Apple’s most valuable intangible asset isn’t its patents or copyrights - it’s an army of people who believe that using products from a $2.89 trillion multinational makes them members of an oppressed religious minority whose identity is coterminal with the interests of Apple’s shareholders.

If you’d like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here’s a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/12/youre-holding-it-wrong/#if-dishwashers-were-iphones

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  • Cory Doctorow@mamot.frOP
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    8 months ago

    @Chrisdowney@mstdn.social I can only assume that you haven’t read the parts of this post where I identify specific cult-like behavior.

    • Chris Downey@mstdn.social
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      8 months ago

      @pluralistic@mamot.fr I just think that’s your interpretation of the behavior. The “Steve Jobs reality distortion field” was a term invented by people who just didn’t see the value in what Apple had made.

      Don’t get me wrong, I love your writing, and agree with many of your points. Just seems to me that this focus on Apple being a cult detracts from the real issue which is that they are an abusive monopoly.