“In the world of business, some companies have customers. Others have ‘clients.’ All of them try to create customer loyalty. Then there is Apple Computer,” Jim Stafford writes for The Daily Oklahoman. “Apple has created millions of fanatical followers who display almost a cult-like devotion to the California-based company that makes Macintosh computers.
“Every move Apple makes is chronicled in the technology media the way entertainers are tracked by, say, People magazine. When it opens a new Apple retail store as it did recently in San Francisco, hundreds camp outside the store the night before to be among the first inside on opening day. And yet, Apple holds but a 5 percent share of the computer market in a world dominated by Microsoft and PCs that operate its Windows-based operating system,” Stafford writes.
“Apple has created such devotion by creating ‘cool’ products and a slightly ‘counter-culture’ philosophy that strikes a nerve with its fans, said Michael Gartenberg, technology analyst with Jupiter Research. ‘Certainly Steve Jobs is the heart and soul of Apple,’ he said. ‘It’s very rare to see another company’s CEO speaking at a public forum with people lining up around the block for hours and hours on end in order to get inside. A Macworld keynote where Steve Jobs speaks is some parts marketing message and other parts revival meeting for the faithful.'”
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MacDailyNews Take: Yes, we’re all just ‘Macheads,’ millions of fanatical followers displayng a cult-like devotion to Apple Computer and our fearless leader Steve Jobs because the products are “cool.” And here we were just thinking we appreciated quality, stability, and products that simply just work. We don’t like to use Windows. We prefer the Mac instead. We must be “crazy.” Uh oh, here goes: