iPhone users suffering 'Stockholm Syndrome', analyst firm reckons
iPhone users are suffering from delusion akin to Stockholm Syndrome, says Strand Consulting in a weird little slice of research released this morning by this particular team of generally anti-iPhone analysts.
The note, titled, “How will psychologists describe the iPhone syndrome in the future?” seems one of the most unusual slices of writing we’ve come across.
Here’s how it begins: “It is no secret that there has been a great deal of hype surrounding the iPhone and it is also no secret that Apple probably has the most loyal and fantastic customers in the world.”
The full research claims Apple and iPhone users are devoting huge amounts of energy “defending” the product, “despite the shortcomings and limitations of both past and present versions of the iPhone.”
They concede: “Apple has launched a beautiful phone with a fantastic user interface that has had a number of technological shortcomings that many iPhone users have accepted and defended, despite those shortcomings resulting in limitations in iPhone users’ daily lives.
“When we examine the iPhone users’ arguments defending the iPhone, it reminds us of the famous Stockholm Syndrome - a term that was invented by psychologists after a hostage drama in Stockholm. Here hostages reacted to the psychological pressure they were experiencing, by defending the people that had held them hostage for 6 days,” the continue.
The report then puts forward a series of arguments people Strand Consulting characterise as “hardcore iPhone fanatics” have used to explain away what the analysts see as the “shortcomings” of the Apple device. We haven’t repeated it here, but it looks at things including the closed nature of the App Store, prior lack of MMS, camera quality and so forth.
Then Strand Consulting come in with an interesting accusation: “In reality the iPhone is surrounded by a multitude of people, media and companies that are happy to bend the truth to defend the product they have purchased from Apple.”
“....if you are one of the many other phone manufacturers: Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, LG, HTC etc., you will most probably be very envious of the euphoria that Apple has invoked in their customers,” they conclude.
“Strand Consult is always open to objective criticism and we would be happy to participate in any debates regarding the conclusions in our reports," they add....we can feel it coming.
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Comments (153)
they seem to have forgotten about the windows customers of the world. That would seem to be a more accurate definition of 'stockholm syndrome', you know, as it would include an abusive party controlling something that doesn't work but convincing people that they cannot live without it.
to say that the iPhone doesn't work and has shortcomings that inhibit people's daily life is ridiculous. AT&T issues aside, without the iPhone, current competing devices would not be nearly as easy to use or as good as they are now. bogus.
Thnka you for proving the point of the article.
So... anyone who defends their iphone from unreasonable criticism is suffering from Stockholm syndrome? The syndrome is named after hostages in a bank heist who defended their captors, not fans of Zac Ephron or Britany Spears. And don't say I'm proving your point, because I don't own an iphone and am looking seriously at Droid.
This is an attack/entrap argument. It's set up so that if you, in any way, express that you disagree with its points then you are accused of being defensive. The author can make any wild or unfounded statements he/she wants, but if you disagree, you are just being defensive. Republicans have this style of attack down cold.
I think you mean Democrats have this attack down cold.
I think you mean all successful politicians and pundits have this attack down cold.
No, I'm pretty sure they meant republicans.
No, I'm pretty sure they meant republicans.
not many windows users defend windows. quite the contrary. but when you bring up a shortcoming with any apple product you get treated as if it were an attack on their family...
its the very definition of the syndrome...
the article isn't a trap, its science
are you fucking kidding me? WinBLOWS lUSERS don't defend windows? What world are you living in!?
this whole stupid war is increasingly meaningless, especially now that os x runs on what is essentially a PC. but winblows, as you call it, is everywhere--the library, for one, but most of all at work. if you've ever used an atm, a movie ticket dispenser, or an airport info kiosk, YOU've used windows. and no, nobody really likes it, except a few crazies who like to rile up mac fanatics. neither the computer you use nor the car you drive says anything positive about you as a person, but it can expose you as a massive tool, whatever you own.
Actually if you've used an ATM, ticket or airport kiosk you've used linux.
you'd be suprised...
http://images.google.be/images?q=atm+crash
I believe it should read more like...
"Actually if you’ve (successfully) used an ATM, ticket or airport kiosk you've used linux."
:)
I recently worked for one of the top ATM vendors. I know for a fact that some of their products run on Windows, because I was developing software for them.
Up until a couple of years ago the ATMs all ran on OS2 now a surprising number of them run windows
In holland a long time (sure to 2004) Windows NT for was used for ATM Machines gave funny pics sometimes :-)
That's because Mac users have had to endure snide comments fromm techie nerds since 1984, and tbh it's getting more than a bit tiring!
Wouldn't these so called "techie nerds" know quite a bit about computers and what should be used, at least for them? A lot of this comes down to choice.
You've got a point, but from day one, just because the Mac had an interface built upon visual metaphor rather than command line, they took that snooty attitude of calling it a 'toy'. An insult that still reverberates to this day because Apple tries to make products that are easy to use.
Sure, some Mac users can be zealous and defensive, but a lot of this originates from the derision we've had to endure for two and a half decades of derision from people who don't understand that other people might work differently to the way they do.
I'm pretty sure most Mac users haven't been using Macs for two and a half years let alone two and a half decades!
Obviously, taking into consideration the recent increase in sales.
However, I was saying Mac users as a group have had to endure this pettiness since 1984.
You might want to get a thicker skin. If you are sure of your choice then be proud of it and stop playing the victim card. That's really quite pathetic and simply makes Mac users look like whiny babies.
(I own both and prefer neither. They both have their strengths and weaknesses.)
Well I could'nt give a rat's arse for the whole Mac v PC thing myself; I choose a Mac because I prefer it and that's the only factor that should matter.
But it's not a case of getting a thicker skin, it's just so annoying getting hassle all the time from people who need to get a life!
No a "techie nerd" thats into Windows won't know about Macs. From my experience in IT departments 9 out of 10 have never owned one or used one for any significant length of time. Many a time I've recommended a mac to someone and their Windows IT person is whispering in their ear to buy winblows siting price, stability or any other nonsense reasons. Never found a one of them had ever owned a Mac.
Good point, most don't know about Macs and resorted to knee-jerk sterotypes to prop up their own egos.
While I'm here, I think I may need to qualify my earlier statement; the 'techie nerds' I referred to aren't the normal, well adjusted people who have an aptitide for computers [after all where would we be without those guys [and gals]?] or those who have a geniune passion on the subject [let's face it- we should all be passionate bout something in life]. No, I merely meant the [vocal] minority who seem to take things a bit *too* far; you know the type! : )
Sorry for any offence I may have caused.
Um, I'm a "techie nerd," a power user, I use Macs at least once a week and a lot in the past. Guess what's coming? I really do not like OS X. It's tedious to use. I am constrained by the lack of preferences and settings. The dock is an inferior way to organize programs and running tasks. And it actually adds time to my day to use and operate OS X. Resizing a window in OS X only from the bottom corner? Can't change the default window view to "details" and have it stay that way forever? Really? It's the little things like that begin to add up and really do annoy me. Especially when I know there's a better way, right now, by NOT using OS X. Can I get acknowledgement from an OS X user that that behavior is an example of a shortcoming with OS X? Thought not.
While I'm at it. This is a two way street. Can we stop with the comparisons to XP? I really do enjoy how Mac people compare their latest OS (and diss me for assuming I haven't tried it) to XP, one that was released 7 seven years ago. From now on, I will only compare Windows 7 to OS 9.
Fair enough, that's your choice; if you don't like it, it's ypur prerogative not to use it. I prefer Mac, and that's what I choose; as I've said before, ultimately that is the only factor that should matter. But I wasn't talking about people like you, I was talking about the kind of people who have always sneered at Mac users for being somehow inferior just because they choose another way of working, which in the end is bound to foster resentment in those on the receiving end.
I also am a 'techie', and I can tell you that pretty much all of what you are citing as the 'shortcomings' of OSX are, in fact, incorrect. Resizing the window can be activated on additional corners with a plug-in, changing the default Finder view to detailed is an available permanent setting, and the reason, at least until recently, that the comparison was made between XP and OSX was due to the fact that, as Microsoft has acknowledged, Vista wasn't exactly the splash of success that they had hoped, and with Vista's industry acknowledged shortcomings in stability and performance, I would think that you or anyone taking a 'side' in this debate favoring Windows would prefer that the comparison be made against Microsoft's best OS until the recent release of Windows 7. It's not Apple's fault that Microsoft screwed the ol' pooch on Vista... It's Microsoft's.
All of that said, I do consider Windows 7 to be the slight edge leader in OS feature-set and performance at this time. The fact that its 64-bit integration is VASTLY superior to OSX SL is no small part of that. However I also find that customer satisfaction with Windows 7 is slightly greater as well, as is overall stability. Although you still stand a much greater chance of 'losing work' due to a Windows crash than you do an OSX crash.
I personally use both as well as Ubuntu Linux quite frequently. My current desktop environments are a neck and neck split between OSX SL and Windows 7. My impressions of the Office suite, in a nutshell, are that Microsoft Office 2008 on OSX is superior in a lot of ways to the soon-to-be-released new version of Office for Windows. Not due to feature set. Microsoft certainly ensured that their feature set is far richer in Windows, but because of simplicity of use and understandability of moderately complex tasks by users. People using the OSX version quite simply are able to do more without asking for assistance.
All of that said, if it's bashing of OSX that you're looking for, then you need to point at the 64-bit integration (and the fact that 64bit kernel isn't even enabled on SL install), WEAK technical support beyond tier 1, a complete lack of ability to penetrate the enterprise market in any meaningful way due to Apple's corporate arrogance/stupidity, and an almost fanatical (to the point of self destructive) dedication to form over function at certain times... case in point the practically useless 'magic mouse'. The only thing magical about it being how quickly it disappeared from my desk after I used it for a couple of days.
Now, as for Windows 7... well you probably don't actually want me to go there do you. ;-)
I have to disagree with you on the statement that Windows XP was Microsoft's best OS prior to Vista. I've been using XP for a little over a year now (since a game I wanted to play didn't support 2000), and I have to say, it's a little like going back to my 9x days. 2000 Professional rarely, if ever, gave me a major lock-up. XP locks up every time I use it, even if it's just sitting there doing nothing. And before you ask, yes, I'm running XP Pro. I have a friend that had XP Home, and it reminded me of the first time I used 95 - Dead On Arrival.