Apple "Fans" = Pretentious
I read a commentary piece by Mitch Albom, author of The Five People You Meet in Heave and co-writer of Kevin Smith's latest movie Hit Somebody.
The article, iPhone fanatics need a wake-up call, perfectly describes my feeling for the people who will camp out for days on end just for a cell phone, and one that isn't even cost-effective at that. The iPhone minimum cost is $200 (average for most smart phones), but then added things like apps (applications like games or even remotes to turn your lights at home on or off) cost money. Data plans add to your overall bill. Yet people get excited about each iPhone that's released as if it were the second coming of Jesus Christ. As Albom states, Apple "has targeted whatever human gene contains the 'gotta be first' chromosome. If you have this in your DNA, all the common sense in the world can't get through your skull." One guy went so far as to say that waiting for the iPhone 4 launch was "better than losing your virginity" (either he's never lost his virginity or it was a really bad experience for him).
What really boggles my mind is the fact that Apple has a higher profit margin than oil companies like BP, yet the latter is somehow more evil. BP's pre-tax profit margin is currently at 11.9% according to Forbes.[a] That means that BP makes 11¢ for every dollar they bring in before they even pay taxes. Apple's pre-tax profit margin is 31.3% or 31¢ for every dollar they make before taxes.[b] Yet people are willing to wait on the streets for days to give them their money without blinking an eye.
When you can already use a computer to email and download files, why bother spending extra money on a cell phone to do the same thing, especially in the financial times we're facing? It all boils down to ego. Somehow, people think that having this piece of plastic and microchips is somehow going to put them in a different status set. In a way, it does - it makes you a sheep.
Albom makes a great point toward the end of his article.
Well at the risk of overreacting, shame on anyone who waited that long. Shame on anyone who slept in the street or ate a meal in a tent to buy this thing. If you have so much free time, use it for some good. Find the people who have to sleep in streets and spend some time helping them.
The article, iPhone fanatics need a wake-up call, perfectly describes my feeling for the people who will camp out for days on end just for a cell phone, and one that isn't even cost-effective at that. The iPhone minimum cost is $200 (average for most smart phones), but then added things like apps (applications like games or even remotes to turn your lights at home on or off) cost money. Data plans add to your overall bill. Yet people get excited about each iPhone that's released as if it were the second coming of Jesus Christ. As Albom states, Apple "has targeted whatever human gene contains the 'gotta be first' chromosome. If you have this in your DNA, all the common sense in the world can't get through your skull." One guy went so far as to say that waiting for the iPhone 4 launch was "better than losing your virginity" (either he's never lost his virginity or it was a really bad experience for him).
What really boggles my mind is the fact that Apple has a higher profit margin than oil companies like BP, yet the latter is somehow more evil. BP's pre-tax profit margin is currently at 11.9% according to Forbes.[a] That means that BP makes 11¢ for every dollar they bring in before they even pay taxes. Apple's pre-tax profit margin is 31.3% or 31¢ for every dollar they make before taxes.[b] Yet people are willing to wait on the streets for days to give them their money without blinking an eye.
When you can already use a computer to email and download files, why bother spending extra money on a cell phone to do the same thing, especially in the financial times we're facing? It all boils down to ego. Somehow, people think that having this piece of plastic and microchips is somehow going to put them in a different status set. In a way, it does - it makes you a sheep.
Albom makes a great point toward the end of his article.
Well at the risk of overreacting, shame on anyone who waited that long. Shame on anyone who slept in the street or ate a meal in a tent to buy this thing. If you have so much free time, use it for some good. Find the people who have to sleep in streets and spend some time helping them.