Steven Yang

Cassandra Blandford
UWRT 1103
7 November 2015
Final Essay- The Apple Question
Five years ago, I made a decision. A decision to stop using Apple products. Little did I
know back then how difficult that was. Going out with my friends who all had iPhones when all
I had was a simple touchscreen texting phone was embarrassing. Seeing my friends play with
iPads when all I had was a bulky laptop that failed to play even the most basic of games was
mortifying. But even with the complications of living without Apple products, life moved on and
I was content. Several years later, I bought the iPad 3. But why? For the past five years, Ive
been haunted by the shadow of my greedy desires and wants. The next year, I got a new laptop,
and the year after that? My first Android smartphone. Purchase after purchase. Decision after
decision. Wants after wants. Humanity is defined by our greed for endless wants. Every year,
millions of dollars go to companies that provides the goods and services that we as consumers
purchase.
But why? One thing that has been consistent in the market is the selling of Apple
products. Despite the shortcomings of other phone companies such as Blackberry or Nokia or the
competition such as Samsung and Sony, Apple has remained in the lead. Following product
launches are mass crowds of people wanting the best and latest from Apple. And this is why I
wanted to do my inquiry project on Apple fanaticism. To know what makes Apple so alluring and

captivating. Do Apple products deserve the attention that society gives it? Or has Apple been
playing the worlds biggest scam from behind the scenes?
I knew in order to fully understand Apple in todays society, I had to look at Apples past
as well. So I found a detailed history in Macworld UK titled Apple History: The Story of
Apple which is one of my sources. The article featured many insights into the origins and
growing up of Apple as a company. Over the years Apple has had several innovations but their
vision has remained the same; to deliver premium computers to consumers. Even today Apples
iPhones, which are themselves mini computers, have been conceived from the same vision.
However, Apple has faced much strife over the years. Some of its products, such as Macintosh
Office were flops, and as a result, Factions began to appear within Apple, both with different
goals in mind for the company. From its humble beginnings in a garage to the multi-billiondollar corporation it is today.
I chose this article because it was neutral in delivering its information. Despite being
from an Apple based news outlet, the facts presented were not subjective to any sort of bias or
overpraise that one might expect. Its purpose was to deliver the truth about Apples past, which it
did. It allowed me to see even though Apple has met great success both in the past and present, it
has humble beginnings with both successes and failures. Apple is just like any other company,
starting from the bottom and eventually making it to the top through hard work and time.
In my research, I have found many little details that may factor into the expansion of
Apple. Believe it or not, religion plays a part in this. Studies have been done that show that our
brain activity in response to Apple and its products are similar to those when practicing religion
(insert citation). In other words, Apple products trigger the same cognitive tendencies as those of
religion. A journalist reached out to a professor at New York University and asked what she felt

about the Cult of Apple. She responded by comparing Apple stores to temples. In the old
Biblical times, Jewish people traveled to Jerusalem during Passover to present themselves at the
Holy Temple where High Priests would make a sacrifice to God (Laskow, paragraph 1). Now
those days are surpassed by Apple Release Day, where swarms of people show up sacrificing
their money to have the latest Apple has delivered. She then went on to explaining herself more,
pointing out the architecture and the people that work there. Citing her comparison to the huge
doors to the entrance of such a store in Paris, The oversized doors are fantastic, theres no
reason for them. Theyre there only to communicate that this place is important. Also, theyre
heavy, like church doors, to give purpose and portent to the entry into the space. (Laskow,
paragraph 11). I found this a very interesting thought that something as simple as doors to a store
would suggest the foundations of a cult. Interesting enough, I found more voices online that
furthered addressed the Cult of Apple. One voice in particular caught my eye. Right off the bat,
he remarked that the technology we use today arent religious objects, and the companies that
make they are not cults. They are capitalist enterprises, out to make a profit, grab market share,
and, if they can, make products you will buy.. He didnt deny that its perfectly normal to like or
even love using your iPhone or Samsung phone, but to pour down personal hate and derision on
people who happen to use and like a tech product was outrageous. iPhones cant get us to
heaven and it certainly doesnt yield any negative consequences. Technology is just a tool. Some
like some tools while some like others. Its as simple as that. But despite the simplicities of
technology and its uses, still those like the Cult of Apple and the Church of Microsoft
continue to resonate in the hearts of countless people around the world.
I will be honest, halfway through my research I had a mid-assignment crisis. I didnt feel
like I was learning anything and the constant struggle to gleam information from The Google

wore me down. I thought, why am I doing this? This is pointless. While Im here trying to do
this research paper, children in developing countries are starving, the wild is being exploited, and
the earth is slowly dying I became more and more depressed the more I thought of it and as
such I had to take a break. And as I took a walk that day, thoughts swirled around in my head.
My ultimate goal in life is to be literate. Not literate in the sense to be able to read and write, but
to be knowledgeable. To educate ourselves and to hopefully improve the lives of others is
something that seems like a dream. I want to make a difference in this world. To be globally
literate. Being aware of the world around gives me comfort and confidence to make the decisions
in my life that truly matter. And as I thought about this in my mind, I realized that I had been
doing that all along. This research paper isnt just a paper. The voice of myself did in fact
resonate with the voice of Apple. To be globally literate one must be aware of many aspects of
society, such as those like Apple. Understanding how people think and the extremes that we can
come up with to feel a sense of belonging and compassion is important. Even if I didnt
personally witness and learn for myself the Cult of Apple, reading up on it will definitely help.
But reading about it wasnt enough. To better understand and witness the Cult of Apple
for myself, I decided to interview two of my friends who were fans of Apple. While they werent
the extremist fanatics I was looking for, I did want an encompassing opinion about the products
themselves, which I felt they did deliver. Simply put, the Apple ecosystem is severely closed and
managed by Apple. Year after year, they do countless hours of study and research, trying to
understand what do they want? and how can we deliver?. They found that the average user
would like a simple, yet intuitive interface to interact with. And while my friends did agree that
the iPhone was simple to use, they did express their opinions regarding the other side of the
argument. Sure iPhones use outdated tech when compared to Android phones and sure they are

overpriced but hey it looks nice and it just works, and Im happy with that. It seems that lots of
people are aware of the alternatives out there such as the offerings from Samsung and LG but
they prefer simplicity and usability over raw power or features. Speaking as an Android user,
often times I feel my phone is bloated and over filled with too many features than I can count.
Often times I want to do something but I cant recall how simple cause there is no easy way to do
it. However, while Android might be lacking in the simple to use department, they are excelling
at the raw power and technology department. An article from TIME revealed that all the
hardware in an iPhone 6 costs roughly $200 for Apple to make(Luckerson, paragraph 2). So
while the prices of Android devices are more justified with their beefy processors, sensors, and
features, Apple still has resorted to use little of todays technology at the same price. So it seems
that the public is simply ignorant.
Sometimes simple questions yield simple answers. Yet often times, they give us more
questions than answers. The journey to answering the Apple Question has been informative and
enlightening. Not only have I learned more about a major aspect of todays society, but I also
furthered my own literacy in the process. On my personal journey to be globally literate, I now
have a better understanding of societys consistent patterns and behaviors. Sometimes the actions
of a few can be defined by the thoughts of society, other times society shames them openly. Over
the course of this research, Ive gained more questions than answers. However, this situation can
be concluded by using the meta- theoretical principle of Occams razor. The razor states that
entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity; therefore, the simplest solution is usually the
right one. Maybe we dont have all the answers. Maybe we have many more questions to ask.
But maybe we dont need to. Complex problems often do yield simple answers. Maybe Apple is

a cult. Maybe Apple is really good at its job. Or maybe, people are just crazy. Perhaps once the
iPhone 15 comes out will people finally start to wake up.

Works Cited
Baer, Andrea. "The Apple Question." E-mail interview. 7 Nov. 2015.
Laskow, Sarah. "We Asked a Cultural Historian: Are Apple Stores the New Temples?" Atlas
Obscura. 25 Sept. 2015. Web. 24 Oct. 2015. <http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/ we-asked-acultural-historian-are-apple-stores-the-new-temples/>
McGregor, Jim. "What does iPhone Mania Say about Society?" Electronic Engineering
Times.1629 (2012): 48-9. ProQuest. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
Secrets of the Superbrands: Technology. Dir. Adam Boome. Perf. Alex Riley. Films for the
Humanities & Sciences, 2011. Film.
Rawlinson, Nik. "Apple History: The Story of Apple." Macworld UK. Macworld UK, 8 Oct.
2015. Web. 30 Oct. 2015. <http://www.macworld.co.uk/feature/apple/history-of-apple-stevejobs-what-really-happened-mac-computer-1984-3606104/>.
Mossberg, Walt. "It's Not a Church, It's Just an Apple Store." Recode. 2 Jan. 2014. Web. 8 Dec.
2015. <http://recode.net/2014/01/02/its-not-a-church-its-just-an-apple-store/>.
Luckerson, Victor. "Apple's $649 IPhone 6 Reportedly Costs $200 to Make." Time. Time, 24
Sept. 2014. Web. 9 Dec. 2015. <http://time.com/3426087/apple-iphone-6-cost/>.
Rodriguez, Nathan. "The Apple Question." Personal interview. 30 Nov. 2015.