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We’ve Changed

“it appears the world is going up in flames, both literally and figuratively, and the Apple rumor mill, which once brought us a bit of cheer throughout the winter doldrums, is now greeted with a general sense of weariness and indifference.”

via Becky Hansmeyer

I hadn’t thought of that particular point before, but it’s obviously accurate. People in general are anxious and scared to death about the condition of the world and where it is headed, be it political divisions, global climate crisis, etc. And so that negativity naturally flows right into other aspects of their lives—namely the things they geek out about.

I love Curtis Herbert’s reaction to Becky’s piece on Twitter:

He’s absolutely right. Apple could release technology as game-changing as iPhone today, and people would love it for about two weeks. Then the negativity would pour in immediately after. How do I know this? It already happened with Apple Watch. Apple created a device that literally saved me from a stroke just by wearing it. But what was the community’s reaction? “The icons in that little honeycomb are too hard to tap.”

The same thing will happen with Apple glasses. The car. Whatever else Apple does. The hate will drown out whatever faint praise anyone has the gall to post.

I think it’s time we face the fact that sure, Apple has changed. It’s gotten bigger. More corporate. More mistakes are falling through the cracks. But also, we’ve changed as a community. We’ve become ridiculously jaded. I can’t post anything remotely positive about Apple anymore without getting called a fanboy behind my back. Rene Ritchie can’t set the record straight with his patented brand of fighting FUD with a laundry list of reality without getting labeled a shill. We reward people for complaining, and we shame anyone who says anything positive.

But here’s the thing. I keep doing it anyway. Because every time I post an opinion that goes against the accepted conventional wisdom, along with the haters come two or three people who say “Hey thanks. I thought I was nuts for thinking Touch Bar is actually pretty cool.” Or, “I agree Apple Maps is actually better than Google Maps for my purposes.”

I still give Apple hell when I think they deserve it, but when they do something right, and people are still spewing bile, I try to offer an alternative opinion for those who are frankly tired of being told they are wrong for liking something.

And I get it, from a business perpsective. Apple hate gets a lot more clicks than praise. I can see that from my own posts. But at some point, you have to ask yourself, why am I still here, if everything I read bums me out, and everything I like gets shat upon daily?

I feel bad for people like Becky who have joined our community at a time when the only way to gain acceptance is to be a constant whiner. I doubt I would have stuck around long if it had been that way back in 1986 when I got my first Mac.

Even in Apple’s darkest hours during the 90s, people outside the community were the haters.