Apple Wants To Be Your Religion And That Should Scare You
The tech giant’s endgame is far greater than technological innovation. Apple wants to be essential to your life. Apple wants to be your religion.
Few things in 2017 are more valuable than our attention. I would even argue that it’s more valuable than money, because attention leads to money. Yet, every fall, a segment of the population freely gives their attention to Apple, allowing them to renew your faith in them with a glorious new line of incrementally-updated products. It’s a spectacle in every sense of the word.
I work at a retailer that sells Apple products and there is nothing quite as dumbfounding as watching customers sell other customers on Apple products. It’s funny for a moment, but then I think about and it’s just scary. Apple has created a culture that’s like a self-perpetuating cult, and it’s so deeply ingrained that they even call themselves a cult.
It’s one thing if this originated from customers, but what should really terrify you is that customers didn’t start it. Apple really wants to be your religion.
Listen to an Apple keynote event and you’ll inevitably hear statements that resemble gospel. Whether it was the Jesus-like figure that was Steve Jobs (who has his own resurrection narrative), or current CEO Tim Cook, the abundance of praise often felt like it was directed at something larger than the device being unveiled, something that was of a higher power.
Visit any Apple store and the church-like aspects are also abundant. Apple “emphasizes your smallness when you walk in. You look at something far away, and that makes your body feel like you’re entering somewhere sacred or holy”, says one cultural historian and NYU professor. Their tables and chairs are made with smooth wood and a simplistic design reminiscent of pews, their tablets are elevated on platforms that resemble altars, and the Apple logo looms over it all, like the Christian cross.
Speaking of Apple’s logo, let’s examine it. There’s no clear story behind Apple’s logo, with some theorizing the apple is a tribute to Alan Turing and others saying the bite was incorporated to preserve scale, so the apple doesn’t look like a cherry when scaled down. But there’s one other explanation. In the Book of Genesis story in the Bible, Adam and Eve defy God by taking a bite out of the “forbidden fruit.” That fruit, while not explicitly described, is most often depicted as: an apple. (Hence the male “Adam’s apple.”)
This can all seem circumstantial, or like I’m reaching to draw connections that are barely there, and that’s completely understandable if you look at those things on their own. What gives all of the above weight, what makes it all real, is how Apple operates and their ideology.
Apple wants to transcend the realm of technology. Apple doesn’t want to be a part of your life, Apple wants to be essential to it. They want their iPhones in your pocket, they want their MacBooks to be where you work, and they want their stores to be where you hang out. They want to be thoroughly pervasive in your life, like an invisible friend who’s always by your side.
Among the many things that Apple announced during their most recent unveiling event was that their stores have been re-branded as Apple “Town Squares.” Think about that for a second. It’s a place where “everyone is welcome”, Apple’s VP of Retail says, “where people can connect”, and “where all of Apple comes together.” They want their stores to be where you hang out for no other reason than because you like being around their products.
Since it’s genesis as a counter-cultural entity, Apple has positioned itself as the “good” to the “evil” that is PC. Being a Mac person, for the longest time, was defined as not being a PC person. Part of Apple’s aura is that it’s a special counter-culture community. The Apple logo is not only a marker of status, but also of ideology. Apple creates that ideology, people internalize it, spread it, and perpetuate it, creating the aura around Apple that makes people buy their products just because they’re Apple products.
My issue with Apple is more so with the company than their tech. Now, it’s a little far-fetched to expect people to completely boycott Apple, so here’s the realistic and reasonable solution I’m proposing: like with religion, instill a bit of healthy questioning. Don’t buy Apple products just because they’re Apple products. Question the products. Question Apple.
What it comes down to is this: loyalty to an ideology is far more powerful than loyalty to a brand. That’s what Apple fosters. That’s what creates Apple zealots. Apple creates the ideology, and once the ideology is in place, the rest creates itself, furthering the ideology, and continuing the cycle. That’s literally how you create a religion.
If Apple didn’t want to be attributed to religion, they would come out and distance themselves from such comparisons. The fact that they don’t shows that they don’t mind, and the fact that they continue to operate like one speaks volumes. Apple wants to be your religion, and that should scare you.
