Too many people hate Apple for no reason

[iHorseHead]

I'm just amazed that I saw a YouTube poll asking which company produces the best computers. I started to read comments and people were hating on Apple for no reason at all and saying that "iSheeps" are paying twice as much for Macs and you cannot do anything practical on a Mac (Of course they did not even bring one example what they mean by that). I'm more stunned that there were people praising HP computers.
HP is the worst manufacturer I know of. Their motherboards constantly fry. Even my mom's HP motherboard just fried twice. She's not a heavy user and keeps her laptop on the table. I remember this so well, because she started crying and it broke my heart. It wasn't a cheap laptop either. It was more expensive than a MacBook Air.
Just bringing it up, because I use Visual Studio Code, Xcode and have tabs on Safari open all the time and it has not crashed in a long time. It used to Kernel Panic on Big Sur, but not ever since I upgraded.
Sure, Macs have their cons sometimes, but well…My work HP EliteBook has 16GB of Ram and I had Remote Desktop, RDP, Word, WordPad,NotePad, Chrome, Firefox opened with a couple of tabs and this thing was loud. The fans were crazy. Anyway, it was laggy and it crashed eventually.
Not sure why people hate on Macs and iPhone users that much to call us names. It's weird. Another weird trend I've noticed is people hate on Safari. Especially "web developers" on Reddit. I wholehharthethly disagree that Safari is the new IE.

I was thinking about it and I can't understand people who bring Apple up everywhere they can and they just bash it to death and call Apple users stupid.
A friend of mine hates Apple, yet when I show her what you can do on a Mac she's always amazed. For example you can take a photo on Pages document. Believe it or not this is one of the best features yet. You can't really do this on Word and Android.

So what is it with people that are constantly bashing Apple? I can see them everywhere, especially online, but also in real life, but the Apple haters I know in real life can't really use Apple products. They don't know how to eject USB, how to take a screenshot on an iPhone and many other basic things. But online? I watch a commercial on Samsung phone and there I see comments bashing Apple. The gentlest ones being: "I dropped my Samsung phone, but it's fine. iPhone would've been broken". I've dropped my iPhone 12 mini several times and it still looks fine to me. Not even a scratch. I use a case though. Also, good PCs are in Macs price range and yes, I've seen many PCs cost over $1000 and yet they have 8GB of ram etc… Most PCs nowadays look like iBooks and if you get lucky, PowerBooks.

Rant over.

 

[Mr.Blacky]

Herd mentality 🤷‍♂️

 

[Analog Kid]

When Microsoft stood astride the world, people complained about it. Sometimes for good reason, sometimes because they were an easy target. A lot of times it’s just because people get their identities wrapped up in the products they use and those they look askanse at.

 

[TechRunner]

My wife is one. She can't articulate why, she just doesn't like anything Apple. At one job she got stuck with an iPhone as her work device, and she loathed it, and it's only gotten worse from there. So I have to keep her stocked in Android phones and tablets and Windows laptops. Me, I'm more platform agnostic, and prefer the "I buy the device that works best for my needs/makes the most financial sense" approach. But she'll never get there...

 

[romanof]

It has nothing to do with Apple directly. Those on top of the heap will always draw criticism from a large portion of those who can't make the climb. I saw it with IBM way back in the 60's and 70s. Same exact rants - too expensive, customers are sheep, they are an evil self-sustaining monopoly, etc, etc. The difference is that back then the raving was in industry mags and newsletters and invisible to the ordinary person. Now the Internet allows every wacko to reach your screen with his/her useless opinion.

Technology changes. Human nature doesn't.

 

[Expos of 1969]

It has nothing to do with Apple directly. Those on top of the heap will always draw criticism from a large portion of those who can't make the climb. I saw it with IBM way back in the 60's and 70s. Same exact rants - too expensive, customers are sheep, they are an evil self-sustaining monopoly, etc, etc. The difference is that back then the raving was in industry mags and newsletters and invisible to the ordinary person. Now the Internet allows every wacko to reach your screen with his/her useless opinion.

Technology changes. Human nature doesn't.

You just reached my screen...

 

[theluggage]

Not sure why people hate on Macs and iPhone users that much to call us names. It's weird. Another weird trend I've noticed is people hate on Safari. Especially "web developers" on Reddit. I wholehharthethly disagree that Safari is the new IE.

On that specific point: Safari is a pain for web developers now the rest of the world are almost exclusively using Chromium-based browsers (with a tiny fraction using Firefox which is very standards-compliant and well documented). True, it's nothing like the old days of IE trying to pull an "embrace, extend and extinguish" on web standards - its more subtle things like the way mobile safari takes over things like drop-downs and combo-boxes and replaces them with iOS-style controls whether you like it or not. Apple also dragged their feet on things like standardised multi=touch support. Frankly, web development could be a lot simpler if everybody just gave in and standardised on Chromium (the open source part of Chrome and Edge).

Otherwise, sorry, speaking as someone who once received a Hard Stare from Sir Clive Sinclair for laughing at a ZX80*, this has been going since the 1980s since kids were going around high street stores and typing:

10 PRINT "THE COMMODORE VIC IS RUBBISH"
20 GOTO 10

...on the display machines.

(* In my defence, a: I was a teenager and b: it was my first sight of a real ZX80 and it really did look like a cheap 1/2 scale plastic model of the picture in the adverts).

People invest a lot of time (and money) learning to use a particular system and the differences between (say) iOS and Android or MacOS and Windows can be really annoying at first - it's human nature to rationalise that as the other system being somehow defective.

Then you really can't get around the issue that Apple stuff is expensive. That doesn't mean it is bad value for money, but "value for money" depends largely on what you need and value. If you just want email, web and office tools then a $400 windows laptop will do the job perfectly well and Apple simply doesn't offer that. The fact that you could edit 4k video on a $1000 MacBook Air is pretty irrelevant if you don't need to do that.

Likewise, although I use Macs, iPad and an AppleTV - so I hardly have an irrational grudge against Apple - I wouldn't touch an iPhone with a bargepole. I have a $200 Android phone that does everything I want from a phone in terms of email, text, web browsing, maps & navigation, taking quick snapshots and (although this is a bit of a weird kink) making and receiving "phone calls". Paying twice as much for an iPhone SE would be - for me - a complete waste of money, whatever the specs. Plus, Android was the first to offer some useful features such as customised home screens and widgets - although these have since been tucked on to iOS.

Meanwhile, Apple are their own worst enemy, with things like the $1000 display stand, $700 wheels or the $20 cleaning cloth which are really just pure greed - even if they shouldn't be a major factor in serious buying decisions they are bound to attract bad publicity and (quite deserved) ridicule.

So I have to keep her stocked in Android phones and tablets and Windows laptops.

...and if she's familiar, happy and productive with those, what's the problem and who has the irrational hatred?

 

[BenTrovato]

What does "too many" mean exactly? What's the acceptable number of people to hate the largest market cap company in the world? Lots of people seem to love Apple, they're doing really well.

 

[boss.king]

There are morons on all sides. Some people blindly hate Apple, some blindly defend them, it really isn't worth your time trying to understand why either of them do what they do.

 

[Bustermd]

Meh. Blind hate and blind love are both silly.

Computers, phones, earbuds, etc are all just tools. Some people tie up their self identity in their "stuff", and that will never change. Whether its clothes, cars, electronics, collectables, etc.

I believe in using what works best for you. For me its mostly Apple stuff, for other people it may be other stuff. Nothing good or bad in either approach. Unfortunately the internet tends to polarize opinion and tends to amplify the squeakiest wheels.

 

[AlumaMac]

There are morons on all sides. Some people blindly hate Apple, some blindly defend them, it really isn't worth your time trying to understand why either of them do what they do.

This.

Also, I’d have to say the blind hate for Apple has definitely diminished compared to the 90’s and early 2000s. That was a brutal time to be an Apple fan.

 

[allan.nyholm]

You can also count on this never ending. I get a whole lot of pushback from friends about my choice of computer and phone. Simple things is said; On a screenshot of the Desktop "what's that - that doesn't look good" Why is this and why is that so and so. And the classics "Get a real computer" "I hope you see the light one day and buy a Windows PC - the best computer operating system"

shrugs and meh's for the next 50 years

I feel more at home with macOS and iOS than Windows and Android.

Watch the OSNews website's comment section and the owner often comments on the stories he picks himself with snarky remarks on Apple and its eco-system.

This gets tiresome. As if we lack more opposites in the world - religion and tech-wise. Only thing I hate on is the Linux world. But that's only because they can't get the contents of the inside of their rectal canal together.

 

[theluggage]

I saw it with IBM way back in the 60's and 70s. Same exact rants - too expensive, customers are sheep, they are an evil self-sustaining monopoly, etc, etc.

Ever stop to think that there may have been some truth to those criticisms (such as a litany of antitrust cases, often successful or at least forcing a settlement) ?

The IBM PC was a bog standard 8086 system (Intel's pseudo-16 bit upgrade of the 8080, originally intended as a placeholder while they worked on their real 16/32 bit chip) running a clone of the same CP/M OS originally developed for the Altair etc. Other 8086 DOS machines were available and 68000 machines that ran clean 32-bit code were becoming affordable - 8086's so-called "real mode" and concepts like "near" and "far" pointers would be a problem for decades to come. It was a solid machine for the time, but the only innovative thing about it was that it had "IBM" written on the front in large, friendly letters and was sold to conservative corporations by the same guys in smart suits that already sold them mainframes and typewriters, rather than suspicious hackers in turtlenecks who couldn't speak corporatese. The popular saying at the time was "Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM"... so, sheep in suits (probably pure wool), then.

Sure, the IBM was an "open system" - but only by IBM's own restrictive standards - in that anybody could sell software or expansion cards. C.f. the already booming industry selling third-party hardware and software for Apple, Tandy, Commodore, CP/M etc. You couldn't make a full IBM Compatible without IBM's proprietary BIOS. What "democratised" the PC industry was not the IBM PC, but companies like Phoenix who found a legally defensible way of cloning the IBM BIOS.

 

[Mousse]

I don't think it's hatred of Apple that drives those folks. It's the hatred of Apple fanbois and their arrogance/snobbery looking down on Windows/Android. Much like the gatekeeper vegans ruining people perception of vegans. I met quite a few normal vegan. They don't give a rat's (_!_) about the animals or the environment, they eat plants based diet for health reason.

This.

Also, I’d have to say the blind hate for Apple has definitely diminished compared to the 90’s and early 2000s. That was a brutal time to be an Apple fan.

Nah. People had a valid reason to hate Apple in the 90's. Gawd every machine had a different model number based on RAM/HD/Processor configuration. I was an Apple specialist tech back then and hated working on any model Performa. One more thing, Classic MacOS was a haven for viruses, worms and trojans. Security through obscurity my (_!_).

The move to OSX was the best move Apple ever made. The second best was ending the cloning business. *IF* you run OSX on a non Mac without issue, the clone makers would build a truly modular rig that runs circles around Apple's best offering.

 

[TechRunner]

...and if she's familiar, happy and productive with those, what's the problem and who has the irrational hatred?

Your reading/context comprehension is a bit off, my friend. Did you miss the part where I said I was platform agnostic? Did you note the Dell XPS 9510 (Windows 11) and Pixel 3aXL (Android 12; haven't used an iPhone since my 3GS, but don't dislike them) in my signature? I have zero hatred for any platform/OS. I even enjoy dabbling in Linux on occasion. I encourage her to use what she likes, as I do the same.

Have a nice weekend!

 

[iStorm]

...and saying that "iSheeps" are paying twice as much for Macs...

I'm not an Apple hater, but I have to agree with this statement somewhat. I mean, there is a reason why Apple charges $400 for a height adjustable stand for the Studio Display, or $1000 for the Pro Stand, or $400 for the wheels to put on a Mac Pro. The nano-texture glass on the Pro Display XDR is an extra $1000, but it's only $300 extra on the Studio Display. Apple knows they are overpriced, but that people will still buy them and defend their pricing. Because of this, things sometimes get priced higher than they should be, making it harder for "non-sheep" to get and enjoy. The Polishing Cloth is another example. It's just a piece of cloth with an Apple logo, and people were clamoring for it.

On a similar note, I love people bragging about their products...that they got the large SS or Titanium Apple Watch, or they have the iPhone PM, or they maxed out the specs on their Mac. Don't get me wrong, some people truly do want or need these products and that is completely fine; but I feel a lot just get them as a status symbols even though it is overkill for their needs. No one really cares what they have. If they have friends that do, then I feel bad for them. Or they could just be clueless on what the best product for them is.

An actual conversation with my friend while back:
Him: I got the new iPhone Pro, but I don't really like it.
Me: Why's that?
Him: It's heavier and there's not much different than my old phone.
Me: Ok, you have more lenses now. Do you use the camera at least?
Him: No, not really.
Me: Well, what about ProMotion? Do you like that?
Him: What's ProMotion?
Me: Nevermind...why did you get the Pro then?
Him: I don't know.
Me: Here, check out my phone (non-pro).
Him: Oh, I like this...

Needless to say, his next iPhone was the regular one.

 

[theluggage]

Did you miss the part where I said I was platform agnostic?

A claim which is contradicted by your implied criticism of your wife's preference for Windows (unless she's trying to edit ProRes, develop Apps for iOS or one of the other fairly small subset of activities for which not using a Mac would be cumbersome and irrational).

If you meant to write that "people have preferences - that's fine" then I withdraw my comment, but that's really not how it read.

I even enjoy dabbling in Linux on occasion.

Thing is, some of us enjoy dabbling with different systems and learning their peculiarities. Other people in this world just want to get the job done the way they know how and as cheaply as possible.

 

[AlumaMac]

Nah. People had a valid reason to hate Apple in the 90's. Gawd every machine had a different model number based on RAM/HD/Processor configuration. I was an Apple specialist tech back then and hated working on any model Performa. One more thing, Classic MacOS was a haven for viruses, worms and trojans. Security through obscurity my (_!_).

The move to OSX was the best move Apple ever made. The second best was ending the cloning business. *IF* you run OSX on a non Mac without issue, the clone makers would build a truly modular rig that runs circles around Apple's best offering.

I don't disagree that Apples product line was a mess in the 90s or that OS X was the right path for Apple. I was referring to people who blindly hated Apple and called them 'toy computers' and 'useless' yet had never actually used one. Not to mention them ignoring the fact that major industries relied on Macs everyday (publishing, science, etc.).

 

[TechRunner]

A claim which is contradicted by your implied criticism of your wife's preference for Windows (unless she's trying to edit ProRes, develop Apps for iOS or one of the other fairly small subset of activities for which not using a Mac would be cumbersome and irrational).

If you meant to write that "people have preferences - that's fine" then I withdraw my comment, but that's really not how it read.


Thing is, some of us enjoy dabbling with different systems and learning their peculiarities. Other people in this world just want to get the job done the way they know how and as cheaply as possible.

Sadly, I meant to imply no criticism of Windows or of my wife's preferences. Like I said, I think you got the context of my comment wrong. After rereading it, I can see how you might come to the conclusion you did. As I figured, a misunderstanding. I appreciate your intelligent commentary on this and other content here on MR.

As an aside, I was part of the Windows 10 Insider program, and I actually like the direction Microsoft is heading with 11.
Again, have a good weekend!

 

[Mousse]

I don't disagree that Apples product line was a mess in the 90s or that OS X was the right path for Apple. I was referring to people who blindly hated Apple and called them 'toy computers' and 'useless' yet had never actually used one. Not to mention them ignoring the fact that major industries relied on Macs everyday (publishing, science, etc.).

A big part of that was propaganda back in the day: PC = business, Mac = artsy fartsy. The amount of FUD thrown around by back then...😖
I was a hardcore Mac fan in the 2000's or as I like to call it, the Naughties. I lost interest after Apple started prioritizing form over function. They've regained my interest with the latest batch of thicker (thicc😁) MacBooks.

 

[Fred Zed]

Herd mentality 🤷‍♂️

Yep, a bit like what's going on right now.

 

[theluggage]

A big part of that was propaganda back in the day: PC = business, Mac = artsy fartsy. The amount of FUD thrown around by back then...?

There was an element of truth to that too: in the late 80s/90s the Mac (esp. the Mac II and successors) pretty much pioneered the use of personal computers for things like desktop publishing, photo manipulation, audio and video editing which the PC hardware of the day simply couldn't hack - but they were complete overkill and too expensive for basic word processing, spreadsheets and database work and while there was good general business/productivity software, anything specialist in that field would typically be PC only. Also - with classic MacOS - Mac development was quite hard, complex work esp. for "boring" applications where a simple text-mode display on the PC - something which didn't really exist on the Mac - would suffice.

Also, 90s Macs couldn't (easily) use cheap parallel PC printers (although they could very elegantly share $10,000 laser printers, they used different protocols to PCs), needed expensive SCSI hard drives (vs. cheap IDE drives in PCs), different models of things like Zip drives, at one stage couldn't run "standard" VGA/SVGA displays, needed different mice and keyboards, and even the serial ports were not bog-standard RS232 but kinda-sorta-almost-compatible RS423 that (at the very least) needed a different modem cable. All soluble, but often needing some annoying extra bit of software or hardware. So, in organisations with 90% PCs apart from the art department (who probably ended up with their own shadow support network) and the Boss who insisted on a PowerBook, those pesky Macs could be a thorn in the side of your hard press IT tech. Things got a lot (potentially) better with the iMac, USB and OS X.

(Heck, I didn't much like Classic MacOS and only really converted when Macs were running Unix).

...and of course, later on, Apple didn't exactly build bridges with the "I'm a Mac" campaign. Especially in here the UK versions, where they picked an established comedy duo where the "Mac Guy" often portrayed the snarky, less sympathetic character (and, anyway, explicitly knocking the opposition in adverts Just Isn't Cricket this side of the pond).

 

[Jeven Stobs]

TL;DR
It’s easier to hate than to like.
It’s easier to repeat than to think.
It’s easier to follow than to lead.

There are numerous reasons why people can legitimately dislike Apple, for example for their lacklustre quality control regarding their hard- and software. Their prices, looking at the SD, original HomePod and other products, are very high compared to other vendors, too, especially in some markets.
But to flat out hate Apple is very narrow minded.
For me it’s Apple over anything, but not at any price and with any feature set. I don’t need a “Pro” tablet with a smartphone OS. I don’t like my “Pro” notebook with a failing keyboard, screen and other hardware, or that it runs buggy software that shouldn’t be expected at such high prices.
I also don’t like their marketing where anyone is attractive, happy and wealthy. That’s not representing the reality but a fantasy, and for a company claiming to know people, and once having “Think Different” as their slogan, this is unacceptable. Everything has to be perfect in their presentations and ads, I can’t stand it anymore.
But it’s still all better than their competition.

 

[Random_Matt]

I can build a top, top-spec rig for less money. Most hate comes from this I guess.

 

[planteater]

I suspect it's not so much the company and products, rather the clique that adores them. Personally, I'd be just as happy having my devises concealed so I can just enjoy macOS and iOS in peace. I mean, there were, or perhaps still are, iPhone cases with cutouts designed to show the log. WTF?