[MacSpirit] Apple is arrogant; so what? (Edited)

by Rodney O. Lain

9/7/00

Pride goeth before a fall.

Proverbs

I'm probably the first person to accuse Apple of being arrogant.

But even I wouldn't do what the "Expo protest" group is planning.

In case you haven't heard, these guys are planning to shout down Steve Jobs at this month's Paris Expo during his keynote speech.

I'd love to be there just to see that.

Their complaints are valid:

Again, I respect and understand why the Expo Protest mounts, nevertheless. A noble cause, this is, but they forget one overshadowing truth in the midst of this: Apple is a company, first and foremost. We still haven't realized this yet.

Why are we here?

Several years ago, I had two successive jobs, both of which I quit after a short period of time. Both jobs, I regrettably discovered after being hired, rubbed against the grain of my principles. I was an idealist. I still am.

There were certain inviolable principles by which I conducted my life. Hence, I swore that I'd never work for a company that operated counter to those principles. Someway, somehow, such idealism led me to the Mac. I think that, deep down, every person possesses an unnamed, subconscious striving to be associated with something that they can feel good about. Sometimes, that's because other parts of our lives do not meet that need ­- you know: job, marriage, life in general.

That need was met in what the Macintosh represented. I don't mean warm fuzzies. For a moment, we believed that what Apple did and is doing represented the universal desire to "make a difference," to change the world, to make life easier.

In short, we believed the marketing.

This brings us to this loosely connected, web or otherwise, group of Mac-using people to which we belong. In many ways, Apple isn't living up to the old marketing. Therefore, each of us can relate to what the Expo-protest group is feeling.

Apple sold us on a dream back in 1984. Though the dream is now refashioned into the words and images of the "Think Different" campaign, we still believe in such utopian imagery (ironic that "utopia" means "no place").

Personally, I'm divided on this issue. I love what Apple does (I write this sitting in front of my G4 Cube and 15" Studio Display), but I don't doubt for a minute that Apple has no interest in me as an individual, unless I'm buying The Product. That is what a company is all about.

Sure, individual employees of the company believe in the marketing. Heck, all of them could. But, as a company, Apple will always be cold, faceless, and emotionless. Dealing with a company and dealing with an employee (or iCEO, for that matter) can hardly be similar.

I'm sure that I could talk to Steve Jobs one on one and persuade him through emotional appeal. But, attempting to get Apple, Inc., to change? I'm doubtful.

Many a person has tried tried their hand at trying to change the world or an institution. Many good people go into politics, for example, intending to "change it from within," only to return home, tail tucked between legs, sadly admitting that it is "nothing like I thought."

Dealing with Apple is similar.

Maybe Steve Jobs is infusing new life into the company by sheer force of will and charisma. I pray that he infuses the company with a heart.

It's possible to have one and still maintain a fat bottom line. I think that this is the message that the Expo protestors are planning to articulate. I hope it's the message they successfully deliver.

However, I think, once again, that the message will be lost due to the messenger. It's easy to do. I should know. This is something of which I've personally been guilty.

This column is © 2000 Rodney O. Lain. All rights reserved.

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About Rodney O. Lain

A former journalist and college prof, Rodney lives in Minnesota, where he freelance writes on the side and works during the day as a junior manager for a Fortune 500 company (daily he bemoans the fact that he was assigned a Gateway laptop by the IT guys). He has a soft spot for H. L. Mencken, Steve Jobs, Prince, Richard Wright and other well-known status-quo breakers.

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