Life as a writer on the Internet requires a very thick skin. An overwhelming number of folks are born today believing that anything outside of what they have experienced in their short lives cannot possibly be true. Why someone didn't teach them how to think critically and use their brains is beyond me.
On December 20, readwrite web published an article of mine. The article, My iMac Has Turned Into An iLemon, And It Makes Me Concerned About Apple, only went live after I gave Apple two weeks to come up with a solution to a problem that I have tried to solve on my own for almost nine months. Anyone that knows me understands that I know technology and how to make it work. Exhibit one is my desk which gives me access to four computers and five printers. Nine months is more than a reasonable time to fight with some bad technology before asking a manufacturer to stand behind their expensive product.
Computers to some are just toys. To someone like myself who makes his living writing, doing websites, and publishing photos, the computer is an essential tool. I spend money on computers just like I used to invest in farm equipment. I try to choose computers wisely and I expect them to perform well and not die the day the warranty is over.
The problems that I had with my iMac are not the first problems that I have experienced with my recent Macs. There have been enough problems that I am reluctant to recommend a Mac anymore. What was published on readwrite was only a condensed version of my extensive efforts to solve my iMac problems.
After spending over forty years working in different careers including over twenty years selling Apple's computers, others wanting to buy a computer should pay at least a little attention to what I say before hurling stones.
I take great pride in my reputation and the efforts that I have made to be as accurate in what I write as possible. As a writer you are always going to find some people who disagree with you. Among those are a few with whom you can have an intelligent discussion. Unfortunately it is the others that are a problem.
Many people disagree without any appreciation of the facts in a situation. They do no research before forming an opinion and for some reason their brain is less connected to their body when they are on the Internet than when you meet them in person.
Money doesn't seem to mean much to these folks especially if it is someone else's money. It bothers me greatly that I bought a computer that cost over $1,800 and it didn't behave for even eighteen months. A couple of years ago, I was just as upset about a set of tires that didn't perform correctly.
I wrote no article about my poorly performing tires because I didn't do a lot of research on my relatively inexpensive tires and I am no tire expert. I trusted a tire dealer. I thought he was trying to steer me in the right direction. He lost my trust and you could not give me a set of tires from the company that disappointed us.
If I had written a tire article, I would be willing to bet that I would have a lot of people agreeing with me instead of saying rude things about me.
I have a theory that explains the difference between a tire article and one about Apple. There are now many people who are unanchored in their personal lives. They have no real beliefs other than clinging to what makes them feel good momentarily. Many of them don't belong to a civic group or to a church. Likely they even have trouble relating to their families. They become attached and invested in the products that they use. Any negative comment about a company which has their loyalty is an attack on them.
In fact these folks cannot differentiate themselves from their products. Using an iPhone is part of their personality, it is what makes them cool. They belong to the world of Apple and since they have no other group to stablize them, Apple comes to define their identity.
Fortunately for every Apple crazy out there, there are probably eight or nine sane people who use Apple products because they meet their needs and they haven't found anything that they like better. They are the silent majority of the technology world. These sane folks have normal lives with other things that anchor them to reality besides being one of the users of Apple's techno gadgets.
In a world where success is hard to achieve because it all seems to be already parceled out to football players and singers, people have a hard time being happy with who they are. They find props to shore up their identities especially when they haven't found rewarding work. They also feel better about themselves when their snarky comments appear to tear down someone who has actually accomplished something with their life.
We live in a challenging world. It is okay to respectfully disagree with someone, but personal attacks and clearly inappropriate comments do nothing but demonstrate the juvenile nature of those folks making them. It is unfortunate that striking out against someone is the only survival mechanism for those whose reality is defined by the products they use.
In spite of the attacks from zealots, I'm actually having a lot of fun writing for readwrite web. I suspect the Apple fanboys will be just as unhappy when they read my article about the new Lenovo Yoga ultrabook/tablet that I bought black Friday weekend. I chose the Lenovo because my other Lenovo laptop has been great. I'm happy to report that the statistics back me up on that. Apple just isn't as reliable as Lenovo.
I'll also be talking about other computers, cameras, film equipment, and tablets. I'm even planning to buy another Apple computer and write about it. I sure hope it works better than my iMac, the iLemon.
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