Replies to post #35889 on Apple Inc (AAPL)

[langostino]

altaire - your inquiry

Am I willing to pay a premium for AAPL products? Well, let's see, you mean ... other than the fact I've bought and owned dozens of Mac products for over 20 years, outfitted small businesses with them, advised and consulted other small businesses on switching them over from Wintel to Mac? I suspect I've been willing to shell out for Macs longer than anyone here, since my first Mac was purchased as part of a 5 university pilot program that used us as guinea pigs long before the original Mac was introduced to the market.

The bigger question is ... what difference would that make? The merits of an analysis on the elasticity of demand and broad corporate pricing decisions made by Apple don't have a darned thing to do with whether I've got more Macs in my home and in my office than I could possibly use at once. (which, as it turns out, I do).

It's as though there's some kind of "loyalty" test that one has to pass, or one's analysis or opinion is somehow less meritorious. I suppose I'll never understand or respect that kind of approach. It's as though daring to be critical of Apple's monitor pricing is seen as some kind of attack on the Holy Leader of a cult, and therefore a denunciation of every member of the cult for having chosen to worship that Holy Leader as infallible.

To which the response never seems to be a rational discussion of the issue, but a turn to a personal critique of one who dares have a minority or non-conforming opinion.

For years, my experience in trying to have rational discussions with potential switchers has been handicapped by their not entirely incorrect impressions of the world of Macs as being a tyranny of group-think, intolerant of anyone who refuses to toe the line.

Ironically, there are fairly substantial correlations to the world of politics. Have you ever noticed that most of the world lives in the middle of the political spectrum, and has little interest in being harangued and boxed about the ears by the extremists and zealots on either end of the spectrum? The types that have litmus tests for acceptable thinking -- an all or nothing type approach? My great sin, I suppose is daring to be a fan of the Mac platform, but refusing to worship Steve Jobs as some kind of infallible business genius. More importantly, have you ever noticed that the people who are most successful in getting an audience with swing voters aren't the fire-breathing zealots on either extreme of the political divide, but the more moderate types who can acknowledge the legitimacy of imperfections the potential "convertee" might see in the party or platform s/he seeks to promote?

p.s. if you're wondering, I don't own anything manufactured by Dell. But my business does require me to have a WinXP machine amongst the mix. Perhaps I should be exiled from the island for that "sin".