Why all the hatred about Apple is completely valid
My first real post on Tumblr!
Yesterday while derping around the internet I came across this writeup.
If you go through this you’ll realize that it’s an attack on all Apple haters out there. It tells us that it’s foolish to hate Apple. I shall be quoting stuff from there because it depicts the general nature and ideology of Apple fanboys. This post also misses the real reason why we hate Apple. I’ll come to that later.
“I am NOT an Apple fanboy. I’m a techie and it just so happens that Apple is amazing.”
No matter how much you’d try to deny, your writing makes you sound like one. I guess this was written to be pseudo-neutral. But anyway please don’t deny that you are an Apple fanboy.
And because I’m not pseudo-neutral, let me tell you that I’m an Android user since 2 years. This tumblr post isn’t going to make you hate Apple if you are already a fanboy. I’m just going to convince you the reasons why hating Apple is valid.
Before I rant about why it’s silly to have extreme dislike or antipathy in relation to Apple allow me to point out about why you could like Apple.
Numero Uno: iPhone. The original one. You absolutely have to agree that when the iPhone came out it absolutely stunned everyone. The device was a bomb. Nothing like the iPhone existed in the market. Oh and the presentation was absolutely amazeballs. Apple (and Jobs) knew how big a deal the iPhone was and hence the revelation was as epic as it could be. The phone industry was changed……..for good.
Samsung F700
- One back button
- Front facing camera
- Full touchscreen
- Released before the first iPhone and a lot of similar devices were released by Samsung earlier than the F700.

LG Prada KE850
- Capacitive Touch Screen
- No physical buttons 
So basically the point is that Apple didn’t create something that “revolutionized” the mobile market. We were moving along and we would’ve got there without Apple. The reason why everybody got so excited about the iPhone was that it was an Apple product. Without that Apple logo, the same “iPhone” wouldn’t have gained that glory.
I’m not saying that Apple copied Samsung or LG. But any claims that Apple “revolutionized” the smartphone is pure bullshit. Run a Google search and you’ll find out that Android was in development long before the iPhone.
Numero Whatever-comes-after-Uno: The beautiful synergy between hardware and software. You all know how cranky an old PC can get. Well, Macs seem to defy that. No matter how old, they still work like a charm and you can actually get things done. The software is designed keeping the hardware in mind and hence the UI is fluid as ever.
Well a Mac is a “PC” with an Apple logo on it. It uses an Intel x86-64 CPU, RAM, Memory cards, etc. just like a PC does. So there’s technically no difference between a “Mac” and a “PC”. I got my first computer when I was 4 years old in 1999. That machine had Windows 98, Pentium III 800MHz and 128MB of RAM. I used that machine till 2008 and got a new computer for video editing work.
Actually it’s still in working condition but I’m not using it. My current machine is (you guessed it) 5 years old. No problems. It does the job it did 5 years ago.
Number Ummm….THREE: A close albeit curated ecosystem. There isn’t a lot you can do on the iPhone but the few things you can do ensures you can do them similarly everywhere. The UI design over the ENTIRE ecosystem (iOS, OS X both) looks and feels similar. Different apps show common UI behaviour i.e the back button is where it should be on every app on every device.
Numero Four: Polish. Lets say Android has 15 features, iOS would have 10. But these 10 would be well thought. The validity of this point is growing weaker I must confess. Android is closing down on iOS in this aspect. Nevertheless all I want to point out is that iOS is polished. Polished rather well.
Numero Five: Brilliant developer support. I’m sorry but apps like Clear, TweetBot, Fantastical, Sparrow, Mailbox just aren’t there on Android. Say what you want but these apps are a class apart.
All these say the same thing. Stop disguising lack of functionality and options as “simplicity” . It’s just lagging behind. And the ratio of features in iOS to Android isn’t 10:15 as you state. It’s a lot more. The features in iOS 6 don’t even match Android 2.3 Gingerbread (to be fair v1.6 Donot)
Android does a lot more things than what iOS does. Heck! You Apple guys can’t even set any other app (browser, music player, launcher, etc.) as your default option. Head over to http://mycolorscreen.com/?os=android) and see what people have done with their phones.
And please don’t use the ignorant line “you don’t need it”. Apple is always good at telling people what they need instead of giving them what they want. Do you really don’t need that drag-and-drop file transfer capability that 90’s MP3 players had?
And don’t use the word “Jailbreaking”. All that jailbreaking stuff can be done on Android without voiding the warranty of the device. And rooted Android devices trump jailbroken iPhones out.
As for the last point. I’d say “Apps like Falcon Pro, Zime, Press, Nova Launcher, PowerAMP and many many more aren’t available on iOS. Sorry but these apps are a class apart.” Your argument is incomplete. What’s the cost of those apps? Well in Android most of our apps are free. I’m sure Android has a lot more free apps than iOS.
If you haven’t heard about an incredible Android exclusive app called “Tasker”, watch this. This app can automate your phone. iPhones just can’t do that.
Moving on to the subject at hand… I’ve never understood this hatred people have against iOS. First and foremost, Apple isn’t invading your home and forcing you to use an iPhone. Apple isn’t going around
murdering torturing harassingtroubling Google employees or Android developers. They are merely doing a business and working on better ways to umm…do their business! You don’t like it? No problem, don’t buy their products. That’ll spare me thepainjoy of writing 1170 words and spare you the trouble of commenting on it.
After reading your entire writeup, I’m sure you haven’t really understood why we hate (yes that’s the correct word) Apple. I’ll come to the actual reasons why we hate Apple later. Indirectly, Apple is forcing us to buy iPhones and indulging in unprofessional and anti-competitive behavior instead of minding their own business.
When Android 4.1 Jellybean was released in June 2012, Apple got the Galaxy Nexus banned temporarily and also requested retailers to take down Samsung’s products. What does Apple want to do if I wanted a Galaxy Nexus? I’m not going to buy their phone anyway.
You must be aware of Apple’s “thermonuclear war” and those stupid patent cases. Because they start throwing up lawsuits on trivial stuff like “rounded corners” and “rectangular design”, a question appears in our minds- “Has Apple really invented anything?”
I’ll pick up on a few reasons why people generally hate Apple.
Reason to hate Apple #1: Ever since the 3GS they’ve been making the same phone The iPhone 4 had an amazing design, so did the 4S. When you’ve come up with something so good why mess it all up just for the sake of ‘change’! In my opinion the iPhone 5 has a radically different design. Of course it’s a phone so it is damn well gonna look and feel like one! With the iPhone 5 Apple carried along the same design theme but wrapped it up in a neater box (the box here is metaphorical). You need to use one to realise the significant difference there is. It’s bold, it’s beautiful. And even after using it if you still feel that it’s a longer 4S then lemme know. I’ll request Apple to stick a huge antenna on top of it and some fake exhaust pipes on the bottom to change improve the look, not to mention a giant rear spoiler.
The iPhone is the Rolls Royce of phones. It’s posh, it’s pricey. Apple is a premium company that makes premium products so pls throw the “over-priced” argument out of the window (See what I did there?). Again, if you don’t wanna buy it then please, do us all a favour and DON’T. 
Nobody is talking about the design. This is in general regarding the entire iOS ecosystem. Look at the image above and see how much has changed in Android since inception. They always keep on moving further. For example, here’s no iPhone which has NFC. It’s a very useful technology (watch this if you don’t believe me). It has been there since Nexus S (2010). You’re closed into Apple’s ecosystem believing that they’re perfect and need nothing more.
Nobody wants them to put fake exhaust fans and a spoiler. Instead we want them to “innovate”. Before the iPhone 5, any screen size above 3.5” was too big. Now 4” is magically cool!
And about your argument on the Rolls Royce thing, Apple isn’t what you think. It’s like a budget car being sold at a price of a Rolls Royce because of it’s logo. It’s “overpriced”. The iPhone 5 is not even capable of stuff I do with my 2 year old budget Android device. Stop calling it a luxury or premium kind of thing.
In my country, Xperia SL and iPhone 4 cost almost the same. Galaxy S III and Note II are cheaper than iPhone 4S. Forget the iPhone 5, it’s too expensive. All those phones are way better than the respective iPhones. Period. So there’s no doubt that Apple is overpriced.
Reason to hate Apple #2: Overrated company
Really? I mean seriously? Apple is not overrated. Stop justifying your hatred and belittling those who like Apple using the classic “over-rated” argument. Watcha gonna do? People like their iPhones. Only explanation is that you’re in some way jealous of those who enjoy Apple products.
Apple is overrated. There’s no denying. You’re always ready to buy their products no matter how “overpriced” they are. Apple fans are also called “iSheep”.
Here’s an example why. “Samsung Galaxy Note (2) is a very huge device. 5.5” is too large for a phone. It’ll strain your palm.” That’s what everybody tells you. But when the iPad Mini was out, 7.9” is a perfect size for holding something in your palm. It’s comfortable. Once again, how did 4” become a perfect size just because the iPhone 5 got taller? Apple fans blindly follow what their fruit company does and deem that as superior.
Apple products are overrated and overprices. Get over it. And why are Android users jealous? Because they have superior products?
“(I use) Samsung Galaxy S III. That’s right, I don’t use an iPhone. Real men use Android.” -Guy Kawasaki, former chief evangelist at Apple Inc. (source)
There are also some of us who dislike Apple for the sole reason of their enormity. Everybody likes Apple? Well, in that case I’ll go ahead and hate them. Yep, when you’re Apple you get a lot of attention. You get a million eager minds just waiting to pounce on the smallest of mistakes, like antenna-gate which, to be clear, wasn’t even a mistake. I’m not saying that Apple does everything right, you’re far from perfect when your team is delighted to have rolled out Apple maps. But that doesn’t mean glorification of every misstep they ever took and comparing them to any company which didn’t make that particular mistake.
Okay I kind of agree with this one. I agree that it’s stupid to blame Apple for even the tiniest mistake they make. But the antenna gate on iPhone 4 was a flaw. Steve Jobs apologized for it. And nobody does this, “Everybody likes Apple? Well, in that case I’ll go ahead and hate them.” And the reason why everybody wants to pick up the tiniest of flaws is because a lot of iSheep call that “A perfect smartphone”.
Nothing and nobody is perfect. I don’t like the lack of SD card and removable battery in Nexus 4 and dislike the build of Samsung products. But the Note II is a phone I’d love to own. It has problems but it’s pros outweigh it’s cons.
Reason to hate Apple #3: Android
Anyway where was I….? Yes, false comparisons. Anyone who’s used the words “Android does better than iPhones” deserves a smack in the face. ANDROID IS AN OS, IPHONE IS ONE SINGLE PHONE! *punch*
Secondly, don’t ever compare Android phones sold to iPhones sold. A million devices run on Android, iPhone is just one (extendable to 3). Oh, and if you are compare “Android activations to iOS activations” or “S3 sales to iPhone 5 sales” then I apologise for my punch. Gimme your address and maybe I’ll send some flowers.
This ain’t the first time I’m reading this kind of thing. If I buy a Note II am I supposed to buy a Galaxy S III, HTC One, Nexus 4 and all other Android phones? NO! It’s always platform to platform. So Android activations vs iOS activations is a just comparison. Haven’t I mentioned that Apple products are popular not because they make competent products but because most people buy anything with an Apple logo on it.
And selling more of a product doesn’t mean its actually better. Of course “better” is a matter of opinion. Apple makes BILLION of dollars, Google selling a device at a loss means its a WIN for the consumers. Do you work at Google or Apple? Does their profitability on their products affect you? No you don’t and no it doesn’t because you’re only a CONSUMER. As a consumer all you care about is how much you are going to spend for a product and if it fulfills your needs and wants. If you want to pay more then go back more as long as you’re happy. But profitability of a company won’t make you happy.
Or do you really care about about the social acceptance of owning a more expensive product? You just been CLOSED by Apple’s marketing efforts making you believe that it’s a better product just because they’re more profitable. I really don’t understand people like you defending companies that they’re not associated with. Please think for yourself and stop being a product of marketing/society.
You’ve posted this image down there….. 
Let me tell you, this is not going to happen. One side throws flames on the other no matter what. If Android is matter, Apple is anti-matter. And matter + anti-matter = BOOM! Even with the companies. Apple isn’t going to stop their bullshit ligitation. They’ll keep destroying the entire industry.
The Real Reasons Why People Hate Apple
So I’m done correcting this guy and I’ll come to the actual reason why some people, including me, hate Apple. It’s not about the iPhone or any other Apple product in specific. There’s no reason to like them (for me) but I also don’t find a reason to hate any iProduct. Here’s what we actually hate. It’s not about their products. It’s all about their policies. I don’t see a reason to like the iPhone personally but I don’t see a reason to hate it.
Ligitation Over Innovation
This needs no introduction. You’ve probably heard about the Apple-Samsung cases. We hate Apple for this childish behavior. Apple is misusing a flawed patent system for their own greed. In case of patent “wars”, it’s okay to ask for a reasonable amount of royalty. Do you really think that $1bn is reasonable for rounded corners? “No” is the answer! This is bad for the consumers. I want a Samsung product. Why can’t I buy it? All because of Apple’s childish wish of running a race alone.
“I don’t agree with it (Samsung v/s Apple verdict) — very small things I don’t really call that innovative. I wish everybody would just agree to exchange all the patents and everybody can build the best forms they want to use everybody’s technologies.” -Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple (source)
“In order to achieve greatness, you have to be able to build on what has gone befor you.” -Linus Torvalds (creator of Linux) source:Trailer for the upcoming (as of now) movie “Software Wars”
Apple is trying to pull the entire technological ecosystem behind and keeping it away from innovation. If others used Apple’s logic:
- Ford would ban every other car manufacturer for using 4 wheels
- Motorola would ban every other phone manufacturer for using GSM receivers.
- I can go on and on. Even you must have come up with examples by now ;)
Innovation and “borrowing” from others drives the world and the most competent one survives. And Apple doesn’t want that. No matter which company/organisation does this kind of thing, it’s wrong.
Death Factory
“So previously Microsoft was the ‘evil empire’. Now it seems that Apple is trying to take that crown” -Linus Torvalds (creator of Linux) source:Trailer for the upcoming (as of now) movie “Software Wars”
This is not a major point but I think it still has to be considered. Apple products are built in Chinese factories by underage children working in unfavorable conditions with low wadges. I’ll throw up some points from here:
- Most of the factory floors are vast rooms filled with 20,000-30,000 workers apiece. The rooms are quiet: There’s no machinery, and there’s no talking allowed. When labor costs so little, there’s no reason to build anything other than by hand.
- A Chinese working “hour” is 60 minutes — unlike an American “hour,” which generally includes breaks for Facebook, the bathroom, a phone call, and some conversation. The official work day in China is 8 hours long, but the standard shift is 12 hours. Generally, these shifts extend to 14-16 hours, especially when there’s a hot new gadget to build. Some Foxconn workers die after working a 34-hour shift.
- Assembly lines can only move as fast as their slowest worker, so all the workers are watched (with cameras). Most people stand.
- The workers stay in dormitories. In a 12-by-12 cement cube of a room, 15 beds, stacked like drawers up to the ceiling. Normal-sized people would not fit in them.
- Unions are illegal in China. Anyone found trying to unionize is sent to prison.
- One worker group talked about using “hexane,” an iPhone screen cleaner. Hexane evaporates faster than other screen cleaners, which allows the production line to go faster. Hexane is also a neuro-toxin. The hands of the workers who tell him about it shake uncontrollably.
- Some workers can no longer work because their hands have been destroyed by doing the same thing hundreds of thousands of times over many years (mega-carpal-tunnel). This could have been avoided if the workers had merely shifted jobs. Once the workers’ hands no longer work, obviously, they’re canned.
- One former worker had asked her company to pay her overtime, and when her company refused, she went to the labor board. The labor board put her on a black list that was circulated to every company in the area. The workers on the black list are branded “troublemakers” and companies won’t hire them.
- One man got his hand crushed in a metal press at Foxconn. Foxconn did not give him medical attention. When the man’s hand healed, it no longer worked. So they fired him. (Fortunately, the man was able to get a new job, at a wood-working plant. The hours are much better there, he says — only 70 hours a week).
If Apple decided to build iPhones and iPads using American labor rules, two things would likely happen:
- Prices of Apple products will go up
- Their profit margins will come down.
There are some videos on YouTube about these factories so you might want to look up. Again I’m not saying that Apple is the only one doing this. There may be worse examples. But not everyone does it. Apple always tries to keep their profit margin high. Once again, no matter which company/organisation does this kind of thing, it’s wrong.
The cost of production of an iPhone 5 is $207 and I’m sure they’re selling it a t about 3 times more.
Non-Standard
Apple is, let me get this straight, entirely non-standard. Here are 2 examples.
- Why are they using the “Lightning” connector when the world is sticking to the USB family. A microUSB connector costs $3 here. What’s the price of Lightning? $20. The price of about 7 microUSB connectors (mathematically $1 more). I got a microSD card (8GB) for some $8. Less than half the price of a Lightning connector. Apple again tries to make a lot of money here. If Apple used a microUSB port like everybody else did, they won’t get $20/cable.
- iTunes. Suppose I visit a friend’s place and he plays a song I never heard of and suddenly I like it. If I have an Android device, I can use a microUSB cable that guy uses for his portable HDD/MP3 player and connect my phone to transfer the song. The phone will show up on the PC as if it were a USB flash drive. But if I had an iPhone, I’ll have to search for a Lighting cable and ask my friend to download iTunes (assuming he has an internet connection). Yes I know there’s an adapter from Apple but once again, it costs $19.
Apple Fanatics
Psst: Part 2 is here
Now I won’t be writing this. Instead I’ll quote Mike Stone on his post in Linux Rants titled “I Don’t Hate the iPhone”
True, I don’t hate the iPhone, but I absolutely hate Apple fanatics. I especially hate Apple fanatics that say things like, “I am NOT an Apple fanboy. I’m a techie and it just so happens that Apple is amazing. I give credit where credit is due.” All that saying something like that proves to me is that you’re an Apple fanatic and a complete imbecile. There are some people who are fans of Apple that actually have some semblance of a clue, and I don’t want to group those people in with the Apple Fanatic (at least so far as I group them). Apple Fanatics are clueless blowhards that think Steve Jobs shit rainbows and gold bars. More often than not, they’re under the impression that Apple invented pretty much everything.
False & Misleading Hyperadvertising
For example, watch this iPhone 5 advert showing up everywhere
So that was about Noise Cancellation. Well you get the point. Now watch this Nexus One video from early 2010 (should start at 1:54).
This technology has existed since long. Lone before smartphones came out too. Apple advertised as if they invented it. As if only the iPhone 5 has it.
Here’s more: Apple threw up this graph in the iPad 3 event in early 2012.
I’m not here to argue that A5X is not better than Tegra 3. Apple, on what basis was this comparison made? Graphs should have something on the Y Axis right? Such a comparison is highly misleading. Read more about this.
Watch this video about the iPhone 5 event lies. It does say a lot.
Also have a look at this post from 9GAG
Some people might call this marketing. But no this is seriously cheating the customers.
Walled Garden
“Steve Jobs, the pioneer of the computer as a jail made cool, designed to sever fools from their freedom, has died.
As Chicago Mayor Harold Washington said of the corrupt former Mayor Daley, “I’m not glad he’s dead, but I’m glad he’s gone.” Nobody deserves to have to die - not Jobs, not Mr. Bill, not even people guilty of bigger evils than theirs. But we all deserve the end of Jobs’ malign influence on people’s computing.
Unfortunately, that influence continues despite his absence. We can only hope his successors, as they attempt to carry on his legacy, will be less effective.”
-Richard M Stallman, creator of GNU license and open source philosophy
Now this is the number one reason why I hate Apple (and Microsoft too). They have locked down the platform. iOS users can’t install 3rd party applications and also they have to stick to what Apple makes for them.
If I own the device and I’ve paid for it I should be able to whatever I want to. In case of open platforms like Android, I can do whatever I want with the phone even if someone at Google doesn’t agree with it.
This happens with the jailbreaking community. Apple releases a minor update and the device’s jailbreak is gone! Apple prevents you from jailbreaking the device. If you ask a guy at Google, he’ll help you root your phone.
Am I a pure Apple hater?
Conclusions, no I’m not a pure Apple hater. I want a Macbook Pro because I love it’s hardware and the retina display. An iPod is another thing I’d love to own.
But again there are issues. Macbook Pro Retina, no matter how good it is, I find it highly overpriced. Last time I visited the Apple store, the base model with an onboard graphics chip (Intel 3000 HD I guess) was some ₹1,50,000 (~$3000). I’m not sure whether that GPU could drive that insane resolution along with 3D/CAD work in software like Blender (what I’m currently learning). I love that product but it’s overpriced and not repairable or upgradable. This is why I won’t get it :(
I also want an iPod. But again, it’s overpriced and non-standard. Also doesn’t support drag and drop file transfer. If Apple stops all this non-sense, I’ll definitely buy their products.
Where Android Fans/Apple Haters Go Wrong
Now I have something so say about Android fans too. For example, yesterday, Apple came up with 128GB iPad. The very next second, everybody was mocking it. Okay right it’s expensive. But tell me the name of any Android tablet that has 128GB storage. We shouldn’t mock others if they’re stronger.
I’d really like to see a non-Apple laptop with 2880x1800 screen resolution. But it doesn’t mean I’m going to mock the Macbook Pro. Why? Because the Macbook is better.
Think before you make fun of someone.
Attributions:
Manu Cornet: For all his amazing comics (more over here)
Mike Stone: For his posts on Linux Rants website.
Armando Ferreira: For his YouTube videos.
Let me know if I missed anyone or anything in the comments section below. Have a nice day :)
