MrHorspwer

December 13, 2009 at 8:13pm

Seriously Max PC... you print this like there is some type of factual basis. I'd love to check out the actual reports, but I refuse to sign up for Strand's marketing spam to do so.

Anyhow, is this really different than any other fanboy? Apple users say the exact thing about Windows users: Windows users make excuses for it's defiencies, happily bending the truth to defend the product they purchased from Microsoft. Now, if you read that in an "official" scientific study, you wouldn't be all that surprised by it, would you? Substitite Xbox, Playstation, AMD, Intel, or Nvidia and the results are equally believable.

It's not Stockholm Syndrome, it's called being a fanboy. If you really like a product and somebody attacks you for using it, of course you're going to go on the defense. I don't know if that's how Strand performed their study, but then again, you don't know how they did their research either, do you?

Beyond that, wasn't it the phone companies that were the driving force behind the delay of MMS and tethering because their networks couldn't handle the additional bandwidth strain? How does this reflect poorly on the hardware?

No, I don't own a iPhone.

  

Wingzero_x

December 13, 2009 at 5:47pm

I'm glad you like your choice of the the 360, but sorry to tell you the PS3 outclasses it in all areas outside Halo. "The 360 controller is just light years ahead of the PS3", after that statement it was confirmed that you also suffer from Stockholm/fanboyism, because only a person who has never used a SIXAXIS would say that. As an owner of both systems I will say they both have their good points, and bad. But i find the PS3 better over all.

Mythobeast

December 13, 2009 at 10:59am

I don't think that this is really a captive issue, I think it's a case of the owner's perception of reality being skewed because they really want to believe that they made the correct choice. Nobody wants to believe that they're stupid, and people will go to great lengths to justify stupid decisions, especially the ones with a large impact on their lives. This allows people to be happy  even when they don't get what they really wanted.

Dan Gilbert presents an excellent presentation that describes our ability and habit of manufacturing happiness in <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/dan_gilbert_asks_why_are_we_happy.html">this entertaining TED presentation</a>.

dandoz

December 13, 2009 at 10:39am

 

Well, I have an iphone and I like it fine.  I like the ipod/podcast/itunes synching.  Yeah, I'd like an FM tuner and I suppose 48 gigs would be "better," but I can't use up what I have right now.  

 

Apple "fashion" is nauseating, I agree, but doing things like including S-IPS panels on their computers offer something "different" for their fanbase like pro-am photographers.

fuzz_64

December 12, 2009 at 10:24pm

Absolutely true!!  I gave a co-worker a "choice" a few days ago.  Let me insult your phone or your parents.  His choice was his parents so I chose his phone.

This guy insists that no other phone EVER has had any spec top the iphone in any way whatsoever.  My first thing to pick on was the resolution.  The iphone has a 480x320 resolution I believe whereas my phone has a 480x800 resolution (Samsung Omnia 2).  I brought up a nice divx movie and started playing it on my phone and asked him to bring up something on his so we could compare resolution.  He brought up some blocky pixelly game and was all proud.  

It's not really fair of me to compare a high quality divx video to a game being rendered on the fly so I offered him a copy of the movie to put on his iphone.  Hilariously he had to deny because he didn't have itunes on hand so he couldn't copy the movie over and he didn't have it converted to an apple only format so he couldn't watch it anyway.

Frustrated he asked "oh yeah, well can your phone do MMS?"

Me: my phones have been able to do that since 2005 when I switched from a 2 colour screen Nokia to a real one....

Him: oh yeah, does your phone have fm radio?

Me: This one does yes, as did my last... had that since 2006...

Him: oh yeah? well does your phone handle up to 32gb of storage space?

Me: actually my new one can handle up to 48.

Him: oh yeah? how many megapixels is your camera?

Me: 5 megapixels... and it records video... and it has video out ;)

Him: oh yeah, well my phone still sends better text messages than yours.

Me: what does that even mean??

And with that, he stormed off.  It's been awhile since I laughed that hard!

mikeart03a

December 12, 2009 at 10:21pm

Here we go again... While I don't own an iPhone (HTC Touch Diamond for me with WinMo 6.5), I can see why people are lauding it and why people hate it.

The going things for the iPhone are that it's a fairly easy to navigate around and set it up (no blackberry or winmo phone is that easy setup save for some of HTC's). It's accessiblity for people with handicaps is second to none (ask all those blind folks out there who are raving about it's screen reading functions). However, in terms of operational specs and overall general use... well it's pretty much the same as a bargain/cheap phone... iffy reception, not all the features are present like in other phones at it's price point.

On the other hand, the reason why this phone is so popular is due to apple's brand recognition and advertising prowess compared to say the likes of RIM and HTC (I'm sorry, but HTC and RIM don't always scream consumer oriented), they're just starting to roll out more eye catching ads now when apple's been doing them for the last 3 years or so. The only exception to that rule so far seems to be Google's Android phones because everyone recognizes google and so they jump on it, also with HTC and Motorola releasing a number of nice looking handsets for Android, it's only going to become more popular.

Who knows, the tide could change within the next year or so. It seems that it takes one heavy weight to turn things around. RIM started this smart phone craze when it released the Pearl. Bold, Storm, etc. Apple stepped in with the iPhone, as well as the App Store, and turned it up a few notches. Now Google's entering in with Android and people have taken notice and the current batch new and upcoming Android phones are heating things up more. The only thing's that left is for Microsoft to pull it's finger out of it's ass and redevelop Windows Mobile into something that's more consumer friendly for less technogically inclined to use. WinMo 6.5 is a start, but it's not enough. I don't want to dig through a ton of menus to activate Bluetooth or to connect to a Wi-Fi network!

- mike_art03a
Owner, Network Admin
Michael Artelle Online Solutions
http://www.michaelartelleonline.com
michael.paiement@sympatico.ca

Havok

December 12, 2009 at 7:00pm

Myself and a friend actually coined a term for people that are obsessively compulsive about Apple products. We call 'em: "Apple Dumblings."

 

 

CLICK.

publicimage

December 12, 2009 at 6:41pm

Totally agree with the article. I've been trying to articulate this notion to friends for years, if only I had a name for it. And now I do! :D Although, in fairness, it is likely true of most anyone to some degree I suspect. But some do exhibit this a lot more than others. Even amply demonstrated by some comments here. The debate worth having is, "Can I be critical of something I really like and use everyday?" I clearly see who says "No" and who says "Yes."

QuadraQ

December 12, 2009 at 2:27pm

This is the stupidest thing I've heard recently. I like my iPhone because of what it allows me to do. I don't switch phones because I have a service contract like most phones in the U.S. and it would be expensive to do so. If another company offers a better product when my contract is up, I'll get that.

This article seems to imply that if I don't have the latest and greates gadget of the hour that I'm an idiot for enjoying my previously purchased device. That's rediculous.

Thiazolium

December 12, 2009 at 2:11pm

Totally. iPhone users do suffer from Stockholm Syndrome.  The iPhone is a nice phone, but is now out of date, yet people are still flocking to a phone that is essentially unchanged since inception.  On a hardware comparison basis with the latest and greatest out there, the iPhone is laughable in comparison.  Heck, the screen looks blurry in comparision the to the HD phones out there. Then there's the never ending issue about the restrictive usage of the phone itself etc. etc. Clearly what's happened is that when Apple introduced the iPhone with its clever and naturally intuitive interface, normal people in addition to the teckies made the leap from regular cell products to the so called "smart" phones.  Now you have, for lack of a better description, "normal" slash "un-tech" like people clinging on to their iPhones because they're worried they won't be able to understand anything new or different products.  Hence the naturally defensive posturing and lack of change.  Btw, Apple knows this and capitalizes on it.  My 2 cents.

Mr_Histamine

December 12, 2009 at 12:26am

Isn't this true for almost any product you buy?  Especially if it's one you've been anticipating for months (if not, years).  Apple people are just as bad as any other fanboys - there's just a whole lot of 'em, and their shame is much more public.

________________________________________________________________________________

Please deposit your pride, life, and other garbage in the receptacles at the back of the theater before you leave. Thanks!

Skillz_n_Magic

December 11, 2009 at 9:06pm

This is true of almost ANY MAC USER IN GENERAL.

Phyzicistblue

December 11, 2009 at 7:20pm

You spend a couple hundred on a phone, you have to convince yourself it's the greatest phone ever.  Kinda like Playstation or XBox fanboys, most of them just can't afford the other console, so they convince themselves that the one they got is better and put up with bad games or faulty hardware rather than admit they may have been mistaken.  The iPhone is less Stockholm Syndrome and more fanboyism, at least as I see it.

aviaggio

December 11, 2009 at 6:50pm

It's been well-established that Apple is no more than a cult and its admirer's and flunkies nothing but shallow sheep. What other product line packages sub-standard components into a shiny case, charges you double, and then makes you sell your soul for the privilege of owning it? Clearly only mentally deficient folk.