Where is the outrage?

I can remember back to when Exxon/Mobil announced it's profit a few years ago and just how outraged people were when they heard about it. Yet Apple's recent announcement  of their excessive profit results in barely a wimper, even though the profit margin is such that it is very obvious that their customers way overpaid for the products or services they received. Add to that the recent headlines in tech journals and even CNN, about how poorly workers in Apple's factories in China are treated and one wonders why no one is all that upset.

The answer is easy for those of us who are familiar with the tech scene and Apple's customer base in general. Apple customers are basically loyal to a fault. It almost seems as though they are mind-numbed robots in a way. Apple loyalists will defend any and everything that the company does as in their mind, Apple can do no wrong.

This was even true back in the older days when Apple was just a niche player, their customers always seemed to look down on the lowly PC users as if they were somehow inferior for choosing a lower priced computer, even though the Apple systems were far slower than anything available in the PC market of the day. Anyone who used both and was objective, could easily see the difference.

So why is this? I think the answer lies in Apple's own ad campaign of the day, Think Different. This somehow translated into think better or smarter in the eyes of Apple customers, as they clearly have always felt superior in their choice of Apple products. Just ask one to compare their product, whatever it might be, to your generic version of the same item. Theirs will always be better, even if yours is clearly superior in it's ability to accomplish whatever task it was meant to perform.

The reason why Apple is no longer a niche player is obvious. Just look at the pop culture of the day, no longer is practicality king. Nowadays glitter and glamour rule, you have to have the latest and best to be highly thought of by the youth of today and make no mistake, young is where it's at these days. Us old farts with our outdated ideas about making do with less is just not cool anymore.

But I'm not really worried, anyone who has studied history knows that it will all change again in time. The next generation will rebel against whatever their parents think is best and things will change again. It's the only time honored tradition that never seems to change and I think that is a good thing.