It is with some resentment that I write this opinion piece. The editors asked for a follow-up to the recent blog I posted about the iPhone 6 after some readers wrote in to express their dismay at being labelled "simple-minded sheep".
I had anticipated a backlash. Criticising or poking fun at Apple is akin to poking a sleeping bear with a dagger – it unleashes a level of fury that most would display only to protect their offspring, not a gadget.
Many demanded an apology, others said they would boycott The National. One man requested I never write about technology again.
The offended parties were all men; none of the complainants were women. Are certain men just more sensitive when it comes to technology? Do they lack humour? Or do they simply have too much time on their hands? Or perhaps the men who came forward proved perfectly the point I was making – unable to comprehend the concept of an opinion piece. Because that’s what it was – my own opinion, not a social experiment theorised in a science journal.
I am proud that The National provides a platform for its journalists to air their views. Instances of honesty should be welcomed, not rejected and replaced with an apology.
Just like a controversial piece of art, not every op-ed or blog is intended to please its audience (yes, I did just compare my blog to a piece of art). But to be so offended by an opinion centred on a device? Really? Take a step back and readdress the priorities in your life. You have allowed material possessions to define your being.
Go for a walk, experience nature, perhaps a bit of spirituality. Then ask yourself why you want the latest iPhone.
Apple’s iPhones are handsome devices, with a beautiful user interface and some impressive features. But what they have in looks they lack in technological prowess, resulting in a mediocre experience and a horribly fugacious battery life.
The Copenhagen-based research firm Strand Consult has likened Apple obsession to Stockholm Syndrome. The iPhone, the firm says, “has had a number of technological shortcomings that many iPhone users have accepted and defended, despite those shortcomings resulting in limitations in iPhone users’ daily lives ... In reality the iPhone is surrounded by a multitude of people, media and companies that are happy to bend the truth to defend the product they have purchased from Apple”.
There are a host of devices that provide a better and more imaginative experience. The BlackBerry Passport is the best for work, typing and battery life. Sony’s Xperia Z3 has the best camera. LG’s G3 has the best screen to watch movies on. Samsung’s Note 4 provides the best work/play combo and the HTC One (M8) – well, that’s just a thing of beauty.
If you enjoy the Apple experience and can’t be bothered to experiment and transfer to a different operating system, fair enough. Life can be a hassle; sometimes it’s best to just keep things simple. I get it.
Some, however, will just opt for what seems to be the most common option. And these are the customers that Apple thrives on, because the company listens to its customers only when things go wrong – Bendgate for example, or when they convert iPhones to iPods.
Unlike other companies, Apple does not bother with focus groups. This strategy may have worked when Steve Jobs (a man who was a genius at perfecting existing technologies) was heading up the company, but who is Tim Cook to tell you that you have no idea what you want?
It is arrogant for a company to ignore the wants and desires of its users. It’s like going to a restaurant where they serve you grilled lamb chops because that’s what the chef insists you want. What if you only wanted a salad?
But this is a strategy that Apple fanatics have favoured, the ones who breathe in the company’s slick marketing and actually believe it all. At a press conference in Dubai in September, Apple’s former chief executive John Sculley described Apple as being “as much a cult as it is a company”.
thamid@thenational.ae
Triska Hamid's original post on the iPhone 6 can be read here
