I have never been enthusiastic about Apple. I’m not sure if its an irrational dislike of them or some professional jealousy, probably a mixture of both. As a programmer since the late 70′s I watched in frustration as hardware and software companies took proprietary routes which held back progress for us all.
As soon as the IBM PC released it was clear that generic hardware and OS development would drive progress. So companies like Apple that greedily protected everything they did and kept their prices artificially high under some waspish excuse that they did things in more style could well be the reason for my dislike of them.
Their constant attack on everyone else probably another. I had always thought they were part of the Apple Music label and is probably why I bought my first (an Apple II), the public battle between them and the Beatles, which I think the Beatles lost, was astonishing news to me. But they continue to steal names from my memory for which I thought were other things. At the early launch of the net for example “iPhone” was a name given to an early VOIP application, and again I had mislead myself into believing that their new phone was going to be little more than that with a 3g connection. How far from the truth, but I am not an iPhone protagonist. Its the device that sets the standard for other manufacturers. Even a blind chicken finds corn sometimes.
But its not just product names they have taken, its design too. In the early 80′s I contracted to a hardware manufacturer based in Aberdeen. They created a PC which was identical to 
the iMac pedestal in every way except it had a plastic arm rather than a fancy chrome one. It could also be purchased in multiple colors rather than just white. When Apple released their version 20 years later and claimed it was “a world first” I confess it took me back. I contacted the founder of the PC manufacturer (a household name in the US and UK in its time) and asked him if he was aware of Apples claim and would he not be doing something about it? “Martyn..” he sighed “I’m retired at 67 with just enough to see me through, why should I care?”.
And honestly what does it matter? So Apple succeed again due to apathy and a cult following that live and breath everything they say.
Along comes yesterdays announcement of the iPad. I had resolved that I was going to overcome my irrational attitude towards Apple and investigate with a view to buy. I decided rather than go for the iPhone I would save the cash and investigate Apples Tablet PC (I assume they are not going to claim they innovated this idea too). But that name! Check out #itampon on twitter and you will see why I have become reluctant again.
I am going to find it hard to be proud of my purchase with a name like that (and I know just how irrational that sounds).
