Because you buy not just a device but into an ecosystem. Because you have expectations of future development. Because, as far as a changing political landscape will allow, you hope you can trust their judgement. Because you want support. Because you want to be able to walk into a store. Lots of reasons…
> Because, as far as a changing political landscape will allow, you hope you can trust their judgement
funny to bring this one up as an example among the others (but i suppose it's evidence that things can go the other way).
i was waiting to buy a new M5 MBP this year until they got so cozy with the current administration. now i'm just making do with my current machine until i can get a decent price on a used M5 machine in a couple of years. i'm in the process of cancelling all of my recurring apple subscriptions as well.
i'll probably use macs for as long as i use computers, but i think i'm done giving apple any money directly.
If you have one company that has "done what you want" for 20+ years and is not "not doing what you want" you will feel sad, and hope they go back to what you want.
Of course, the argument about how much of that is "convincing you that you what what they do" is left to the reader - but marketing hype can only take you so far.
I have a macbook and a Samsung. The products I buy are here to do a job for me and that's it. If another brand does a better job then I'll switch to that with no qualms.
Like it or not, they’re a Silicon Valley institution. They’ve affected technology more and stuck around longer than most everyone else.
It’s like caring about Bell Labs if it still existed, or Kodak at its peak. Sure, they were part of big monopolistic companies, but the other side of that is a unique entity with a resume of accomplishments that make them worthy of national pride.
Of course, accomplishments like the Apple I/II, Macintosh, Newton, iMac, iPod, and iPhone really had nothing to do with monopolistic advantages. All of these industry-changing products were built by a company that was nowhere close to being a dominant force.
In my original comment I did acknowledge the problematic aspects of giant companies like Apple or AT&T in my examples, but I can still see how one might separate that from real legitimate innovation and positive impact and be willing to celebrate that.
I’ve talked to a lot of space enthusiasts that have similar mixed feelings about SpaceX. It’s hard to root against a company that is so innovative in a field of your interest just because the owner is an asshole.
Further examples, I’m sure a lot of aviation geeks feel the same about Boeing. All the scandal, corruption, and military aspects of the company shouldn’t completely erase the awe-inspiring experience of being on a 747 or a 787 jet.