Apple doesn’t understand why you use technology

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the backlash against Apple's latest iPad commercial, which depicts creative tools being crushed by an industrial press. The author argues that this ad takes an "embarrassingly narrow view of technology" and is disrespectful towards the enduring nature of many technologies. The article also explores the Silicon Valley attitude of scorning the past in favor of the new, and how this manifests in Apple's product design and marketing strategies.

🙋 Q&A

[01] The Backlash Against Apple's iPad Commercial

1. What was the main message that many people received from Apple's iPad commercial?

• The message many received was that Apple, a trillion-dollar company, will crush everything beautiful and human, and all that will be left is a "skinny glass and metal slab".
• The commercial was seen as telling people to "Buy the thing that's destroying everything you love".

2. How did the commercial contrast with Apple's famous "1984" ad?

• The "1984" ad portrayed Apple as smashing "boring conformity", whereas the new ad was seen as taking an "embarrassingly narrow view of technology".

3. What is the author's view on the commercial's depiction of technology?

• The author argues that the commercial is "fundamentally disrespectful" and fails to recognize that technology is "innately hopeful" and a "bright golden thread between our past and our future".

[02] The Enduring Value of Older Technologies

1. What examples does the author provide of technologies that have enduring value beyond new gadgets?

• The author cites language, math, TVs, record players, and arcade video games as technologies that still have a place and value alongside newer devices like the iPad.
• The author argues that the iPad "doesn't replace those experiences" but can "complement them" depending on the user's needs.

2. How does the author view Apple's tendency to make its older products seem obsolete?

• The author criticizes Apple's habit of "suggesting its older devices are obsolete" by releasing new versions with minimal changes, just to sell more products.
• The author sees this as Apple being "so focused on its exciting new marketing feature that it lost sight of what's really important: the tools that make the things we love."