“The biggest tech religion is the Church of Apple, with countless blogs defending its every move, regardless of whether it’s a good one,” Walt Mossberg writes for Re/code. “Some carry a sort of permanent sense of suspicion from the old days of the 1980s, when using a Mac was considered weird by many.”
“Apple cultists are often quick to question not just the judgment, but the motives and personal character of anyone who dares to question the company’s magic touch,” Mossberg writes. “And, because they can’t see any other way of thinking, they assume that if you praise or use an Apple product, you must have signed up for the whole religion.”
“Once, I was accused of being corrupt and lazy for writing a positive review of a new iPad, but having the temerity to list some of its downsides,” Mossberg writes. “One Apple fan site immediately called for me to resign.”
MacDailyNews Take: Hopefully Walt is now free from having to concoct and insert misguided tidbits of so-called “fairness” or “balance” into every, little, fscking thing he writes and can now simply review products forthrightly.
(In modern media, if Jesus Christ walked the earth today, for every sentence he uttered, an “opposing viewpoint” would have to be scrounged up and inserted as a “rebuttal” in order to achieve “fairness” or “balance.”
Example:
“Jesus said yesterday, ‘Love your neighbor.’ But, according to Janet Pistococle of the League of Neighbor Haters, this is ‘an outmoded school of thought’ and could, in fact, be dangerous.”Some truths are self-evident. No religiosity or ginned-up “balance” necessary. iPads are vastly superior tablets for the vast majority of people and trying to elevate Kindles or any other piece of shit iPad wannabe anywhere near the level of iPad in order to, we guess, project some modern media sense of “balance” or “fairness” is nothing more, or less, than a disservice to your readers.
“The Church of Apple has begotten a serious group of Apple haters, similarly irrational and mean-spirited, who are quick to conclude that the only explanation for a positive review of an Apple product is a payoff,” Mossberg writes. “But there are other sects as well… One of my favorite minor sects is the Church of Real Business, which contends that the only platform suitable for real work is a tightly limited Windows PC. This ignores the fact that, every day, plenty of business is conducted, money is made, and products are invented by people using Macs, or Apple or Android mobile devices.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Alternate headline: Mossberg goes full Dvorak.
Hey, when you’re launching a brand new website [Recode.net, check it out today!], puking out a triple dose of industrial strength hit-whoring is a prescription some simply can’t resist. “The Church of Apple” is so classic, it’s quaint… no, it’s more: Timeless. Just like you, Uncle Walt!
Congrats on the new site, Walt!
Related articles:
The Wall Street Journal and Walt Mossberg agree to mutually separate – September 19, 2013
Mossberg reviews Amazon’s tiny-screen Kindle Fire: Frustrating, clunky, much less capable and versatile than iPad – November 16, 2011
What’s wrong with Walt Mossberg? – October 22, 2009
I had Macs in the mid / late 80s and 90s but moved from them after Jobs left, due mainly to work standards requiring Windows. I bought my first Mac following Jobs return after reading a Walt Mossberg column reviewing the early iMac, an extremely positive review about its secure OS and no need for virus protection, along with its excellent design.
Sometimes, introspection is good.
Disregard anyone who attempts to identify Apple/Mac advocacy as a religion or a church, Walt included. Walt has had a number of reasonable and lucid moments during his career, but trended towards sensationalism and inconsistency later in his career. Walt is better than most, if that can be considered a compliment. But he should not proclaim the actions of a relatively small group of radical Apple supporters as representative of the whole.
Also, disregard anyone who actively promotes division by calling people out as cultists just because they disagree with him. At the end he says “chill out,” but all the way through the piece he’s pushing peoples hot buttons.
True, but Walt has a lot more class than the vocal Mac cultists who are quick to ring a troll alarm on MDN forums whenever anyone points out areas where Apple fails, or the many who gleefully cheer the every move of any person not in 100% support of all things Apple.
It would seem these people _are_ religious cultists, and they haunt the internet with their incessant condescending attitudes. It would seem these people want all other companies to fail … which would leave Apple as a monopoly … which is the end of competition … which always leads to complacency and over-pricing … which the objective observer would point out is the opposite of a free market.
But just wait — before too long MDN will trot out another click bait article about how other companies are falling apart, but how Apple will dominate the electronics world with benign benevolence guided by High Priest Cook, no democracy or consumer choice required. Hypocrisy abounds, and it undermines the goodwill that Apple has spent over a decade rebuilding. Every condescending prick who openly criticizes users of other electronics brands turns off another potential Apple switcher. You know who you are.
I was pretty surprised when I saw this on the opening edition of Walt’s new site. Complete click-bait or as the author says – “puking out a triple dose of industrial strength hit-whoring.”
If this is the type of drivel that Walt and co. will be producing then I’ll won’t be visiting.
“Apple cultists are often quick to question not just the judgment, but the motives and personal character of anyone who dares to question the company’s magic touch,” – truer words, precisely describing MDN and it’s legion of lemmings, were never spoken. Genius.
Most of Apple’s products are absolutely the best in the world of tech. I know because I’ve been using nearly every one of them, replacing with almost every upgrade or tweak, since ’84. The problem with Apple today is lack of leadership. Until that issue is addressed and solved, the company will now remain among the ordinary.
Okay, proceed with the usual overuse of the non-response word of TROLL. Stupid is as stupid does.
Let me see if I got this right. Apple makes the absolutely best in the world tech equipment, but they are just ordinary due to their leadership! Wow, what does that make the rest of the tech industry “Abbynormal?”
Couldn’t resist the Dr. Frankenstein quip.
Whaaaa…?
Ditto to – “..Apple’s products are absolutely the best in the world of tech..” and “…”I’ve been using nearly every one of them” (except for the new Black-Pro-Beauty).
But you are so wrong about Apple’s leadership. When every tech company on the planet follows in their footsteps, copying what there is to copy, or fail. That’s true leadership, that’s Apple.
..forgot to finish with …..Amen.
Argument dissection, 101:
Premise #1: “Most of Apple’s products are absolutely the best in the world of tech.”
Supporting Evidence for Premise #1: “I know because I’ve been using nearly every one of them….”
Logic Flaw: No supporting evidence to substantiate the comparison of Apple products to the rest of the tech world.
Premise #2: “The problem with Apple today is lack of leadership.”
Supporting Evidence for Premise #2: None provided.
Logic Flaw: “Jay Morrison” provides no evidence that he is sufficiently schooled in the art or multinational Fortune 100 company management to make such a claim, and provides no external evidence from which to base the premise.
Premise #3: “…the company will now remain among the ordinary.”
Supporting Evidence for Premise #3: None provided.
Logic flaw: “Jay Morrison” provides no industry comparisons to position Apple in the middle of the pack.
Contradictory Evidence #1 against Premises #2 and #3: “Most of Apple’s products are absolutely the best in the tech world.”
Contradictory Evidence #2 against Premises #2 and #3: http://macdailynews.com/2013/12/31/ios-7-now-installed-on-78-of-active-apple-iphones-ipads-and-ipod-touch-devices/
Contradictory Evidence #3 against Premises #2 and #3: http://macdailynews.com/2013/12/31/analyst-keep-an-eye-on-apple-in-2014-company-on-verge-of-a-breakout/
Contradictory Evidence #4 against Premises #2 and #3: http://macdailynews.com/2013/12/27/apple-to-1000-in-2014/
Conclusion: Posts by “Jay Morrison” which follow this pattern are simply to be ignored.
In many ways they shine as best in class. We laud and honor that which is best. Religion at its best does the same, lauding and honoring our highest ideals, seeking that they might become a part of us and work through us for transformation of ourselves and all of society.
Apple is not a religion. But by their excellence they have become an embodiment of the ideal, one towards which many strive.
And why not?
“It’s Not a Church, It’s Just an Apple Store”
Thank God! (it could have been a Microsoft or Samsung store)
It’s sad that Mr. Mossberg has fallen prey to “Support Line Syndrome” wherein the victim is only exposed to the negative sides of a product and therefore concludes the product is a failure, eventually recommending to friends and family that they stay away from that product. All this because people who have no problem with the product never call the support line.
With 180,000,000 iPads in use by (?) 250,000,000 users, Walt hears only from those few who have little other to do than write him either love letters or nasty grams.
The truth is this, Mr. Mossberg: The *vast* majority of Apple users are just getting done whatever they set out to accomplish with their Apple products and get back to their lives, never stopping to either evangelize Apple products or demonize non-Apple products. So if you really believe what you wrote then you need to go to a Starbucks in an airport and just chat up a few of the many folks there using an iPhone or an iPad — and get back in touch with reality.
Love those zeroes. They put the “oomph” back in the numeric stomach punch.
I wish he was truly independent. They are partnered with CNBC.
When I try and think why Walt wrote this, it appears he was trying to be like a father, giving his children a spanking. The very title is guaranteed to cause a strong reaction to those who disagree with him, regardless of the content of article. And the article doesn’t contain any information of any kind that we don’t know or already have a opinion about, that we are probably not going to change. We’ll maybe it makes him feel better to express his frustration. Anyway, based on this start to his new venture, I am not feeling especially positive about continuing to read his opinions. And, by the way, his new web site is ugly.
It could just be the ancient version of IE that we have to use here at work, but his new website is fugly as shit!!!
I think a lot of the defensiveness of Apple fans is due to the continuous crap, derision and insults we all had to take for so many years in the 80s and 90s. Not to mention the bias of the mainstream press and Windows rags. Only so long you can bite your tongue.
In fairness, however — and speaking as a pro-Apple person since before Macintosh — it’s time for us to get over the insults and move on. I for one am all in favor of replacing reactionary fanaticism with smug superiority.
Anyone who went from an IBM type in the letters and numbers and see the program open to a Mac did go from hell to heaven.
The church of Devine GUI.
Love the loveless church of Windows comment.
Hmmm nothing about Wall Street and their analysts and jouranalysts. Oh that’s right, it’s not a church it’s a whore house.
Back to work, children. Recess is over.
Mix metaphors much?
“Back to school, children, recess is over.”
Or, sadly:
“Back to class, children: recess is over.”
Yup: I’m my own grammar police! 🙂
It may just be an Apple Store, but explain to me why the American Arcitecture Institute (I may have gotten the name wrong, forgive me) has put Apple Store’s 5th Avenue location on the list of “America’s Favorite Arcitecture” list, along with icons such as Washington Monument, Statue of Liberty, and Hearst Castle San Simeon? It looks like it isn’t “just a store” after all…
This old f**ker is irrelevant.
I guess I lost a lot of confidence in Walt when I observed what he has said about Windows 8. We now know it is a disaster. But I could tell just by looking at that it was awful. I would have thought it was his job to warn people, if he was doing his job.
Walt, you’re not a prophet- you’re just a hack.
Hey! Who was the “Apple fan site” “calling for” his “resignation?”
Is that MDN?
Walt’s non sequitur introduction of “Apple Church” is an irrational, ad hominem attack on people who value Apple products.