Anthropologist 'confirms' Apple is a religion

ZDNet ^ | October 25, 2012 | Charlie Osborne

[Paradox]

Think religion, think ritual: history, perhaps sacred writings, proscribed sets of moral laws, and potentially a sacrifice or two. There are plenty of organizations and cultures around the world that claim they adhere to a certain set of beliefs, but could adoration and a cult following for a technology firm be the next step?

The University of British Columbia's Dr. Kirsten Bell believes that much of the aforementioned applies to Apple. After observing launch videos, and recently attending the iPad mini launch for TechNewsDaily, the social anthropologist said that Mac fandom has some strikingly similar parallels between a religion or cult status:

A stranger observing one of the launches could probably be forgiven for thinking they had stumbled into a religious revival meeting. Before specializing in the biomedical field, the research fellow conducted fieldwork on new religious movements in South Korea until 2005. Based on this experience, Bell believes that Apple is "littered with sacred symbols" -- most notably, the iconic Apple logo. (Ironically, some believe the bitten Apple is "anti-Christian").

It's not like any other firm uses a logo for representation, or goes through the revamp process to stay modern and recognizable. Oh, no....

[Standing Wolf]

I was kind of a Macintosh evangelist years ago. I spent extra to buy Macintoshes. I went out of my way to persuade employers and clients to buy them. I turned down a job offer or two because I'd have had to downgrade to the Microsoft operating system.

A religion? No, but my faith in Macintosh had both more substance and more substantial rewards than lots of other people's faith in Marxism, Islam, the Democratic [sic] party, Harley-Davidson motorcycles, et alia. Only one of the hundreds of Macintoshes I've bought and specified over the years was a dud, and it was a Power Computing clone, not an Apple. The one I'm using this afternoon is eight years old, still going strong, albeit noisy because the fan comes on at 65° instead of a higher temperature. I've had to replace the battery, which set me back nearly $20. I've had to vacuum dust out of it at least once a year. The operating system... Well, let me put it this way: if I could go back to OS 7 or OS 8, I'd have done it a long time ago.

[Wuli]

I think there is a broader “religion” involved and that is the religion of the “computer technology revolution” itself, and Apple, Microsoft, the Internet, Google, cell phones, ect,, ect., are just branches, or interconnected “denominations/sects” of that religion;

and like many religions

the computer technology revolution/religion insists you, and all society MUST jump on board, or you won’t be saved; only that is referring to now, in this lifetime, not the hereafter

[Chickensoup]

Interesting that it is a religion spread by the public schools. Many school districts give out apples to their jr high and high school students.

Early converts.

[itsahoot]

He RESENTED having to use a PC at work.

Would you resent having to use an Apple?

[itsahoot]

if I could go back to OS 7 or OS 8, I'd have done it a long time ago.

Me toooooo. HyperCard was easy enough for even a dummy like me to create useful stuff. Actually I loved the GUI on the II GS.

[newzjunkey]

Cute but the iPad mini display is 7.9 inches.

[wastedyears]

What about fans of Star Trek and Star Wars?

[Daffynition]