by Rachel NaborsI’ll be honest. I don’t like iphones. Or Macs. Or even Helvetica (mostly because it’s overused in logos and branding).
Here is why I feel this way:
- People automatically assume that because I am a designer, I must be a Mac user.
- I have had very unpleasant interactions with designers who held that one could not really be a designer unless one owns a Mac.
- Everyone who has an iphone is automatically part of the cool inner circle of “iphone geeks” who have special meetings and all huddle in a circle looking at their nifty apps at meet ups, which makes me feel left out.
- And iphones cost so much, initially and monthly, that I personally cannot afford one. So I get jealous.
- Helvetica is not the most awesome font ever. Franklin Gothic is, so there.
- Steve Jobs was a total jerk toward his daughter and her mother, which reminds me a lot of how my paternal father behaved toward me.
For a very long time I have had a strong aversion to Apple products. They’re just such status symbols in some crowds, reminding me of being a kid in elementary school, struggling to acquire the season’s “in” toy. Not all crowds, mind you. But if you don’t like the kind of people who use a certain product, you’re less likely to like said product. And it only takes one or two elitists to color an entire brand.
However, I have resolved to stop hating on Apple thanks to my smart car. I realize that not all Apple users are like the one or two snoots I met years ago who gave the brand a bad name through their carelessness. It’s like an Ivy League college. Sure, one or two total jerks are going to come out and look down their noses at anyone who hasn’t attended their school as inferior, but that doesn’t make the school a bad school, nor does it make the other alumni bad people.
How did my smart car bring me to these conclusions? Empathy. Recently I had been experimenting with monitter and bingtweets to see what people were saying about smart cars. I was startled and saddened to find that at least half of all the tweets about smart cars on any given day were negative. Things like, “I saw a smart car on the road today, and I wanted to ram it to count how many times it would roll over,” and “Smart cars aren’t so smart. Take them off the road!” Of course there were lots of upbeat twitterings, too. But, what I noticed about the haters most was that they all seemed biased, poorly informed, and either in love with or strapped to a larger vehicle. And I gotta say, when so many fell for the fake smart car crash photo, they came off as a very gullible, easily lead lot who would see what they wanted to see rather than ask questions or make shrewd deductions.
And I realized that to people who love their iphones/Macs/Helvetica as much as I love my adorable smart car, I’m the cretin in the SUV making nasty jokes that they shouldn’t be allowed to drive without a helmet. And because I would rather be a smart, perceptive person who isn’t easily lead about by my emotions and manipulated by people who may not have good intentions, or at least have others think that I am, I decided to bury the hatchet and let got of my grudge against Steve Jobs.
Now if only I could stop hating on the SUVs!
As an iPhone owner (only since the latest iPhone 3GS), i will say that i don’t really seem to be like the TYPICAL iPhone user. you know… the types who seem to hold it at all times only by the very edges of the phone, as if touching a flat surface other than the touchscreen would cause the phone to self destruct. Nor do i really use the iPod feature. Let’s face it…. i have iTunes and everything about it. Not only that, but i don’t need my own personal soundtrack as i’m walking around like half of these twits seem to be incapable of living without. The only reason i changed my mind about getting an iPhone (was utterly against them at first) was because after having a Motorola Q9 smartphone for over a year, and having next to no interesting/usable applications for it, not to mention a Windows Update app on the phone that NEVER had an update… i wanted something with more functionality.
As for vehicles….. i can see the point behind trucks. construction workers need them, and basically can’t live without them. semi’s are basically a requirement for freight services/cross-country large quantity shipments. SUV’s….. maybe a family vehicle? but i don’t see why a sedan wouldn’t work in that category. SUV’s don’t hold all that much, cargo wise. There’s also the fact that 9 times out of 10, when you see someone driving a SUV, they’re the only one in the thing. Why spend $60-80 a week in gas to drive yourself around? I went from a Dodge Durango to my Smart brabus…. and i don’t regret the move in the least.
Sep 11 2009 | Permalink
On another note…. it’s difficult to edit a comment when the current contents of the comment scrolls up a bit as every second passes.
Sep 11 2009 | Permalink
You logged in with the google friend connect feature, didn’t you? It’s a bit buggy and does that some times. Sorry! I’m trying to fix it!
Sep 12 2009 | Permalink
Actually, no…. i just used the Leave a Reply bit where i put in my name, email address, and website.
Sep 13 2009 | Permalink
Oh, okay, thanks for the feedback! What browser and system are you using, may I ask? I’ll do my best to fix the problem!
Sep 14 2009 | Permalink
I’m a designer too and I feel that exact same way about Macs. That they’re overpriced and elitest. Franklin Gothic does rock!
Maybe I’ll try to be a bit more empathetic.
Sep 19 2009 | Permalink
“paternal father” Is there any other kind?
Aug 22 2011 | Permalink
One can have a father who is not paternal, silly! There’s a difference between the man who sires a child and the one who raises it. Unfortunately, there is no English word for a father who does not raise his children.
Aug 22 2011 | Permalink
The best terms I can come up with are “Biological Father” or “Natural Father”. My Dad died last September… but he was not my natural father.
http://wizardprang.wordpress.com/2011/09/10/goodbye-for-now/
Jan 23 2012 | Permalink
I am a programmer and small business owner. I have been a Mac owner for 9 months before that I had PC’s and I have converted to the cult. I am all about bang for your buck which is why I love the Smart. It has heat form and function. The same can be said about Apple products, great form and function. I use to not be a fan of Macs until I used one. I have been a fan of the Smart since I lived in France and drive one for a year. It’s all about preference and also longevity. Smarts have been around for over a decade and some of my friends still rock the 06 iBook, you get what you pay for there is not much difference. As for the iPhone I can’t live without it. It hooks up to my car and now everything I do backs up onto my MacBook. It’s all form and function.
Jan 23 2012 | Permalink