iLove it.
By Gregory Jacobs-Roseman (Composer-Lyricist)
By the time you read these words I will probably already be
in possession of my pre-ordered brand spanking new iPhone 5. That’s right. It’s September
21st, the official release date of the newest annual revamp of the smartphone
that revolutionized the smartphone, and those of us who worship at the altar of
Steve Jobs could not be giddier.
And yes. I said “worship” because I want to own the image Apple-haters have that those of us who enjoy Apple products are blind, brainwashed sheep, willing to shell out hundreds of dollars for whatever shiny new object TheCompany™ is hawking this month. I know how they view us. Frankly I'm tired of articles like this one, and snarky ads like this:
I’ve loved everything Apple since I was in 1st grade and played Odell Lake and Oregon Trail on a big Apple IIGS at school (man, MECC was all over it in the late ‘80’s/early ‘90’s. Also, anyone remember Logowriter? That turtle was a total jackass).
The one program that felt more like homework than fun computer time. F*ck you, logowriter turtle.
I associated that old rainbow apple Apple logo with the fun period in my school day. And that what I associate with Apple itself. Their products are sleek, sexy, streamlined, and FUN. But also, they really have changed the world on more than one occasion.
The Apple IIGS. Complete with two ACTUALLY floppy floppy disk drives. Remember those?
We all know the famous story of Steves Jobs and Wozniak inventing the home computer in their garage in the ‘70’s. But think back just five years ago, to 2007, when the first iPhone was introduced. Then we were all on our flip phones, now I think it’s almost impossible to buy a phone without a touch screen.
Cellphones before and after the iPhone
Quite the vertical leap.
The thing about the iPhone (and most Apple products for that matter) is that it was so user-friendly anyone could use it and have fun doing so. Except for Carrie Bradshaw:
Full disclosure: I don’t upgrade every year. I used that first-generation iPhone for years, opting not to buy a 3G or 3Gs and instead upgrading once the iPhone 4 was released. I’m still using my iPhone 4, having decided it wasn’t worth it to get a 4s. I also am still using my first-generation iPad. I haven’t felt the need to update that yet either, so perhaps I’m not a blind sheep after all.
Still, the judgments from Apple-haters has got to stop. Why do you care what phone I use or how often I update it? I’ll remind you that when Apple announced the iPad, it was almost universally panned. Now, it’s the most popular tablet on the market.
Old Apple logo. Kinda gay.
So you can keep your Blackberry with its all-work-and-no-play attitude, and I say “feh” to your look-how-nonconformist-conformist-I-am Android. I prefer to do things Steve Job’s way. He was smarter than I am, anyway.
But most importantly, I put it to you that the iPhone fulfills the promise of America. Not from the standpoint of Steve Jobs building his business and all that. But rather the fact that it’s the great equalizer. As Andy Worhol put it:
“What’s great about this country is that America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest. You can be watching TV and see Coca-Cola, and you know that the President drinks Coke, Liz Taylor drinks Coke, and just think, you can drink Coke, too. A Coke is a Coke and no amount of money can get you a better Coke than the one the bum on the corner is drinking. All the Cokes are the same and all the Cokes are good. Liz Taylor knows it, the President knows it, the bum knows it, and you know it.” -Andy Worhol
Same could be said for the iPhone, the latest version of which I am now anticipating like a kid on Christmas Eve.
GREGORY JACOBS-ROSEMAN is a composer/lyricist and theatrical sound designer currently developing Save The Date: A New Musical Comedy. www.gregjr.com
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Confession: While Orgegon Trail was, of course, the bomb-diggety, I loved me some Logowriter!
Posted by: Amanda Louise Miller | Saturday, September 22, 2012 at 10:22 AM