This isn’t about your opinion of how well Apple’s products work or their overall corporate policy. It’s about the impression conveyed by their design.
Their ads.
Their website.
Their stores.
Their instruction books.
The look of their operation system.
(And to a lesser extent their television commercials and product design.)
I was talking with some advertising people a few evenings back and eventually the conversation turned to Apple. There were differing opinions on Apple’s visual image. So here’s a poll.
Most negative: pretentious. I hate that TV ad guy’s voice that they used. So ads… meh. Also Jeff Goldblum. And I empathized less with Dr. Lexus than the Daily Show guy. Not
Website: it’s fine. Sometimes hard to navigate, but the aesthetics are good.
Mac stores: feels like a less hostile version of the biker bar where the record skips when you walk in. Everything just seems so… crafted, down to the guy in a utilikilt taking repairs.
Instruction books: I don’t like them, but Apple’s hardly alone here. Minimalist works here - they definitely take a page from IKEA. I prefer words.
OS: not my cup of tea. Interface especially, but you’re not asking that. I don’t like the base Aqua. But mostly, I hate white and off-gray everywhere.
And I do understand why some people like their ethos.
Well then, good news! [/farnsworth] That is going away! Johnny Ive doesn’t like it either.
I think their image says “We’re above all the fan boy love and the hater hate. We just want your money, and we have lots of great reasons for you to give it to us.” *not sarcastic.
Your options are really biased towards the positive, so all I checked was “trendsetting.” I’d also say that they are “well designed.” It’s not a look that appeals to me. I would have added “sterile,” “bland” (colour scheme), and sometimes “confusing” (they’re clearly geared to a visual thinker, and I’m not one). I think your poll is biased. You’re clearly asking “how are they awesome,” not “how are they.”
Nothing against Apple at all: I can appreciate quality even if it doesn’t move me personally.
You’re definitely right that there are more positives than negatives in the list; OTOH if a positive option is never chosen that can be seen as a negative.
And you’re definitely wrong that I’m asking “how are they awesome?”. I don’t want to dwell on the poll structure right now. (Am swamped, overwhelmed, behind the eight ball, gotta run right now.) But do greatly appreciate anyone taking the time to answer and/or post a comment.
I honestly haven’t seen any Apple ads in a long, long time. But, then again, I view advertisements as opt in, not opt out, and I would not be able to afford an Apple product even if I wanted one, so I don’t search out those ads.
So I’m not sure if you want my opinion or not, as it may be outdated. The ads I remember were definitely manipulative, but pretty much all ads are. They were also quite superficial, due to their minimalism. I guess that also shows a degree of confidence. They were trendsetting in that they spawned everyone else advertising based on emotion rather than technical information.
That last one is pretty big: the only Apple product I currently would want if I could afford it is a retina display, and that’s because of the tech.
I think that Apple is relying on the image they solidly built in the mid-2000s: chic minimalist design aesthetic, focused on providing An Apple Experience* that’s hipster-tech aspirational but inviting and welcoming to embrace new users to the fold.
Of course, Apple has still made some great decisions; I’m not saying everything they do now sucks. But there are other missteps or sub-optimal decisions they’ve made lately (and I’m on my (i)Phone, so I’m trying, futilely, to be brief ;)) and it’s not a good sign.
whether the experience is going to an Apple store, viewing adverts or using their devices and operating systems.
The other bias is that many of the things you’re asking about are things that are mainly going to be seen by people who are already Apple users. That’s why I didn’t answer the poll; as a non-Apple person, I have no idea what the visual image of Apple’s instruction books or website or operating system is like. If this is intentional, and you’re mainly seeking the opinion of Apple customers, then fine.