On Scoble vs. Apple vs. The World

Ok, so you’ve probably read about Robert Scoble’s recent outburst over Apple and their support, thanks to Fake Steve drawing attention to his post. Engadget’s Ryan Block has a good counter point to Scoble’s arguments, but putting aside the more contentious points of what Scoble was saying, one thing that comes across from his grievances is the continued misperception people have about Apple and the mac community.

Robert complained that his Apple experiences were not those portrayed by Apple ads and the general Mac community, but the problem is, he goes immediately on the defensive and rather than reach out to the community for help, he pre-emptively scolds them for being blind to Apple’s faults. The problems he and his son are having with their laptops are unfortunate certainly, but they are not the norm for ownership of an Apple product. It is a pain when it happens, but technology in all it’s forms bites you at some stage or another. I have certainly had my share of bad luck with various pieces of technology over the years but I never see it as a reason to lambast a company because of my bad luck, or assume all the good press about that company is just a massive conspiracy by religious toting fanboys. But like I said, many people’s experiences of Apple technology is positive, I know mine certainly is, but unfortunately anyone who suggests this is immediately labelled as a fanboy and written off. So it’s a no win situation really, when your mind is already made up, you will certainly colour your experiences to justify your preconceptions.

To be honest, it would be easy to bash Robert for some of the things he said (and I’m not trying to, honestly), but that would just be playing into the stereo type. Computers do break from time to time and it can be very frustrating. It some times seems to that when one thing develops a fault, then suddenly everything goes wrong. Murphy’s law as it were (is that just an Irish saying or is that known everywhere?)

It’s unfair to just blame Robert Scoble for this too, because this happens allot with people who have always been sceptical of Apple products, then when they switch to the mac, they seem to have far more problems than anyone else, and suddenly the rest of us are deluded because we never seem to have problems. There certainly are some crazy people who act like religious zealots when you question Apple in anyway (God knows I’ve been accused of all sorts for daring to question Apple), but this is a phenomenon that seems to affect all walks of technology. The “xbots” for example are just as zealous if not more so. What really annoys me though, is if you’re giving out about mac fanboys, while writing off the whole apple experience and those who use them because of a stereotype that is simply not true, then you are just as guilty of fanaticism as those you complain about. The irony is if people like Scoble reached out to the mac community rather than give out about them he’d find people would bend over backwards to help him.

So Robert, if you’re reading this rather than write an inflammatory blog post try going on some Apple forums and ask for help. You’ll be amazed at the level of support you will get. Hell, email me, and I’ll do my best to help you, but this blaming the mac community and Apple for some bad luck that frankly effects everyone now and again, and really isn’t the norm for Apple products (and I’m not just saying that- I’ve owned numerous macs and have had very few issues) is just going to piss people off and further the stereo types on both sides of the fence.

On a side point, why do people take Apple ads so seriously. I mean, you don’t hear people going on a big long rant because pepsi really isn’t better than coke, or that they found a battery that lasts longer than duracell ? Commercials are designed to sell a product not be a bastion of truth and honesty. Apple’s commercials work so well because they play up the stereo types of the computer industry. This is a common advertising tactic, and is not meant to be taken seriously. I really don’t know why I even have to write this but some people seem to take everything the see on tv literally.

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