I thought this made an interesting argument against Flash-
Watch it till the end
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXc50hB9Klw

Well first off let me start by informing you guys that flash is heavy. Flash uses a ton of resources compared to other web languages. Look at HTML 5 and CSS 3 and you will see exactly why they choose to exclude Flash. Flash may be a dying technology on the web. HTML 5 and CSS 3 are including a bunch of graphical features to compete and guess what; they use less resources. Don't get me completely wrong here, flash will till be dominant for years to come and probably stay that way as long as HTML and CSS cant achieve the same results.

So why go with a mac over windows anyway?
I never went with the apple trend since I could always find a way to make my art through my home built windows rig. Schools seem to be restarted since every art school I check out seems to encourage the idea that Mac's make GOOD art and Windows is technology inferior. (I point out how you can always upgrade PC's without taking a trip to some special store) This debate is getting old by now anyway, and it really boils down to experience. Since I have been in this field for years I really don't care about Mac, Windows, or Linux. As long as I have the tools and resources to learn how to get the job done right.

Hey Brian,

Sorry for not replying sooner. Yup, there's so many different angles to this. Some are saying Apple is doing to Adobe what Adobe has done to Apple for years. Perhaps this is a case of nasty corporation vs nasty corporation. What I don't like is when a company dictates to me what I can and can't use. I feel it should be up to the public to decide what platforms and technologies they want to use. But of course, Apple wants control over the entire user experience, from both the hardware and software standpoint.

So, as an end user, I can either like it or leave it. One of the points I was trying to make in this post was, I'm starting to get uncomfortable and might consider the "leave it" option.

And you make an interesting point about Mac's making "good" art while Windows machines are inferior. I'm not up for getting into a "versus" debate either...but I'm with you: I just wanna make art, regardless of platform. What kills me though is the "fanboy" mentality that surrounds Apple. Every company would die to have that kind of rabid following, but personally, I feel Apple's disingenuous about it. They take full advantage of it. And what big corporation wouldn't?

Now we're entering into a philosophical realm. Just cuz they can take advantage, should they?

You guys made some great points. @Geoff, I think a lot of artists are going to be in the "leave it" category soon.

But here's the thing. Apple isn't taking advantage of the "fanboys". Oh no, they've purposefully created them. Through advertising/marketing/pr/customer experience, Apple has systematically built a cult around the brand. Ready to go down the rabbit hole?

Step 1: Find people who aren't following the mainstream or people looking for a path.
Apple: Think Different

Step 2: Lovingly bring them into the fold.
Apple: Every wonder why Apple stores feel so good and the workers are almost eerily kind?

Step 3: Create a dichotomy between your way (the right way) and the wrong way.
Mac vs. PC debate (commercials)

Step 4: Brand your follower
Apple: I'm a Mac

Step 5: Give your follower ammunition to recruit new followers
Apple: "They just work"

But I wouldn't get all fired up at Apple. Chris Pirillo and the "geeks" are a cult. Gary Vaynerchuk and the "Vaynermaniacs" who are "Crushing It" (notice the us vs them there) are a cult. Sports teams easily become cults.

Start looking around, there are tons of cults around you. I mean, this is what Godin, Vaynerchuk, Rushkoff are telling us to do. Create ethical cults (tribes), show them how to create value and tell them to go out and create a cult under their own terms, instead of being a mass consumer. In the end everyone runs a cult (a business, organization, idea), hence everyone becomes an artist. People create their own destiny instead of becoming a corporate "mainstream" cog.

Unfortunately may cults, like Apple for example, start to close off and lie to its followers. Now I'm not saying you and I (Geoff) are necessarily in Apples cult. But, we are free thinkers saying, "Hey, what's going on here...they're lying to us, this is BS. We're gonna leave!"

Hmmmm...Anthony, you've nailed it. This is right out of Godin's handbook. And don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with either creating a tribe or wanting to be a part of a tribe -- I believe all of us are both leaders of one or more tribes (a tribe at work, a tribe at home, a tribe in the community, etc) and members of one or more tribes. Tribes bring us together and build communities.

But I agree...when the tribal leaders begin lying or try to distort the truth, that's a big problem. It creates dissent. Apple's iPad webpage, for example, uses the words "magical," "revolutionary," and "unbelievable." My problem is rests on the fact that the marketing hype has surpassed the abilities of the product. Does that make sense? It's like a Hollywood blockbuster that can't possibly live up to the hype (ahem, Star Wars Ep 1)...Versus a product that surprises, delights, and brings 10x more than people were expecting (the first Matrix movie).

Truthfully, I try to do this with Ten Ton. I try to give 10x more *value* than the DVD's pricetag. When people open their DVD, I sincerely hope they're delighted. When they start playing the training, I hope they're blown away. I could probably sell more DVD's if I stripped out half the content and hyped the shit out of them...but that can only last so long. It's a short term strategy (hence why it works for selling movie tickets). I don't want to be a flash in the pan, I care about all this stuff too much for that. And maybe that's what this is really all about...Are companies like Apple in it because it's what they love, and they love their community so much, or are they in it for the profits? In the corporate world, priority is with the shareholders. Ya know, Woz left a long, long time ago...

In the same vein as Godin, Vaynerchuck, et al, I truly believe we're in a time of 100% transparency and authenticity. That's why I can't help but write about Apple, or say that I think Photoshop CS5 is a letdown. I can't help it, that's what I think! And maybe that's just it...I'm more interested in being authentic than making sales. Not so good for business I guess, but very good for a whole host of other things; personal happiness, sleeping at night, etc.

I agree with you. But just to make it interesting I'll disagree (in a devil's advocate kind of way). I don't necessarily agree with what Apple is doing. But I've got background in Advertising/Marketing and PR...so, here's my take.

Apple doesn't make computers for designers anymore (hence the lack of FireWire, glossy screens, iTunes, grey and black color scheme). Macs, iPods and iPads aren't about getting shit done. It's all about entertainment. They mass market luxury home computers to the wealthy or those willing to pay a premium. Sure, designers buy them. But that's not their target market anymore. What I'm trying to say is they are becoming the Lexus of computers (or BMW, whatever).

Those type of cars are a "closed system". You do everything through Lexus, for example. Oil changes, tune-ups, etc. If you blow a tire at 3am, Lexus will probably come and fix it. They basically try to run a flawless system with ridiculous customer service. Sound familiar?

Now that Apple computers are mainstream. How can they differentiate themselves? Lowering their prices and going more open source would be suicide. Why pay for a Mac when I could buy a Dell (with Linux on it) for half the price. It's the "Lexus" model that's going to differentiate them. Hence, closing the system down. Is it going to piss developers off? Yup. Are they still going to develop for Apple? Yup. Why? People with Macs (iPods and iPads) are the ones with money and/or willing to pay a premium for products and services.

Again, as Apple decided to go mainstream they probably realized they had to go "Linux or Lexus" or become one of those guys (that we forget about) in between. They definitely weren't going to beat Linux but there was a huge opening for a Lexus of computers. Whether we like it or not. It's a sustainable model, products that pander to the wants and needs of the wealthy. And if you find yourself not liking it (which I personally don't), unfortunately, Apple doesn't care because your not its target market. They are listening to other people, a different community now.

If I'm right, expect a more closed system (hence, no flash on the iPad) and prices to rise. Hell, they'll probably start taking out the optical drives like they did on the MacBook Air. Is it the right move? Was it smart to turn their back on the design community (artists), arguably the most influential people in the world? Will it bite them in ass? I don't know. What I do know is that a market for computers for designers and possibly developers is opening back up. If your building a Linux machine with wacky lime green case and provide unbelievable support for design and development apps, contact me. I've got some K's to throw your way.

Anthony! Thanks for playing devil's advocate...this does make it interesting! Alright, here goes...

You know, you're absolutely freakin' right. Man, I'm still digesting your very well thought out points. So in order for Apple to survive (I'm sure you remember their brush with death all those years back) they had to become something remarkable. Something really, really different.

They hit some home runs with the iMac, iPod, and iPhone, throwing themselves into the mainstream, and became media darlings. They're hip and trendy now, their products sought after by everyone, from college students to mid-level managers; instead of being some fringe "artsy" computer company. And now their customer base is the mass market rather than the artists, developers, designers, and creative-types who made them who they are. They want to sell stuff to the same audience who's in love with their iPods and iPhones, not the designers, photographers, and developers who have used their stuff for years and years. This reminds me of the story arc of Metallica...the one-time underground metal band that hit a commercial home run and went mainstream, completely alienating the original fans. Or George Lucas, and his endless abominations of once great cinema...

Bruce, a good friend of mine, makes the argument that Apple has really streamlined everything, from the buying experience, to the packaging, to the hardware and software. Being a recent convert, he's elated that he doesn't have to mess around with drivers, additional installers, viruses, or having the thing crash so often that he's gotta get a tech in once a month to fix the damn thing. He's sick of that stuff with his PC, and I can't argue with the fact that out of the box, the thing "just works." This is exactly what you're saying. Lexus handles everything from oil changes to flat tires. It's the Apple / Lexus "experience," and that's cool, and I'll even pay a premium for everything to "just work," but what's starting to bother me is the Apple "story."

They tell a story of well thought-out, impecable design. Laptops with sexy curves...phones with flawless operating systems; a story of innovation and ingenuity. That's a story that that mass market and the media wants to believe. And if you've checked out Seth Godin's book All Marketers Are Liars, you know how important and powerful a story can be. But there's a major problem when the story breaks down...when the core group of "power users" in your community start to realize, "wait a minute, that's not innovation...so why do you keep saying it is?" Or, "what you're doing to Adobe and to Flash devleopers isn't right." A level of deceit and underhandedness begins revealing itself. And to me, that's the kiss of death. The mass market still doesn't know about it, but to that core group of users, it's more about betrayal and a loss of trust. But you're right: Apple doesn't care cuz that core group doesn't fall within the target market anymore...so what does it matter what they (we) think?

So do we need a "Lexus" of computers that controls everything, every step of the way? Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm fine with that (although that whole "control" thing doesn't sit well. I like to mess around a bit with stuff). But the more I think about things, the more I realize that the problem I have is ethical. You can't claim something is innovative or revolutionary when it's not. But, people and companies and politicians do that all the time. And the masses love it.

So, what's very interesting is that we're starting to see a divide here. On the one side, guys like you and I going, "Yeah here's some K's for a lime green, design-centered Linux machine. Hook me up!" While on the other side, the general market wants things clean and simple and controlled...like the AOL days. The power-users back then knew what was up, and to them AOL was a joke...they could run things just fine by themselves. It's like you said a while back: We've had 10 years to get really good working with CSS; now we want something more sophisticated. So those users who have been around for a while are cool messing around with their machines and customizing things. I mean, for myself, I'm a damn artsy-fartsy guy, and I'm sitting here going, "Hmmm...I should scratch-build my own Linux box, just for fun." Imagine, an artist 10 or 15 years ago wanting to build a computer "for fun." In other words, the users who have been doing this for a while are getting so comfortable with technology, that they want to push things further and get more out of their hardware.

So while Lexus and Apple run closed systems for people like my parents (and again, that's cool), on the other side of the divide things are simply getting better and better...more open, more community-oriented, more free, and more fun! Will companies like Apple have a place in the market 5 or 10 years down the road? I dunno. But what I do know is that things on this side of the divide can only get better.

you guys r all right about ur opinion regarding apple
i personally believe that apple created an idea that if u r using apple products others will see u as smart creative and attractive and thats very clear with their commercials MAC VS PC, pc is an average or below average guy while MAC is the hip goodlooking artistic creative smart fit person
and they r successeded and they r MILKING IT SOOOO HARD

Hey! Thanks for the comment. I agree -- and as Anthony pointed out, it's all about creating that tribe, right? Us versus Them. And while I like the Lexus analogy, it would be like having an auto company that's known for creativity and ingenious design, who targets creative, free-thinking people, turning into a luxury auto manufacturer like Lexus, who continues to use phrases like "revolutionary design" and "think differently," but who has turned their back on their original market.