Why people "hate" Apple

[inkswamp]

My perspective might shed some light on the matter although it's going to seriously date me.

I was a computer geek back when Apple first made a splash with the original Mac. For a lot of hardcore geeks back then, it was seen as a joke, a fashion statement, an underpowered/overpriced toy and not a serious computer (sound familiar?) I remember lots of computer guys back then literally laughing it off and scoffing at the cute UI and mouse. Me? I wasn't turning in my command line geek credentials quite yet (never really have) but I found the Mac intriguing.

As time has rolled on, it's become apparent to everyone on the planet that the cute little computer with the UI and the mouse was a harbinger of something enormous and changed everything. But the resentment from a lot of geeks from way back has lingered on in a lasting disgust with anything Apple does. Some of those geeks no doubt hate the fact that they were not only wrong about the Mac but hugely, massively, insanely wrong about it.

The reason they didn't scoff when Windows came along and copied Mac? Well, because that had DOS running underneath it (i.e., a real computing environment) and was able to run on PCs, not just confined to those cute little toy boxes Apple was making.

For whatever reason, that attitude has been passed along to new generations of computer geeks who apparently think real geek cred comes from hating Apple just like the old-timers do.

I've never completely understood it and I suspect a lot of the Apple haters don't either. They just know what they've been told--that Apple is not a real computer company. Apple doesn't cater to geeks so everything Apple does is to be mocked, shunned and kept at arm's-length.

 

[Savor]

Perhaps because some people don't like to get led onto things like FULL HD becomes "RETINA HD" and all the magical inventions Apple likes to come up with. Perhaps some people don't like getting spoonfed all the time.

Perhaps Apple should stop focusing on their bottom line and stop worrying so much about their patents by suing everyone. Maybe they can start focusing on innovation again. Not on just playing catch up with one killer *cough* "new" hardware feature once a year. They were years ahead of the game. Now other competitors matured and Apple is now doing some of the copying.

 

[inkswamp]

Perhaps because some people don't like to get led onto things like FULL HD becomes "RETINA HD" and all the magical inventions Apple likes to come up with. Perhaps some people don't like getting spoonfed all the time.

Perhaps Apple should stop focusing on their bottom line and stop worrying so much about their patents by suing everyone. Maybe they can start focusing on innovation again. Not on just playing catch up with one killer *cough* "new" hardware feature once a year. They were years ahead of the game. Now other competitors matured and Apple is now doing some of the copying.

You do realize, of course, that people have been saying those exact things about Apple over the entire course of their existence, right? I mean, did you really just become one more person to regurgitate all those old talking points about Apple yet again?

Apple has always been playing catch up. Apple has always been about marketing over innovation. Apple has always had underpowered hardware. Apple has always sued instead of innovating. Apple has always been trying to reclaim their former glory. Apple has always been copying their competitors who have matured past them.

People were saying that about the Mac back when Windows 95 came out. They were saying that about the iPod when the Zune and all those long-forgotten would-be iPod killers emerged. They've been saying that about the iPhone and iPad although they don't seem to be hurting for sales.

You should really ask yourself why you perceive Apple that way when those things have always been said about them. Always.

If any of that were true, Apple would have been dead and buried in the 90s. But here we are.

 

[saab9573]

why do people hate Apple?

because they can't afford their products and have to settle for cheaper knock offs!

 

[dmccloud]

Really? They weren't saying that after Mac/iPhone/iPad, etc. Apple's released a ton of innovate products over the years. If anything, they've been the ones pushing innovation in a variety of industries, but then a trend happens... they stagnate. They wall things up. And everyone else takes their innovation and improves upon it, adding to it, and introducing new products and form factors.

What happened in the 80's/90's is happening again right now, only Windows has been replaced by Google. Not saying this as a hater - I still love Apple products, they just can't keep resting on their laurels, they should be pushing the industry forwards with things like flexible screens and the like, (although who knows if they're working on things like this behind the scenes - I hope they are).

Every single time Apple has released a new product in the last 25 years, there have been articles written in droves saying that the new product would be a failure. Hell, there were people predicting the "iWatch" would be a flop before Apple even officially announced it. The iPhone was too expensive and limited to be successful, the iPad would fail because nobody could sell a lot of tablets, the MacBook Air would fail because netbooks in general sucked. Let's not forget that the move to USB with the original iMac doomed Apple, as did removing the optical drive from the MBA, then Mac Mini, and then the Retina MacBook Pro.

What Apple does best is create a new product for a fledgling market and do it better than everyone else at the time. That's what made the iPhone, iPad, and MBA such success stories. They then build on that in successive generations. The innovations don't come from redesigning things from scratch, but from redesigning components. Switching to Retina displays in the iPhone and later the iPad was a big one, as was opening iOS to third-party app developers. Apple Pay, Handoff, and Continuity are innovations that nobody else is doing, at least not in the manner Apple has. Like Phil Schiller said at the Apple Keynote in 2013, "Can't innovate anymore my ass!"

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Perhaps because some people don't like to get led onto things like FULL HD becomes "RETINA HD" and all the magical inventions Apple likes to come up with. Perhaps some people don't like getting spoonfed all the time.

Perhaps Apple should stop focusing on their bottom line and stop worrying so much about their patents by suing everyone. Maybe they can start focusing on innovation again. Not on just playing catch up with one killer *cough* "new" hardware feature once a year. They were years ahead of the game. Now other competitors matured and Apple is now doing some of the copying.

Two completely different things. "Full HD" refers to screen resolution and has no impact on pixel density. "Retina HD" refers to a display whose pixels are indistinguishable at a normal viewing distance (the retina part) AND a display whose resolution is considered High Definition based on the NUMBER of pixels (hence "HD"). The rest of your post is just ignorant of reality.

 

[ravinder08]

why do people hate Apple?

because they can't afford their products and have to settle for cheaper knock offs!

This ^^^

 

[Phil A.]

I wouldn't consider myself a fan of any manufacturer of consumer goods - I use the best product for my purposes: I had every iPhone from the original to the 4s, but when the 5 was released I didn't like the form factor so I switched to an Android phone where I've been for 2 years.

However, when the 6 was released I decided I liked it enough to consider iOS again and after researching it I ordered an iPhone 6 that is being delivered today.

Same sort of thing with my computers - I use a mix of Windows and OS X machines depending on what I'm doing (Windows for windows development, OS X for LAMP type stuff)

Fan is short for fanatic and I personally just can't see myself as fanatical about something which is ultimately a tool to make my life easier

 

[BvizioN]

Why people "hate" Apple

I am more interested to know why are they attracted to Apple fan based sites?

 

[NovemberWhiskey]

Exactly what does Google have now that Apple does not as an "innovative" feature?

I would have bought into that when Android had LTE, large screens, and the notification bar advantages, but I would say Apple is on par now, and on top with iMessage, Handoff, TouchID, etc.

Once Apple Pay takes off, I really don't see Android holding a candle to Apple for everyday use.

If you want to flash ROMS, Kernels, etc., then I would say you have a lot more to play with on Android. I did that for years. And in the end, it still left me wanting for a nice unified inbox like Mail. The Android alternatives are absurdly bad.

And please don't brag about widgets. That was one of the main features I was excited about in Android, only to be horribly let down by something that is always freezing (unless you checked the developer option for always-on, which drained the battery), and requires you to open the app to use anyways. I completely understand why Apple stuck with icons.

 

[SolarShane]

Apple makes most of their money on hardware, google sells nexus hardware close to cost because they make money on software and your information, I don't have any illusions about apple though, they're not good either.

Also apple is not my beloved, I'm no fanboy, only have their phone, I'm also trying to decide between an android or iphone as my next upgrade, both are evil to an extent, considering they both had involvement with prism, I definitely understand that friend.

I don't guess this post was too off topic, apologies if it was.

To me, you did sound like a fanboy. However, thanks for clarifying

Its good to acknowledge that both companies aren't "good".


If you want customizability and automaton, go for Android along with the Tasker app. If you want polish and simplicity, go with iOS. Just use what is best for you.


For the topic: I just dislike Apple because of their Nazi-like control. (I do like their hardware though.)

 

[Phil A.]

Exactly what does Google have now that Apple does not as an "innovative" feature?

I would have bought into that when Android had LTE, large screens, and the notification bar advantages, but I would say Apple is on par now, and on top with iMessage, Handoff, TouchID, etc.

Once Apple Pay takes off, I really don't see Android holding a candle to Apple for everyday use.

If you want to flash ROMS, Kernels, etc., then I would say you have a lot more to play with on Android. I did that for years. And in the end, it still left me wanting for a nice unified inbox like Mail. The Android alternatives are absurdly bad.

And please don't brag about widgets. That was one of the main features I was excited about in Android, only to be horribly let down by something that is always freezing (unless you checked the developer option for always-on, which drained the battery), and requires you to open the app to use anyways. I completely understand why Apple stuck with icons.

One thing the Android UI has that's better than iOS IMO is the separation of the app drawer (i.e. all apps) and customisable home screens with icons where you want them.

With iOS the only option is broadly equivalent to the App drawer. It's more a minor annoyance than a big issue but it would definitely improve iOS IMO if you had more control over the home screens

 

[irnchriz]

I don't feel that Apple has really brought anything new as much as refined existing ideas. This is what I appreciate about Apple software and products. They are not perfect nor are they the cheapest for what they do but its an impressive ecosystem and for me better than the alternatives out there.

I don't try to persuade my friends to get Apple kit and I never force customers to buy Apple over Windows unless it suits their purpose and will bring benefits to them (We have a selection of loaner Macs which allow the clients to 'play; in a live environment). We often have to discourage clients from heading down the Apple path where it would be detrimental to their workflow even if it is what they desire.

People have irrational fears and hatred of many things, Apple is not the first and won't be the last of those. There is also nothing worse than the evangelist either

 

[CEmajr]

(Posted in another thread but buried immediately as page flipped)



Why the hate?

From an outsider's perspective, Apple isn't bringing anything new to the table anymore. It's just one, big, walled ecosystem. (Fingerprint ID was a nice addition though, yet the added bezel trade-off won't fly long-term when the goal is to continuously maximize screen-size and shrink these).

Remember, the majority of Android users were most likely at one point, part of the initial iPhone user base, coming from flip-phones, music phones, and the like - and only shifted their loyalties from Apple once Apple stopped with the innovation while Google and other hardware makers have continued to experiment.

Personally, I've gone from Apple, to Android and the Note series, to the Blackberry Passport, because those were the avenues which offered what I was looking for - bigger screens, stylus options, customization, security, etc.

As a former fan, it's not that I'm mad at iPhone users for liking iPhones, they're still premium/quality products - I'm mad at Apple for resting on their laurels, seemingly too worried that they'll screw things up by being innovative, that they don't even bother. I'm mad at iPhone users for accepting this mediocrity, when Apple could, and should, be pushing the smartphone industry further into the future, and not playing catch-up.

Obvious flame post but I'll reply anyway.

First, most Android users WERE NOT part of the initial iPhone launch or even the iPhone 3G. Check your numbers and your history. The first couple iPhone models sold far less than what iPhones sell today and it was also AT&T exclusive, putting itself out of reach of many consumers on the market. Most Android users came from Blackberry, Nokia, and other flip phones because Android built its reputation off being a cheaper alternative to the iPhone that was good enough at a time when one needed to be in an expensive contract with AT&T just to have one. Common fallacy to assume the original iPhone was this huge seller that captured over 50% of the market or something. So there was no 'innovation stoppage' and great shift from iPhone to Android, it was "I can't/don't want/can't afford to go to AT&T and Sprint/Verizon/T-Mobile are offering Androids that are similar to the iPhone for a cheaper price.

Now for the classic and endless debate on innovation, I'd like to know what you consider innovation that the others have brought. Apple has brought iPod, iPhone, iPad, and now Apple Watch. None of these products were the first of their kind, all were doubted by many and claimed to have high failure potential when they were debuted, yet all went on to become massive successes that have been slavishly copied by other companies (Apple Watch still yet unproven). So from what I'm seeing it seems to be the competition who has an innovation problem.

Where's the game changing product from Google, from Microsoft, from Blackberry, from Samsung? If Apple Watch takes off then it's just another "innovation" notch for Apple as Samsung and others have tried and failed several times over already. Apple Pay is already poised to become much bigger than Google Wallet ever was.

So to me it seems that you're equating being "first" with innovation as Apple is almost never the first to do something. I'm far more impressed with Apple than the competition as they don't necessarily do it "first", they do it "right". Look at MP3 players before iPod, smartphones before iPhone, tablets before iPad, "netbooks" before MBA, fingerprint readers before and even after Touch ID. Apple Pay and Apple Watch are poised to do the same in their respective categories. Just more of getting it right by Apple.

But if you're all about having the highest spec count on your sheet, or having the absolute latest tech, even though it's sloppily implemented, then by all means Android is for you and hopefully you stay there.

 

[bandrews]

OK, everybody shut up and read this:

iPod Launch on MacRumors

Some favourite posts:

iCan't believe it!
It's now at the online Apple Store!

$400 for an Mp3 Player!

I'd call it the Cube 2.0 as it wont sell, and be killed off in a short time...and it's not really functional.

Uuhh Steve, can I have a PDA now?

All that hype for an MP3 player? Break-thru digital device? The Reality Distiortion Field™ is starting to warp Steve's mind if he thinks for one second that this thing is gonna take off.

I said the Cube was overpriced and should cost $1200, this piece of Sh... should cost no more than $90.

Apple is selling a bunch of overpriced things like the TiBook that won't be resellable for more than $1300 in less than 6 month because it is not upgredable.

This iPod is for spoil rich kids with insane parents or an Apple fan as fannatic as a Taliban. It has good features but forget about getting it for $399!!!! Never, who gets that thing is a very stupid person.

Steve Jobs is under terrible consuling or is under too much pot. This propusal is not realistic at all. If Apple does something like this again is going down.

This unit may work for an audio engeneer to record some conference or rock band on the field in place of buying a expensive DAT machine, that is the only real good market this machinne is gonna have.

I have no use for an Mp3 player.

My house has a CD player.
My car has a CD player.
My Mac has a CD player

I don't use headphones.

The iPod requires me to change my lifestyle to meet it's needs...

I need round holes, not square holes.

For $99 I might buy the toy, for $399? Why?

Doesn't a Mac with a CDR undermine the need for most of this? All that's left is the number of songs you can play and the ability to listen to all of them with headphones anywhere. Do I really need ALL my songs ALL the time?

uhm, no.

Won't last. Another Cube.

There will always be people saying "Apple doesn't innovate anymore" and "but this thing does more for less money". The bigger they get, the more vocal the dissenters.

 

[BvizioN]

None of these products were the first of their kind, all were doubted by many and claimed to have high failure potential when they were debuted, yet all went on to become massive.

I am slightly curious to know what products where the iPhone kind or the iPad kind before they came out? And surly home you don't mean concepts/mock ups and such but you mean an actual smartphone or tablet with multi touch screen and OS optimised for multi touch interface.

Yes, I know mp3 players existed before iPad and lots of smart watches before the Watch.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

First, most Android users WERE NOT part of the initial iPhone launch or even the iPhone 3G. Check your numbers and your history. The first couple iPhone models sold far less than what iPhones sell today and it was also AT&T exclusive, putting itself out of reach of many consumers on the market. Most Android users came from Blackberry, Nokia, and other flip phones because Android built its reputation off being a cheaper alternative to the iPhone that was good enough at a time when one needed to be in an expensive contract with AT&T just to have one. Common fallacy to assume the original iPhone was this huge seller that captured over 50% of the market or something. So there was no 'innovation stoppage' and great shift from iPhone to Android, it was "I can't/don't want/can't afford to go to AT&T and Sprint/Verizon/T-Mobile are offering Androids that are similar to the iPhone for a cheaper price.

Now for the classic and endless debate on innovation, I'd like to know what you consider innovation that the others have brought. Apple has brought iPod, iPhone, iPad, and now Apple Watch. None of these products were the first of their kind, all were doubted by many and claimed to have high failure potential when they were debuted, yet all went on to become massive successes that have been slavishly copied by other companies (Apple Watch still yet unproven). So from what I'm seeing it seems to be the competition who has an innovation problem.

Where's the game changing product from Google, from Microsoft, from Blackberry, from Samsung? If Apple Watch takes off then it's just another "innovation" notch for Apple as Samsung and others have tried and failed several times over already. Apple Pay is already poised to become much bigger than Google Wallet ever was.

So to me it seems that you're equating being "first" with innovation as Apple is almost never the first to do something. I'm far more impressed with Apple than the competition as they don't necessarily do it "first", they do it "right". Look at MP3 players before iPod, smartphones before iPhone, tablets before iPad, "netbooks" before MBA, fingerprint readers before and even after Touch ID. Apple Pay and Apple Watch are poised to do the same in their respective categories. Just more of getting it right by Apple.

This is very well put in that it highlights that what Apple have done, they've done it well even if they were not the first to implement the features in some cases. For all the criticism they get they are still the most talked about company in the mobile sector and even their closest competitors have to use insinuations or name drop when marketing in recent weeks. If Apple were not doing well and applying innovations correctly, then the people who buy their products would be buying elsewhere.

Apple sell the experience to go along with some pretty impressively designed hardware, whereas Android tends to offer a free skinned interface with much of the emphasis on the hardware. Its not all about spec sheets, but have a device that works well. The iPhone might appear to be behind much of the competition on paper, but you get a very different message when the devices are used and how responsive the platform is IMO. I think its all down to personal choice and I am in no way offended or angry if my family and friends use Android or Windows phone. It shouldn't be anybody else's business really.

 

[moogoos]

Another stupid apple or droid thread. The phones aren't the problem, people that start threads like this are.

 

[Alameda]

AppleHate goes way, way back. It was there in 1984, with the Mac vs IBM, which became Mac vs Windows, and is now iOS vs Android.

In my experience, the true hate is two-pronged: DOS/Windows was genuinely harder to use. Macintosh was a serious job threat to IT people and others who considered their computer skills to be job skills. And a lot of people couldn't afford Macs, which used to be seriously expensive.

Much later, when Al Gore made an environmental movie, a large group of conservatives decided to hate Apple.

On the phone side, I don't really understand it.

 

[deviant]

Hate.. lol. People exaggerate everything nowadays.. I mean, people call cheeseburgers AMAZING and AWESOME.

Anyway, in real life the only people i know that HATE apple are either poor (and can't accept it) or cheap folks. The people that prefer not buying sony/panasonic/lg/samsung TVs but something like .. "haier" or "united". The same people who prefer buying 10 pairs of chinese cheap earplugs instead of buying 1 time a good pair of sennheiser earplugs..
My grandma always said "I'm not that rich to buy cheap stuff". I live by that and it has never betrayed me.

 

[RickInHouston]

Perceived arrogance of the company.

 

[treefella]

I like my I phone

 

[Hoppimike]

If I'm honest... I think that it's mainly the following things but of course not all of them will apply to all Apple haters:

- The more "closed" approach that Apple has. That can make some techy users feel limited and frustrated.

- The level of confidence and a feeling of "ego" in Apple's presentations and overall presentation of themselves as a company

- Jealousy. I think they see the high price tags and know that they can't afford them regardless, and so they pretend they don't want them.

- The fact that Apple are so popular, despite not always having the highest specs or the most features (I think this baffles a lot of people, or they put it down to fashion and nothing else)


Maybe more. But as an ex-Apple hater myself I think this hits most of them on the head!

 

[ZBoater]

I think some of the perceived arrogance comes from Apple design decisions where for the sake of simplicity they implement some "features" that are just boneheaded.

iPod photo cache and the downsampling of images loaded onto iOS devices. I've got 30GB of wasted SSD space on my MBA because of this, and if I delete it I need to resync my entire library to change 1 picture. So in wanting to help me they decide what's best for me (downsample) without giving me a choice. Because most people are too stupid to choose so they choose for us. Reminds me of the Meryl Streep character in the Giver.

"If you give people the ability to choose, they choose wrong."

That's what I don't like about Apple.

 

[sinsin07]

(Posted in another thread but buried immediately as page flipped)

Why the hate?

From an outsider's perspective, Apple isn't bringing anything new to the table anymore. It's just one, big, walled ecosystem. (Fingerprint ID was a nice addition though, yet the added bezel trade-off won't fly long-term when the goal is to continuously maximize screen-size and shrink these).

Remember, the majority of Android users were most likely at one point, part of the initial iPhone user base, coming from flip-phones, music phones, and the like - and only shifted their loyalties from Apple once Apple stopped with the innovation while Google and other hardware makers have continued to experiment.

Personally, I've gone from Apple, to Android and the Note series, to the Blackberry Passport, because those were the avenues which offered what I was looking for - bigger screens, stylus options, customization, security, etc.

As a former fan, it's not that I'm mad at iPhone users for liking iPhones, they're still premium/quality products - I'm mad at Apple for resting on their laurels, seemingly too worried that they'll screw things up by being innovative, that they don't even bother. I'm mad at iPhone users for accepting this mediocrity, when Apple could, and should, be pushing the smartphone industry further into the future, and not playing catch-up.

Based on your other threads you started since you joined your sincerity is doubtful.

You appear to be more about stirring up trouble.

There's a word for it but I'm not allowed to use it.

 

[Surf Monkey]

why do people hate Apple?

because they can't afford their products and have to settle for cheaper knock offs!

Odd though considering that Apple started out as "the computer for the rest of us."