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How come only iPhone owners are 'sheeple'?

chambone said:
People that use these descriptions are often lonely guys fishing for reactions on internet forums, or bitter people that get angry because others enjoy using something that they don't like. Or want to like. Especially if it's something that's popular, like Apple's phones. So, I wouldn't take it too seriously. I mean, the Android following on phone forums is just as cult-like as far as I can see. And of course Samsung can make any ad they want. They copied the iphone and ipad, why not copy the ads as well, right? Too bad this particular ad is not very clever though.
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I've definitely noticed on tech forums that Android (or anti-Apple) posters oughtweigh Apple supporters by at least 3 to 1. You can have 10 people extoll the virtues of Android but if one person shows up with a pro-Apple POV they're immediately labeled isheep blindly following the cult of Steve Jobs. As if people who own Macs or iOS devices didn't have a choice to purchase something else. In this alternate reality people who purchase Android devices do so based on choice but those who use iOS devices do so because they don't know any better. :rolleyes:
 
fullygruntled said:
False. Android is on more phones but more IPhones are sold than Samsung. Saying Apple is not the perceived King of the smartphone market is crazy.
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Last quarter, when Apple had a record quarter, they sold 37M iPhones, and I believe Samsung sold 35M smartphones. So if Apple is selling more smartphones than Samsung it's not by much.
 
chambone said:
Irony, yep. Comparable to the Windows vs Mac thing. Die-hard users of the mediocre software Gates & Co have been crancking out for years, calling people that gave their choice of computer platform some actual thought sheep. Go figure.
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Sadly, there are childish and disrespectful people on both sides of the fence. I think it's broadly a case of people needing to grow up and learn some manners.
 
Rogifan said:
I've definitely noticed on tech forums that Android (or anti-Apple) posters oughtweigh Apple supporters by at least 3 to 1. You can have 10 people extoll the virtues of Android but if one person shows up with a pro-Apple POV they're immediately labeled isheep blindly following the cult of Steve Jobs.
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Got an example?
 
Rogifan said:
OK so Samsung has a new teaser ad out for their new Galaxy phone and of course they take a swipe Apple fans (in the form of sheep). This got me wondering, why is it just Apple fans to be considered 'sheeple' or part of a cult?
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The reason only iPhone fans are "sheeple" is because apple is selling all the devices they can possibly make and don't need to resort to name calling and negative advertising, whining about their competitors product to sell iPhones.
 
I think people get too wrapped up in comments. This board, and others like it, are the minority. The average consumer will buy what they want. If you stopped 10 people, and asked them if they knew what the sheep comment meant, they'd have no clue.

Same is true for Android. Take 10 people looking at Android phones, and you'll be lucky to find 1 of them touting the virtues of the phone's specs, and that it's running Vanilla ICS. The other 9 will say, "I like the color..." Or "The weather thingy is cool".

Personally, I think Samsung missed the boat on their own. They should focus on their product, and when they have one of their "Epic" launches, have the foolish phone ready immediately, or within the week. Not 2 - 3 months later. Because of this, they revert to making idiotic ads referring to customers as Sheep.
 
It all comes down to marketing. Apple is a genius when it comes to marketing. This is where the sheep thing comes in. In general people are suckers for really good advertising which Apple excels at.

Now I have both an iPhone, an iPad and a Android phone and I use them all. I know that the iPhone really doesn't have anything on Android except what it does, it does more elegantly than an Android phone. Out of the box an Android phone has more functionality but is not as "pretty" as the iPhone. The people who sling the "sheep" thing around also believe this and thus assume iPhone users are merely victims of a slick marketing campaign, which a lot are.
 
fullygruntled said:
It all comes down to marketing. Apple is a genius when it comes to marketing. This is where the sheep thing comes in. In general people are suckers for really good advertising which Apple excels at.

Now I have both an iPhone, an iPad and a Android phone and I use them all. I know that the iPhone really doesn't have anything on Android except what it does, it does more elegantly than an Android phone. Out of the box an Android phone has more functionality but is not as "pretty" as the iPhone. The people who sling the "sheep" thing around also believe this and thus assume iPhone users are merely victims of a slick marketing campaign, which a lot are.
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Pretty much this.

To add to that, I, personally, don't really care what people choose to use, but it becomes a problem when people blatantly lie or speak against other Apple fans who want to see Apple make improvements and changes... this is when the sheep label feels inevitable. To claim a product doesn't need improvement under the guise that it's already "perfect" or "it just works" is silly, and actually does disservice to all fans of the product. Everyone loses when there isn't intellectual honesty.
 
fullygruntled said:
It all comes down to marketing. Apple is a genius when it comes to marketing. This is where the sheep thing comes in. In general people are suckers for really good advertising which Apple excels at.

Now I have both an iPhone, an iPad and a Android phone and I use them all. I know that the iPhone really doesn't have anything on Android except what it does, it does more elegantly than an Android phone. Out of the box an Android phone has more functionality but is not as "pretty" as the iPhone. The people who sling the "sheep" thing around also believe this and thus assume iPhone users are merely victims of a slick marketing campaign, which a lot are.
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I think you're part way there with your assessment. These very people you refer to tend to be the people who can't or don't understand why someone may pick one device over another because of the way it looks and feels, and how it operates. I find they tend to think that how something looks and feels to use is of little consequence because they usually say that you can simply change it to make it look and feel the way you want it too, without considering that many people have no interest or desire in doing such a thing. They tend to think the specification of a device is the only way to measure the value of it, and that everyone else also uses the same metric when making a decision. As such, as Apple devices tend to have lower specifications, the only reason people buy them is because they are brainwashed "sheep". It's an incredibly simplistic and narrow minded way to view things I find.
 
Rogifan said:
How come only iPhone owners are 'sheeple'?
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They're not. Mistaken assumption. Fanboys exist in all camps and not just with smartphones.

"Sheeple" is a stereotype of Apple fans. It's like any other stereotype out there. Seeded in truth but not applicable across the board. Samsung's capitalizing on the stereotype because there's only ever one current iPhone model so all users are literally using the same device.

Rogifan said:
What is the point of Samsung's obsession with Apple?
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The iPhone is popular and ubiquitous. Same reason every smartphone is compared to the iPhone. Apple does have a lot of die hard enthusiasts. Any brand would love to have such customers.

Rogifan said:
Also I would argue people using iPhones are doing so moreso out of personal preference and choice than those who use Windows PC's (I know the only reason I use a Windows laptop is because of familiarity; it's the software I use at work every day).
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In any group people are selecting the option for different reasons. Citation or are you just assuming that your selection criteria are universal to all iPhone users?

Why worry over it? If you're happy with what you've selected then why do Samsung's ads matter to you? Use what you prefer. Why put any weight on any TV ad? They're all just ads.
 
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OF COURSE WE'RE SHEEP!

Samsung says so! Totally trustworthy, non-biased source!
 
Leonard1818 said:
Samsung would kill people for the cult-like following that Apple has. They would PAY MONEY to have it. That's a fact.
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YEah but what manufacture wouldnt kill to have a cult following?


The downside of that is that your fan boy/girls stand behind your products even when they flop.
 
kicko said:
YEah but what manufacture wouldnt kill to have a cult following?


The downside of that is that your fan boy/girls stand behind your products even when they flop.
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Your right, any company would. But when people line up 2days before launch, in the rain, for blocks, before even reading a review of the product willing to plop down $200-$400...well sheep comes to mind.
 
It's simple...

Many people feel the need to justify their decision to buy one brand over the other. Instead of just being able to accept that they found one phone works better for them while another phone may work better for others, they must go froward and try to prove how smart they are by showing that their phone (and thus their decision to buy it) is superior. Lacking any strong or credible arguments, they resort to name calling to try to prove their superiority.

It's as old as time itself, the only way some people can feel good about themselves is to try to make other looks bad.
 
Apple is the reason that Apple users are thought of as sheep. Apple marketing as created an aura of being in a cult, of thinking different, a new religion. There are folks out there that completely fall for this and you can hear some of their voices on these forums vs. those who only talk about technical comparisons that focus on the product/features/specs/UI itself.
 
fullygruntled said:
It all comes down to marketing. Apple is a genius when it comes to marketing. This is where the sheep thing comes in. In general people are suckers for really good advertising which Apple excels at.

Now I have both an iPhone, an iPad and a Android phone and I use them all. I know that the iPhone really doesn't have anything on Android except what it does, it does more elegantly than an Android phone. Out of the box an Android phone has more functionality but is not as "pretty" as the iPhone. The people who sling the "sheep" thing around also believe this and thus assume iPhone users are merely victims of a slick marketing campaign, which a lot are.
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If these same people don't consider themselves marketing victims, who are you to say they are? Some people insist on a slick and polished interface instead of something that looks like windows xp or linux, despite any extra functionality that android might have. In the end it's just a smartphone that needs to do smartphone stuff. Which iphones do pretty well. Only geeks on forums care about 'extra functionality'. That doesn't make everybody else a sheep.

I'll even go as far as to say that the only reason Android rivals iOS's market share is because iphones are more expensive than most android phones.
 
I personally can't help but LOL though based on my Verizon Samsung Galaxy S experience. What a FAIL of a phone. Samsung burned me (and my wife) on that POS... and to think, I could have just gotten us iPhone 4 models and been done with it...
 
Apple is the master of brand name marketing. Similar to say, Bose as an example. So many people when they buy or want a home theater, 1st thing comes to mind is Bose b/c of all the brand marketing they've done. When there are systems that are more than half the price of a Bose setup that make them sound like complete junk. Not saying Apple is junk, obviously lol, just using that as an example. Or takes Dr Dre's Beats line now, way way way over priced, yet look how many people buy them, even in airport you can see so many teens with Beats headphones, why, when there are others like Klipsch etc for far cheaper that sound way better. It's b/c of the brand name marketing "Beats" has.

You "brand" anything well and it will sell, and Apple has more blind followers then anybody which isn't a bad thing froma business sense. You know how many people have asked me what iPhone I have when it was my GSII lol.? I even had one of my employee's check it out and he said something along the lines of which iPhone is this with no button and screen layout?? Nevermind that the Samsung insignia is right there on the botton and what iPhone has capacitive buttons lol. That's brand marketing right there.

Those of us on forums like this are far in the minority as to tech knowledge, customizing etc. My sister didn't even know she could use folders on her 4.
 
Hmm.. I don't know. If I were in the market for a home theatre, Bose would be about the last brand that would come to mind. I don't think they have ever produced anything that sounds even remotely neutral. I think -and I realize it may sound sheepish- that Apple's marketing is aimed at customers new to Apple products. People familiar with Apple already know they make quality consumer electronics.

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SurferMan said:
I even had one of my employee's check it out and he said something along the lines of which iPhone is this with no button and screen layout?? Nevermind that the Samsung insignia is right there on the botton and what iPhone has capacitive buttons lol. That's brand marketing right there.
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Or maybe it's because Apple came up with the full-glass front touch screen concept. And Samsung copied them. So if your employee isn't into smartphones, everything is an iPhone.
 
chambone said:
If these same people don't consider themselves marketing victims, who are you to say they are?

I'll even go as far as to say that the only reason Android rivals iOS's market share is because iphones are more expensive than most android phones.
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Marketing victims don't consider themselves as victims. They are victims of ignorance in that they know nothing concerning alternatives.

I learned a long time ago that high price doesn't automatically mean "better".

Anything Monster comes to mind. http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/packing_the_deal/
 
chambone said:
Hmm.. I don't know. If I were in the market for a home theatre, Bose would be about the last brand that would come to mind. I don't think they have ever produced anything that sounds even remotely neutral. I think -and I realize it may sound sheepish- that Apple's marketing is aimed at customers new to Apple products. People familiar with Apple already know they make quality consumer electronics.

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Or maybe it's because Apple came up with the full-glass front touch screen concept. And Samsung copied them. So if your employee isn't into smartphones, everything is an iPhone.
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I think you kinda missed what I was saying. Or as another example, was in Petsmart this weekend and one of the Nutra reps was talking to me as they saw me buying their food. I got a text and when she saw the phone she said oh is that the iPhone (maybe in her 40's or so). There's a lot of people that just associate with iPhones even if they've never had one b/c Apple has it engraved in their head from all the marketing etc or all they ever hear people talk about.

Bose I just brought up, but you proved my point, those on forums (like you lol) are in the minority. I mean Bose has a Bose store in almost every mall here, they usually have the "spot" in retail spaces too. Plus all the Wave Radio commercials for years and years now. Majority of people don't know better. I'm big into home theatre and help neighbors and friends before when all they owned or wanted was Bose or didn't know anything at all and would ask what I thought of Bose, even had a buddy do a "media room" with a friggen Bose lifestyle setup lol. 1st thing, cube size speakers will never have full sound especially the muddy setup Bose has, look at Orb for cubes, little smaller and much cheaper but sounds 10X better than Bose. But people don't know Orb, as Bose has brand name marketing down-pat just like Apple and now you can add the Beats line to that.
 
This could be applied to any brand or OS whether it be on a mobile phone or computer. Unfortunately there are those people that will defend that product ot he death not matter what happens. I happen to own an iPhone, and am quite impressed with the iOS, but I will probably never buy another Apple product. I like my Windows OS as far as computers go..
 
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