didn’t take any offense whatsoever by your words. I hope that comes across. What provokked my first comment was the fact that while ClueGiver represents the worst annd most immature of the Apple users out there, Piers replied as to say he’d be willing to listen to something a bit more coherent and logical.

    Read the original post. It spoke of “image”, but oddly enough, NOT ONCE was the word “cool” used.
20. JT Barnhart
    Posted from: 67.176.233.202

    February 20th, 2005 at 11:26 am

    You have to admit though the more you read Clue Giver’s comment the funnier it gets. I mean that cat was really fired up. Now imagine Steve Jobs writing it. lol

    I picked up the specific word “cool” from Simon’s comment (and ran with it:) I think Simon was pinging on Apple’s tack at capitalizng on their off beat image. That image is a hallmark of cult branding.

    I still hope to make clear that your business evaluation was really not refutable as I see it.

    I think a goofy flamer is really what really lead to all that.

    Agreed, no one ever set out to only be cool but it is a well knonw means to an end.I would differ on the point that lots of companies have set out to build cult brands. The hope is that cults have smaller but way more loyal market support. Cult brands often make less money but weather econonmic hard times very well. Apple and Harley Davidson are the most often sited. There is an industry based on that. I believe industries in general mostly happen due to market forces and innovation. I also believe the cool/cult thing is what leads to things the mainstream wants and gets. There is an industry based on that too. Cult brands often have the freedom to innovate becuase their fans are more loyal. Cult branding is one way to break into niche markets and locked up crowded industries. Virgin Air, Saturn, Jones Soda, Jet Blue, Muji on and on. Setting out to take major market share is not something Apple could do if it hadn’t maintaned cult status. Innovation built the IPod. Non one needed the damn things until Apple convinced the mainstreem they were, well, cool.

    Agreed, that isn’t what you were talking about.

    This is the mark of the digital medium. Lack of real time communication, back channel feedback, and that oh so critical 90% or so non-verbal stuff we supposedly do.

    For the record; I was being nice, Apple reeks of fake authenticity and has for quite some time. I agree with Clue Giver. Apple is a big smelly elephant with flies on it’s bum. Hahaha I still want one and I still can’t afford it. Er… a Mac, not a smelly elephant.
21. Guy Brighton
    Posted from: 151.205.187.187

    February 20th, 2005 at 4:51 pm

    “Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round heads in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status-quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them. But the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

    –”Think Different”, Apple Computers Advertisement
22. digital_femme
    Posted from: 66.69.158.69

    February 21st, 2005 at 6:30 pm

    Apple loose it’s ‘coolness’? Apple, just becoming another mainstream mass ‘object d’arts’? I THINK NOT.
    I’d like to think that not only has APPLE succeeded time and time again in ‘raising the bar’ of aesthetic design - in the beauty and functionality of their simplicity, but that the world is finally catching up on understanding the GENIUS behind the product philosophy. I’d like to think that the masses are FINALLY waking up to the NOW.
23. digital femme
    Posted from: 66.69.158.69

    February 21st, 2005 at 6:31 pm

    Apple loose it’s ‘coolness’? Apple, just becoming another mainstream mass ‘object d’arts’? I THINK NOT.
    I’d like to think that not only has APPLE succeeded time and time again in ‘raising the bar’ of aesthetic design - in the beauty and functionality of their simplicity, but that the world is finally catching up on understanding the GENIUS behind the product philosophy. I’d like to think that the masses are FINALLY waking up to the NOW.
24. Piers Fawkes
    Posted from: 141.149.35.84

    February 22nd, 2005 at 8:29 am

    From Near-Near:

    The Unauthorized U2 vs. Negativland iPod Special Edition, take 2
    06:09 AM activism

    Back in December, Francis Hwang offered the Unauthorized iPod U2 vs. Negativland Special Edition up for auction on eBay. The auction was taken down when Apple complained that this auction was a violation of its intellectual property. eBay did not require Apple to explain precisely how Hwang’s parody was an infringement, and to this day his emails to Apple asking for an explanation have received no response.

    box-front[1].jpg

    Hwang has decided to offer the item up for auction on his own website, believing that the parody is a legitimate exercise of his free speech rights, and that any claims Apple might make as to
    infringement are entirely baseless.

    The auction will be up until March 14, 12:p.m.

    http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/004615.php
25. Guy Brighton
    Posted from: 67.153.100.238

    February 24th, 2005 at 10:52 am

    OK guys. So if there’s not a “shift in opinion against Apple” as some of you commenters claim - then how come folk are making anti-Apple movies like this??

    http://www.theroyalwe.org/royal_we_1984.mov
26. Guy Brighton
    Posted from: 67.153.100.238

    February 25th, 2005 at 4:39 pm

    And more poor behaviour from Apple maybe:

    Apple Computer Inc. is under investigation by the European Commission for charging more in Britain for iTunes than it does in France or Germany, a spokesman for the EU executive has said

    http://today.reuters.co.uk/News/NewsArticle.aspx?type=internetNews&storyID=2005-02-24T174610Z_01_BEL463900_RTRIDST_0_OUKIN-TECH-IPOD-EU.XML
27. Marketing eYe blog
    Posted from: 72.9.234.70

    March 11th, 2005 at 10:52 am

    The Myth of “Cool”

    … Somehow, from
    “a cool product may be unpopular”
    people have moved on to
    “unless the product is unpopular it cannot be cool” …
28. Piers Fawkes
    Posted from: 67.153.100.238

    March 17th, 2005 at 3:44 pm

    I hate to go on about this, but how many news articles can there be about bad-Apple these days:

    How Apple lost its groove
    The Guardian
    http://money.guardian.co.uk/businessnews/story/0,1265,-1438431,00.html
29. PSFK
    Posted from: 66.151.149.17

    April 12th, 2005 at 11:17 am

    Bloggers Unite Against Apple

    Groups working to protect journalists’ press freedoms, the creator of a blog-search tool, weblog publishers, and dozens of individual online journalist/bloggers filed a friend-of-the-court brief (PDF) on April 11
30. PSFK
    Posted from: 66.151.149.17

    April 12th, 2005 at 12:44 pm

    Bloggers Unite Against Apple

    Groups working to protect journalists’ press freedoms, the creator of a blog-search tool, weblog publishers, and dozens of individual online journalist/bloggers filed a friend-of-the-court brief (PDF) on April 11

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