August 14th, 2008
Apple is the tech equivalent of Disney World?!??!!!!
From the “I’m glad I didn’t say that because I’ve misplaced my fireproof suit” files:
The chances of finding yourself at Disney World well past the age of maximum enjoyment (somewhere after age 10) are disproportionately high if you have a child. You’ll be shocked by the prices ($2.50 for the Coke machine), be nauseated by the pandering to children and amazed by the level of self-promotion (there is a channel that plays a show about the 7 top attractions at Disney 24/7). Once those feelings have subsided and you start hitting the rides you’ll notice that a lot of the rides are the same, only the robots change.
[... big cut ...]
To illustrate this concept let us examine two rides that most would say are very different experiences. The Pirates of the Caribbean and It’s a Small World. At the fundamental level the rides are the same: you get in a boat and float around in half a foot of water watching dated animatronic dolls put on a little show. But given a choice between meandering through the Pirates of the Caribbean twice in one day or two trips around the planet on It’s a Small World I’d opt for the Pirates of the Caribbean every time. Well, unless I got to take a flamethrower on the second loop through the repetitive dolls of the world, that ride needs some serious updating. The same holds true with Apple products: Sure, they’re just stock gadgets more or less but you’re not paying for the gadget, you’re paying for the experience.
Yowza!
In other Apple/Mac-related new, Psystar is still defying Apple and continues to sell Mac-clone/Hackintosh systems.
[UPDATE: My ZDNet blogging colleague Jason O'Grady is reporting that Psystar is now asking customers to fill in an Acknowledgment of Sale letter (PDF here). Before I'd fill in that form I'd want to know exactly what I was filling and why.]
Adrian is a technology journalist and author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology. He also runs a popular blog called The PC Doctor. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations
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