[hugh3]

I don't think being a fan of the iPhone doesn't mean you can't also be a fan of Android; they're not mutually exclusive (I have an Xbox and a Wii).

Well heck, so do I, but I wouldn't call myself a "fan" of either.

Actually I try not to be a "fan" of anything. Describing yourself as a fan of something seems to be a way of making the rather dull act of liking something into part of your identity.

[neonfunk]

I think we're probably making too much of the word "fan", and that Gruber was just using it to indicate preference (as opposed to devotion).

That said, I'm a fan of Apple because I admire their work. I'm enamored with the substance of their products, and I could care less how ownership affects my image [Edit: more honestly, I try not to care]. (I actually think declaring myself a fan of Apple is a detriment to my image, especially in this forum. C'est la vie.)

[srbloom]

Veering off-topic, and I don't mean to personally attack, but this exercise of limiting the ways in which your description is "dull" is completely futile, e.g., here you are engaged in making the rather dull act of liking not being a fan of anything into part of your identity.

What I'm trying to say is that I think your preferences will always be a large part of who you are, like it or not.