Who doesn’t, after all “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.”.
Or is it? Actually, statistically speaking, it’s not the case but nevertheless it doesn’t hurt eating one every day.
How about the other Apple? The one with the bite taken out of it.
Do you carry one in your pocket all day, every day?
Well, it was founded on April 1st, almost 50 years ago by a man whose ego was bigger than his company would ever become, Steve Jobs. His company has transformed into a tech giant with a staggering 51.9% (2024) market share in Japan, the fourth-largest market for iPhones in the world. Yet, behind the sleek design and shiny logos lies a narrative far less glamorous.
Steve Jobs, the so-called visionary, was not the benevolent leader many revere today.
He admitted cheating his best friend out of a design competition prize money ($5,000 in 1976!!)— an act that foreshadowed a pattern of behavior characterized by self-interest, pettiness and cruelty. With a friend like that who needs enemies, right? He lied about being the father of the girl his girlfriend gave birth to, Lisa, and let them live in poverty while he was rich already. He fired employees on the spot for the minutest reasons. When in the hospital Jobs notoriously went through 67 nurses, before settling with the final 3 for the remainder of his days, not for better care but perhaps as a reflection of his unbearable ego. He was reportedly cruel to employees, family members, and even strangers—just a delightful human being, right?
A despicable man if there ever was one. By the way, he never learned how to write computer code.
Now let’s talk about the product. Despite fans declaring that an iPhone is superior, let’s not kid ourselves: it’s an overpriced fashion accessory. It has smaller storage space, less memory, smaller battery, it takes longer to charge and it takes lower quality pictures than many other smart phones from other manufacturers. It is also more expensive. So then why the popularity?
Why, you ask?
Well, one word: marketing.
However, in case you didn’t know, Apple’s manufacturing is outsourced primarily to two Taiwanese companies, Foxconn and Pegatron, with assembly mostly occurring in China. So, whether you’re clutching a Huawei, an OPPO, a OnePlus or an iPhone, the reality is the same—they all use almost identical parts from the same global suppliers. Yet, you’re paying a handsome premium simply for that glowing Apple logo.
Doesn’t that little cute Android look better now than the slightly rotten Apple?
And I don’t know about you but I’d rather hold that blue, or white, OnePlus device swimming in water, then that ugly piece of hardware Jobs is clutching in his greedy hand. Alex