Fans Or Fanatics?

[brock2621]

I've been on here for quite some time now and have noticed a very real mindset taking place unfortunately. My business partner wrote this small blog post a while back and I wanted to share it and get some thoughts on it:

Throughout history, people have debated amongst one another about what is best in all kinds of things. Republican vs. Democrat, AC vs. DC or Mac vs. PC. Some car enthusiasts will say that BMW is the best luxury car, while others say Audi, Mercedes or Bentley. To those who have no preference, it all seems meaningless. For many, the debate has reached a point of annoyance leaving them asking, “Why can’t both win. Why can’t a PC be right for one person and Mac right for another.” Blogs and comment sections are filled with cries of hatred/love for various companies and products hailing them as “terrible” for one reason or another. What many fail to see is the real drive behind this discourse.

In the world of technology, it breaks down to such a harsh, black and white view of which company reigns supreme, that one can’t help but make the comparison to sports. A Green Bay Packers fan would never say, “Well if you don’t like Green Bay, but you love the Vikings, that’s fine by me.”NEVER! There is such hate and animosity between these rivals that it’s all or nothing.

For geeks, technology companies are our sports teams. Apple is Green Bay and Tim Cook our Aaron Rodgers. This is the guy we look to lead us to victory. Like sports, the only way to achieve victory is to beat all the other teams. Even if you’re weak in one area, you can prevail in another that makes you the best.

For some, Android is the only company to even look at. It’s open source, customizable and costs are generally lower (or even free). For others, Apple is the one and only because it’s secure, innovative and streamlined. When fans of either company come into contact with one another, riots break out in the streets. Brilliant debates rage on with prolific concepts such as, “Apple sucks!” and “Android is a piece of…” Well, you get the idea.

As nerds and geeks alike, shouldn’t we be held to a higher standard than that of our shirtless, body-painted, chili-cheese fry stuffing sports counterparts? Shouldn’t the requirements for disliking another company in the technology world require more thought than, “We’re number one! You suck!” It seems like a standard must begin to emerge that, to truly dislike something, you have to know it. Many Mac users weren’t born into the “Cult of Mac” as it were, but migrated over after Windows lost its luster. When software or hardware requirements forced them to use a different product that they learned to love and trust. For others, Windows became the computer of choice because cost or familiarity drove their purchase decisions. Very few offices look at buying 500 company computers and say, “Yeah, Mac is worth the extra money because of it looks so sleek.” No, the PC is the cheapest and runs spreadsheets, therefore it wins.

As a company filled with mac users, we didn’t wake up one day thinking we HAD to be mac people, it was the frustrations of having used a PC that drove us to mac. The beauty of never having to buy and update Norton anti-virus software, deal with that annoying paperclip character ever again and the endless pop-ups constantly giving us useless information became cause enough to find a “better” way.

We love different technology companies for more than just a jersey, a state of origin or a specific member of the “team,” but our loyalty does make us forgiving sometimes. It does make us see the bad in another company quicker than its loyalists. (If Apple made a foam #1 finger, it would probably sell very well.) So for those baffled by the arguments, the fights between us geeks, remember that you probably feel the same way we do every Sunday, Monday and Thursday. And geeks, remember, you’re supposed to be smarter. You’re not just talking about a game, you’re talking about technology that changes the world. Changes the landscape of communication and social change. The “game” and the “teams” that you care so much about have a greater impact on the world than almost any other source. So if the subject matter is better, we have to be as well. That should guide our views of technology and our views of other companies. Raise the bar on your opinions and your banter. Let’s be fans that our favorite companies would be proud to have. Let’s…think differently.

 

[TM WAZZA]

Android is not a company

 

[jeremyshaw]

Android is not a company

They were before google bought them outright.

 

[roadbloc]

I think your post makes sense, but when influential people such as Steve Jobs goes dropping the line, "I'm going to destroy Android, because it's a stolen product. I'm willing to go thermonuclear war on this," the fanboys from both sides begin to kick off massively.

Take a certain poster who's name is three letters surrounded by asterisks. S/He must spend hours constructing his posts on trying their posts, trying to ram home to everyone that iOS is the best. When it is stated that Android has more of a global marketshare than iOS, they move onto how Apple is the top hardware manufacturer. Now Samsung has taken that place, they have moved onto how Android is nothing but cheap crap thats flooding the market and confusing the entire iPhone wanting population to buy an Android based handset instead. Not sure what will come next, but the fanatics from both sides will bend reality to suit their iOS/Android dominated vision for the future.

Personally, I prefer iOS over Android (although as of the past few months I have seen iOS has been falling short in terms of features). But I prefer the hardware to Samsung's phones, as they seem much more durable and better quality. But that is only my opinion, and I'm sure many people will disagree.