On Sloan Language
Anju Mathew MBA '09
Issue date: 4/14/09 Section: Humor
This month we shall move from exploring the social norms of Facebook stalking to the Era of "iApple". How did Steve Jobs ever create a loyal user community that thumbs its collective nose at the less fortunate of us who brave the digital world on non-Apple products?
"i"
• 9th letter of the Roman alphabet,
• Uppercase form refers to self
• Lowercase prefix form refers to an Apple, Inc. product
The most common use of a singular alphabetic prefix is to link a product or company with a lifestyle or era. Two prominent examples are the letters 'x' and 'e'. The letter 'x' symbolizes youthful rebelliousness such as xGames and xTreme sports. The Scarlett letter 'e', which heralded the dotcom bubble, marks many failed internet companies (the notable exception being eBay).
Which brings us to the successful monopoly of the letter "i" by Apple.
Apple first introduced the iProduct lineup in 1998 with the iMac. The launches of iPod, iTunes and iPhone followed in quick succession. Soon, an i-community formed which resembled the high school equivalent of a "cool kids" clique. Officially, 'i' stands for 'internet' (how dot com!), but it can also represent 'individuality'. Conversely, the letter can take on a more Freudian meaning of 'I' or 'id' as it relates to the sometimes egotistical behavior of Apple customers directed at non-Apple folks.
Apple's ingenious television marketing campaign has furthered the "us vs. them" mentality. The hip, "emo-ish" Apple guy is the perfect character foil to the bespectacled, slightly pudgy PC guy. Apple has even co-opted the color white in its quest for media dominance. The Apple logo is now synonymous with the highly visible and recognizable white-colored products. God forbid if your mp3 ear buds aren't white.
Indeed, Apple might be the more robust platform for artistic applications. Others also argue that the Mac OS makes Windows look like an unstable volcano. The majority of Apple users that I know do not leverage Mac OS for graphic design intensive processes. Instead, they use their iMacs for more mundane tasks like crunching numbers in Excel, composing Word memos and creating Powerpoint decks. Some Mac users go as far as to install VMWare or Parallel to run Windows applications, essentially disguising their iMac as a PC. But what explains the inflated customer perception of Apple's market share? According to industry sources, Apple commands a minuscule market share in every relevant category: 9.5% for PCs, 10.7% for Smartphones and 9.8% for Operating Systems (although iPod commands 73% share digital music players.)
"i"
• 9th letter of the Roman alphabet,
• Uppercase form refers to self
• Lowercase prefix form refers to an Apple, Inc. product
The most common use of a singular alphabetic prefix is to link a product or company with a lifestyle or era. Two prominent examples are the letters 'x' and 'e'. The letter 'x' symbolizes youthful rebelliousness such as xGames and xTreme sports. The Scarlett letter 'e', which heralded the dotcom bubble, marks many failed internet companies (the notable exception being eBay).
Which brings us to the successful monopoly of the letter "i" by Apple.
Apple first introduced the iProduct lineup in 1998 with the iMac. The launches of iPod, iTunes and iPhone followed in quick succession. Soon, an i-community formed which resembled the high school equivalent of a "cool kids" clique. Officially, 'i' stands for 'internet' (how dot com!), but it can also represent 'individuality'. Conversely, the letter can take on a more Freudian meaning of 'I' or 'id' as it relates to the sometimes egotistical behavior of Apple customers directed at non-Apple folks.
Apple's ingenious television marketing campaign has furthered the "us vs. them" mentality. The hip, "emo-ish" Apple guy is the perfect character foil to the bespectacled, slightly pudgy PC guy. Apple has even co-opted the color white in its quest for media dominance. The Apple logo is now synonymous with the highly visible and recognizable white-colored products. God forbid if your mp3 ear buds aren't white.
Indeed, Apple might be the more robust platform for artistic applications. Others also argue that the Mac OS makes Windows look like an unstable volcano. The majority of Apple users that I know do not leverage Mac OS for graphic design intensive processes. Instead, they use their iMacs for more mundane tasks like crunching numbers in Excel, composing Word memos and creating Powerpoint decks. Some Mac users go as far as to install VMWare or Parallel to run Windows applications, essentially disguising their iMac as a PC. But what explains the inflated customer perception of Apple's market share? According to industry sources, Apple commands a minuscule market share in every relevant category: 9.5% for PCs, 10.7% for Smartphones and 9.8% for Operating Systems (although iPod commands 73% share digital music players.)
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