No, I don't feel the same way. But don't worry, I'm just neither an Apple fanatic NOR an Apple detractor. But I do think you're spending an awful lot of time thinking about things you can't change.
Please read on.
Some years ago, Apple entered a "commodity phase" of its existence.
It happened to all of them who came before:
- Chrysler was once a jewel of car manufacturing.
- Standard Oil once filled the skies with its oil rigs, and it powered the world.
- General Electric certainly made "magic" when it was making light bulbs, and when it made the automatic washing machine? OMG, that freed up housewives to do other things with their limited time. That was magical all right.
- At one time, IBM could do no wrong. The IBM Selectric typewriter brought a golden age to millions of secretaries who were paid by the word. Before the Selectric, the typewriter options were terrible, and that was when they WEREN'T breaking down and jamming.
- IBM began a second golden age when it joined the mainframe computing race. Today, only IBM makes mainframes. Ain't nobody complaining that IBM has "lost its magic".
- By comparison, companies like Microsoft, Oracle, Sun Microsystems, and more were AFTER IBM already broke up the ice for them.
Many of these companies and many more certainly brought "the magic" of new, innovative, and even game-changing technologies. We're seeing that now from Elon Musk's companies. Every other day it seems, he's launching another rocket with 23 more starlink satellites. And every other day, he's landing boosters on barges or plucking them out of the sky.
But every one of them eventually entered a "commodity phase", and only a few have been able to go back to the thing you call "The Magic". Is it possible that Steve Jobs, if he hadn't died when he did, could have kept that innovation going?
Maybe. But probably not. Even Henry Ford outdated himself. He was still using the wood from shipping crates to build the seating and other elements of his cars long after other manufacturers started doing bigger and better (and fancier) things.
Steve Jobs had a rare vision, that's for sure. But not every leader makes a good leader "forever". We just will never know. For sure, Steve Jobs was at times very stubborn. That served him well for the time he was with us. But would it have carried Apple for another 30 years? I say not likely.
And we need to admit to ourselves that Tim Cook hasn't done an AWFUL job with Apple. Look at just a few things that Apple has done in the time that Steve Jobs hasn't been at the helm.
They have brought the iPhone, iPad, and Mac into the new era. Sure, some people hate iOS, while others can't figure out where the iPad fits into things.
But let me tell you this: Apple technology WORKS. Even when Microsoft was doing its world-changing innovation, there was a lot of stuff that didn't work on the Microsoft side. The BSOD screen is pretty much a meme now, right? That didn't happen because Windows was reliable. We all know it wasn't back then. But it got better. I believe that was because Apple took them to task.
I never cared about all of that. A lot of us didn't see any of that as "magic". It was just innovation, brought about by innovative thinking.
I loved those commercials, but by the time they were out, PCs were working a lot better. I used PCs back then, and didn't get my first Mac until 2021. When Mac/PC commercials were out, we were all learning how to make PCs more reliable, both at the user end, as well as at Microsoft's end.
The innovation for Microsoft was less about the UI and more about the engine under the hood. In fact, Microsoft's attempts to CHANGE the UI is where they tripped themselves up. Remember Windows 8 and "Metro apps"? It was all junk.
Whole generations of people never once camped out overnight for an Apple product.
And a lot of people waited all night for a chance to buy Windows 95 too, remember that?
It never bothered me to have a "dull black plastic IBM" (or Dell, or HP, or gray Sony, etc.). It was more important to me what the product could DO. Not how it looked. My current tower computer is STILL in a black case, because that serves the form factor very well. And I think I bought that case back in 2012. I upgraded its guts for like the 4th or 5th time in 2021, and it's still black. Which is fine because it sits under the desk and does all the modern things I demand of it.
I think that's a "you thing".
I have Apple equipment now. A watch, an MBP, and a couple of iphones and a couple more iPads. Sure, they're "pretty". But I never thought I was "winning" in life because I bought something made by Apple.
I think you're being a little overly introspective. In all honesty, anything from Apple is way too expensive to be "cool".
I wear airpods when I'm gardening. I never thought about trying to be cool. I only care about getting stuff done. The gear is fun to use and as I said above, it looks pretty too, so that's good enough for me.
Rebels in the '60s and '70s are today's democrats.
The "stuffy conservatives" of that time period are now the rebels. Everything changes.
I don't expect that. Why do you?
I'd say an ARM-based laptop that doesn't make noise or blow out hot air is pretty revolutionary. Yes, it's "a good laptop", sure. But if Apple didn't come out with the M series, we would all still be thinking you had to put an AMD or Intel chip in your laptop, and we'd all still be wasting electricity and getting our laps burnt by hot exhaust air.
Covid killed store camping. But even before that, none of these things were enjoyable or desirable. Sheesh, just let me place my order and pay online, and have the stuff shipped. I'm busy and I got stuff to do.
No. I suspect that it was never magic except in your mind. Apple is in a different phase of its lifecycle, and you probably should be too.
Steve is dead. The world came to this realization many years ago, and has moved on. This may sound harsh, but maybe you should too.
Like I said, I'm neither a fan nor a detractor. To me, Apple didn't really "make it" until they came out with the iPhone, and then again when they kept improving it. And YET AGAIN when they kept improving iPad. And YET ONE MORE TIME when they took ARM and made Apple Silicon.
But I don't care about "vibe". We all should be making our own vibe. Don't leave that responsibility to a nameless, faceless corporate entity. Apple ain't your mama.
Anything is possible.
But "counterculture" has not always been a good thing. Sometimes it was bad. Sometimes it was violent. Sometimes it resulted in innocent people dying for no real reason or purpose.
You do you, but if you were my brother, I'd be worried about the possibility that you haven't found a purpose in life that makes you excited to be you.
If you were my brother, I'd tell you that I think all this introspection is holding you back from enjoying...whatever it is you should be enjoying. And I'd ask you if you were okay.
Assuming that I'm reading too much into this, I'll just end with this.
If you're bored by technology, then go put your phone in a waterproof case and go fishing. You have no idea how doing something that requires you to be still and quiet can help you find peace in life.
Or find a dance partner and take up salsa dancing. Or find a bingo hall. Touch grass, meet people, and use your laughter and your voice to make real HUMAN connections in life.
And do like most of the rest of us do; wait 3 or 4 generations before upgrading your technology and get off the treadmill.
The world is out there. Go enjoy it. Apple can take care of itself. Or not. Either way, neither you nor I will be able to "bring back magic", unless we do it for ourselves and our loved ones.
Good luck.
