On the basis that any joke you have to explain, wasn't a joke — I would say that my attempt at humour flopped.
The author's thesis is that people buy IT equipment for its utility & that the iPads etc. will fail because of that. I was just pointing out that there's a certain amount of raven in most IT buyers — and that's part of what attracts them to the latest Apple offerings. We're essentially saying the exact same thing.
You were saying ...
Interesting that your comment is the exact opposite of the truth. People buy PCs because of what they do. People buy Macs because of what they represent.
Very true! :-)
Another variation on this "theme" is that people only buy things because "marketing" tells them to do so ... LOL ...
Good grief! Some go off on this "marketing mantra" that the only thing that Apple has going for it is simply "marketing" (as that's the only thing that Apple is good at) and they sell lousy products, which don't work right and are the worst products you can ever get.
In fact, some of these people who say that, apparently think that a company can "market like crazy" for the last decade and no one will ever get a clue that they've been sold crappy products for the last decade ... LOL ...
I think I know who the "crazy people" are in "this story" -- it's the ones who hold to this "magic marketing prowess" of Apple ...
For example, here's a features list for the recent Apple iPad. Heck! There are people who can probably use this as their only computer and need no other one around ... (and with many people, having a desktop is "overkill" for them and what they do).
Watch the iPad video
All of the built-in apps on iPad were designed from the ground up to take advantage of the large Multi-Touch screen and advanced capabilities of iPad. And they work in any orientation. So you can do things with these apps that you can’t do on any other device.
Safari
iPad is the best way to experience the web. View whole pages in portrait or landscape on the large Multi-Touch screen. And let your fingers do the surfing. Learn more
Mail
There’s nothing like the Mail app on iPad. With a split-screen view and expansive onscreen keyboard, it lets you see and touch your email in ways you never could before. Learn more
Photos
A vivid LED-backlit IPS display makes viewing photos on iPad extraordinary. Open albums with a tap. Flip through your pictures one by one. Or play a slideshow and share your photos. Learn more
Videos
The 9.7-inch high-resolution screen makes iPad perfect for watching HD movies, TV shows, podcasts, music videos, and more. Learn more
YouTube
With the YouTube app designed specifically for iPad, videos are even easier to find. And on the amazing iPad display, they’re more fun to watch. Especially in HD. Learn more
iPod
Reach out and touch your songs. View your album art full-size. iPad makes music look as good as it sounds. Learn more
iTunes
Millions of songs, thousands of movies and TV shows, and so much more. Browsing and buying are just a tap away. Learn more
App Store
You’ll find more than 150,000 apps on the App Store, and iPad can run almost all of them. Including everything from games to productivity apps. Learn more
iBooks
Reading is a joy on iPad. Text looks crisp and bright. Pages turn with a flick. And you can buy new books from the iBookstore. Just download the free iBooks app to get started.1 Learn more
Maps
See more of the world with iPad. Find locations easier than ever with street view, satellite view, or new terrain view — all using Google services. Learn more
Notes
With its large display and onscreen keyboard, iPad makes it easy to jot down quick notes and keep important information on hand. You can even email yourself reminders. Learn more
Calendar
Work, home, and everything in between. Your schedules are easy to read and easy to manage on iPad — even all at once. Learn more
Contacts
With Contacts on iPad, you can see much more than just names and numbers. And you can do more with them, too. Learn more
Home Screen
With just one press of the Home button, you have access to every app on your iPad. Learn more
Spotlight Search
No matter what you’re looking for, Spotlight Search can help you find it. Learn more
Accessibility
Universal access is built into iPad. So right out of the box, Apple makes it easy for people with disabilities to enjoy all that iPad has to offer. Learn more
iWork
The iWork productivity applications that you know and love on the Mac — Keynote, Pages, and Numbers — have been completely redesigned for iPad.2 So you can create great-looking presentations, documents, and spreadsheets. All using just your fingers. And while they’re easy to use, they’re also the most powerful productivity apps ever built for a mobile device.
Keynote
Create a presentation with custom graphic styles, elegantly designed themes, stunning animations and effects, and powerful new features designed just for iPad. Learn more
Pages
Pages has everything you need to put your words into beautiful documents. Including Apple-designed templates and easy-to-use formatting tools. Learn more
Numbers
Numbers includes over 250 easy-to-use functions, an intelligent keyboard, flexible tables, and eye-catching charts. So you can create compelling spreadsheets in just a few taps. Learn more
Interesting that your comment is the exact opposite of the truth. People buy PCs because of what they do. People buy Macs because of what they represent. Interesting theory. Unfortunately, your comment is - for the most part- as misinformed as the original author's article.
I have been an Apple customer for 16+ years. I can honestly say that I have never purchased an Apple anything because of what it "represents". 100% of my Apple purchases have been because of what the particular hardware could do.
The first Apple (Quadra 610) 
I was involved in purchasing was with my first teaching job. I basically "sold" the head band director on buying the Apple specifically to run marching band drill writing software (which at the time, the top of the market only ran on the Macintosh). But my experience with that machine, despite the old System 7 funkyness sold me on Apple, as the current "top of the line" PC my Step-Father used for his work was a nightmare in comparison.
And when I purchased my own first Apple (Performa 6400/180),
I again had the opportunity to compare directly to friend's PCs. And what I found - Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING was far easier to do on my Macintosh. Clarisworks (later AppleWorks) was my one-and-only office software, and it did what Word did - only easier (I still miss it).
Then I moved up into the real-world and bought a "smurf" G3 tower. 
What a beast that was at the time! By then, I was sometimes using MS Word and Excel - and also found that the Mac version was more intuitive and straightforward in function. This was about the time that Apple and the Mac platform was beginning to make a comeback. This blue machine did what I still couldn't find a Windows box to do...
Then came my first G4 
- Was basically a grey version of the G3. I had done some tinkering with the processor on the G3 and messed up the motherboard. So I found a store demo G4 at the then CompUSA. That machine served me well - until I decided I just had to move up to a dual-processor G4 (Windtunnel)
. That machine was kind of fund - I filled all the hard drive bays, and maxed out the RAM, put in the latest-greatest DVD burner and it also served me well - and ran some audio editing software I used that was unavailable for Windows.
When the power supply finally died on my last G4 (after 6 years of very faithful service), I opted to replace it with a used G5 dual processor machine.
While I would love to stop up to a new machine, the G5 is still plugging along - and I still use applications that are only Macintosh-compatible - that are the envy of many of my PC-using friends and family.
And two last tidbits - In my 16 years of being a Macintosh user - I have seen exactly ONE virus on my machine: in 1995. Even then, it took a whole 5 minutes to clean it off the computer, never to have another issue.
Have my Macs been 100% perfect and trouble-free? No. Have had a few hard drives die (not made by Apple), one stick of RAM go bad (again, not made by Apple). I had the one virus mentioned above 15 years ago. I damaged a motherboard through my ignorance, and had one power supply go out.
My current work provides me with a relatively recent HP Pavilion laptop that is fairly nice. It now gets a good deal of my typing work. But right next to it on my desk is my several year-old 12" iBook G4