iPhone 4 Explodes Midflight on Australian Airline

[MrsJoseph]

Originally Posted by ScalyFreak

Whoa there. No need to get all personal here.

Lots of non-Apple users have difficulties understanding why those who love their Apple products love their Apple products. I'm one of them. My 18 months old laptop has the same hardware in it that today's MacBooks do, but had a lower price tag when it was purchased. Naturally, I have difficulties understanding why anyone in their right mind pays more money for weaker hardware, and when they can't give me good reason for it I point and laugh.

I also find it odd that these people are surprised that they're occasionally mocked for not being able to justify their purchase decision other than by telling me "it's an Apple,so it's better".

But the most odd thing of all is when people who are smart, well informed, and who bought an Apple product after thinking it through and coming to the conclusion that it's the best product for them, lose all their smarts and react like unthinking iSheep when someone asks them to recap their thoughts on why they bought a Mac. It's almost as if asking them to prove that they're not among the KoolAid chuggers turns them into one. Very odd.

See, this is exactly what he's talking about. Seriously?! Can't someone look at a product, decided they LIKE the product and then buy the product without justifying it to you? So if you don't agree with their taste or decision making skills you feel you have the right to mock them?

That's not cool and it promotes the type of uncivil behavior that happens here so often.

[ScalyFreak]

Originally Posted by MrsJoseph

See, this is exactly what he's talking about. Seriously?! Can't someone look at a product, decided they LIKE the product and then buy the product without justifying it to you? So if you don't agree with their taste or decision making skills you feel you have the right to mock them?

Absolutely. Especially when they blow a gasket over it the way you just did.

Do you seriously not realize that this is button-pushing for the fun of button-pushing? That you're being hassled precisely because you fly off the handle and this is nothing but cheap and easy entertainment for the ones doing it? Apple users are so much easier to rile than non-Apple users, which makes them convenient troll-targets. Welcome to the internet.

On a more serious note, of course someone can look at a product, decide they like it enough to spend an extra $1,000 for hardware not worth it, and have a right not to be laughed at. But you're a lot more likely to be left alone if you can show that some thinking went into the decision, and not just feelings and habits. That's life, and that's not something that is about to change anytime soon.

[afa]

Originally Posted by Sil_liS

A google search of "site:mobileread.com isheep" gives about 447 results, while "site:mobileread.com Apple-haters" gives about 575 results.

MobileRead Forums Statistics:
Threads: 145,031, Posts: 1,836,215, Members: 144,786
Statistically speaking, hate from either side is not expressed that often.

That's pretty weak as far as research goes. You can't just run a search on one specific term with one specific spelling and claim that this shows the number of instances. What about, say, the term "Apple haters" without the hyphen? Would that give a different result? And "Apple h8rz"? What about misspellings like "Appel heatrs"?

More importantly, the term itself is not a good search term. The so-called Apple haters don't use the term to apply to themselves, and even the people who call others out as such don't necessarily do so. I, myself, called out someone for displaying similar behavior but used the term "anti-Apple sentiments".

Don't get me wrong - I am not insisting on you taking all of those into account and run some sort of in-depth analysis on the matter. That's a waste of time and I'm sure you have better things to do. My point, rather, is that your search doesn't really prove (or disprove) anything.

I haven't conducted any research myself (and most definitely never will bother) but subjectively, I would say that as far as 'anti-X Company' comments go, Apple and Amazon do seem to be the target of posters' ire more often than anyone else.

[luqmaninbmore]

Originally Posted by ScalyFreak

But the most odd thing of all is when people who are smart, well informed, and who bought an Apple product after thinking it through and coming to the conclusion that it's the best product for them, lose all their smarts and react like unthinking iSheep when someone asks them to recap their thoughts on why they bought a Mac. It's almost as if asking them to prove that they're not among the KoolAid chuggers turns them into one. Very odd.

It's not odd at all. Many, if not most, people find being called on to justify their actions to complete strangers annoying. Why on earth does anyone owe you an explanation for anything?

And, for the record, I do not own any Apple products. The only Apple product in my house is an iPod Nano that a family member gave my daughter as a gift. I'm a linux man, myself.

[luqmaninbmore]

Originally Posted by afa

I haven't conducted any research myself (and most definitely never will bother) but subjectively, I would say that as far as 'anti-X Company' comments go, Apple and Amazon do seem to be the target of posters' ire more often than anyone else.

You left out Microsoft.

[MrsJoseph]

Originally Posted by ScalyFreak

Absolutely. Especially when they blow a gasket over it the way you just did.

Do you seriously not realize that this is button-pushing for the fun of button-pushing? That you're being hassled precisely because you fly off the handle and this is nothing but cheap and easy entertainment for the ones doing it? Apple users are so much easier to rile than non-Apple users, which makes them convenient troll-targets. Welcome to the internet.

On a more serious note, of course someone can look at a product, decide they like it enough to spend an extra $1,000 for hardware not worth it, and have a right not to be laughed at. But you're a lot more likely to be left alone if you can show that some thinking went into the decision, and not just feelings and habits. That's life, and that's not something that is about to change anytime soon.

If you call that flying off the handle, you must be very sheltered.

I don't feel hassled cause I'm an Apple user...I feel surrounded by elitists and looked down upon over something that I regard as a utility.

[kjk]

Originally Posted by ScalyFreak

Do you seriously not realize that this is button-pushing for the fun of button-pushing? That you're being hassled precisely because you fly off the handle and this is nothing but cheap and easy entertainment for the ones doing it? Apple users are so much easier to rile than non-Apple users, which makes them convenient troll-targets. Welcome to the internet.

Well, that does explain a lot, actually. I guess my defensive reactions in the past (as noted by Sil) have been because of that button pushing.

[luqmaninbmore]

Mods, this thread has been rather seriously de-railed and seems to be devolving into trolling. Could you please intervene?

[afa]

Originally Posted by MrsJoseph

See, this is exactly what he's talking about. Seriously?! Can't someone look at a product, decided they LIKE the product and then buy the product without justifying it to you? So if you don't agree with their taste or decision making skills you feel you have the right to mock them?

That's not cool and it promotes the type of uncivil behavior that happens here so often.

Agreed.

Originally Posted by ScalyFreak

But you're a lot more likely to be left alone if you can show that some thinking went into the decision, and not just feelings and habits. That's life, and that's not something that is about to change anytime soon.

The problem with your line of thinking, SF, is that it sounds elitist. Sure, Apple fanboys can sound elitist, too, but comments like these are no less so, albeit in a different manner.

You assume that your reasons for buying Product X are somehow 'better' than others' for buying Apple Product X. That is, to be frank, ridiculous. Everyone has their own reasons for purchasing whatever they want to purchase. More importantly -- and this is the real issue here -- they don't owe you a damned thing. It's perplexing to me why you feel that you are somehow entitled to an explanation or justification for someone else's purchasing decisions.

Is this simply a product of environment? Do you live in a town/society/family where people are constantly questioning your choices? Why did you buy that particular dress, and not the one next to it? Black shoes? Why not really, really, really dark brown? Why those glasses? Why do you walk that way, and not different?

You're acting as if your approach of demanding justifications from others is somehow the logical and natural thing to do. You're wrong. It's not. The world would be a terribly annoying place to live if everyone did that, don't you think?


P.S. One could easily construe your reaction to Mrs. Joseph as "blowing the gasket" just as much as you thought of hers. People in glass houses and all that.


*EDIT* Ah, I see Luqman has come in and made essentially my point in a far more succinct manner. Um, thanks.

[afa]

Originally Posted by luqmaninbmore

You left out Microsoft.

To be honest, I think that has reduced a lot over the years. 5 or 6 years ago MS probably was the most hated tech company in the world.

But as Apple, Amazon and Google have been growing rapidly, people seemed to have forgotten the 'old evil' and erected new demons to cast down.

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by afa

That's pretty weak as far as research goes. You can't just run a search on one specific term with one specific spelling and claim that this shows the number of instances. What about, say, the term "Apple haters" without the hyphen? Would that give a different result? And "Apple h8rz"? What about misspellings like "Appel heatrs"?

I didn't claim that it showed the number of instances. My point was that the two sides are balanced.
The hyphen doesn't change anything, and apparently nobody on mobileread spells haters as h8rz.

Originally Posted by afa

More importantly, the term itself is not a good search term. The so-called Apple haters don't use the term to apply to themselves, and even the people who call others out as such don't necessarily do so. I, myself, called out someone for displaying similar behavior but used the term "anti-Apple sentiments".

Using politically correct wording instead of an insult is a good thing, right?

Originally Posted by afa

Don't get me wrong - I am not insisting on you taking all of those into account and run some sort of in-depth analysis on the matter. That's a waste of time and I'm sure you have better things to do. My point, rather, is that your search doesn't really prove (or disprove) anything.

I like to exercise my googling skills. And technically the results should how many times a page with those words was found. So if the words are found more than once on a page, it should only come up as one result.

Originally Posted by afa

I haven't conducted any research myself (and most definitely never will bother) but subjectively, I would say that as far as 'anti-X Company' comments go, Apple and Amazon do seem to be the target of posters' ire more often than anyone else.

But there is a balance between "anti-X Company" and "pro-X Company".

[Andrew H.]

Originally Posted by Sil_liS

If this were a good analogy, Apple users would shy away and not post on threads where a non-user mentions Apple. What we see here is the opposite.

Why do you assume that some people *don't* shy away?

No, they don't. The ones who really hate Apple are insulting everyone who disagrees with them (i.e. doesn't express hatred towards Apple).

Yeah, there's some of this, too.

On the other side we have the Apple users who think that anyone that is saying anything remotely negative about Apple must be a hater:

The linked quote was a description of how Pres. said he had been characterized, but I didn't see that anyone actually called him that.

As to the whole iSheep thing, maybe people would stop saying that about Apple users if whenever someone points out that Apple products are more expensive than devices with the same hardware they would stop resorting to the argument that many are buying Apple products, and many people can't be wrong.

In what universe do you think that insulting people who are making a point is appropriate. Or even a valid argument. I mean, yeah, the "argument from popularity" isn't a great argument - but it's much more of an argument than "people who buy an iPad are stupid sheep."

A google search of "site:mobileread.com isheep" gives about 447 results, while "site:mobileread.com Apple-haters" gives about 575 results.

MobileRead Forums Statistics:
Threads: 145,031, Posts: 1,836,215, Members: 144,786
Statistically speaking, hate from either side is not expressed that often.

While "Apple-hater" is not ideal, either, I don't think it's quite as insulting as iSheep. Or "Apple Fanboy" or "iFanatic" or any of the other ways of expressing that people who buy Apple products are zombies with no minds of their own.

[monkeyluis]

Just look at my posts responding to people who have made very inaccurate statements about apple products & how they work. I love apple, but I now they are not perfect. No product or company is perfect. It does get old & tiring having to correct misconceptions & inaccuracies though. Some people will always be children though. What can ya do....

[afa]

Originally Posted by Sil_liS

and apparently nobody on mobileread spells haters as h8rz.

Thank God for that. I hate Internet lingo.

Using politically correct wording instead of an insult is a good thing, right?

I like to think so.

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by afa

You assume that your reasons for buying Product X are somehow 'better' than others' for buying Apple Product X. That is, to be frank, ridiculous. Everyone has their own reasons for purchasing whatever they want to purchase. More importantly -- and this is the real issue here -- they don't owe you a damned thing. It's perplexing to me why you feel that you are somehow entitled to an explanation or justification for someone else's purchasing decisions.

Isn't it usually the case that someone is saying "product X is better than all the others", and when asked about what makes it better they give replies of "it's best for me"?

Originally Posted by afa

To be honest, I think that has reduced a lot over the years. 5 or 6 years ago MS probably was the most hated tech company in the world.

But as Apple, Amazon and Google have been growing rapidly, people seemed to have forgotten the 'old evil' and erected new demons to cast down.

At this point nobody can say that they didn't know what they were getting themselves into when getting windows OS.