A Religion Called Apple

The Apple brand has transformed itself almost into a religion in the United States and other parts of the world. Apple’s clients worship the company and do not buy anything from their competitors. Its clients represent a loyalty hard to find in other sectors of the market, and they are willing to pay whatever is necessary to obtain the latest gadget. A few weeks ago, Apple became the company with the highest market value in the technology field, surpassing the giant Microsoft.

Just like when the iPad was launched, Mac followers invaded Apple stores to obtain the new iPhone 4. Even before it went on sale to the public, a model of the iPhone 4 was found in a bar in San Francisco, and computer experts started studying the new “Grail.” Immediately, Apple disciples dreamed of buying the new product. A true follower has an iPhone, iTouch, Apple TV, MacBook Air and, of course, an iPad.

Apple has its symbol, like other religious sects, which is simply an apple. The Apple symbol is equivalent to a cross or the Star of David. Company fanatics identify themselves with the apple symbol on its devices and some even have it tattooed. “We say we’re Mac users, and that means we have similar values,” said David Levine, a psychologist who specializes in brands, in an article in Wired magazine.

In addition, Apple has its own guru in the form of founder and leader Steve Jobs. In the years when he was away from the company Apple lost its importance. Since his return a little more than a decade ago, Apple has altered the way the world listens to music, talks on the telephone, browses the web, and, with the iPad, the way some read books, newspapers and magazines.

His profile differs from other magnates in the Internet business like Bill Gates and the owners of Google with their nerd-like image. Jobs is seen as cool by the kids, with his black polo shirts and blue jeans. Not even the founder of Facebook, 26-year-old Mark Zuckerberg, can attract youth like Mr. Jobs does. His presentation of the iPad in January of this year had equal space in the news as President Obama’s speech to the Union did, on the same day.

“The founder of Apple, Steve Jobs, is seen as a religious figure, like a Krishna in Hinduism. He would fight the ‘evil empire’ of Microsoft and its ‘Anti-Christ’ Bill Gates,” wrote scholar Russell Belk in his study “The Cult of Macintosh.”

There is no scarcity of temples for Apple, where the public can admire its products the same way devotees would religious statues, even if they do not buy anything. Its salespeople follow the same standards and wear uniforms reminiscent of Mr. Jobs’ personal style. They are like priests and nuns receiving the faithful. It is easier for a tourist or even a citizen of New York to point out an Apple store than a church or a synagogue.

Built with huge glass windows, the stores are always located in strategic points in the city. The oldest, considered the Apple Cathedral, is open 24 hours and crowded even at 4 a.m. It is located on 5th Avenue and Central Park South, a prime corner near the traditional Plaza Hotel. Another two are located in the posh neighborhoods of SoHo and the meatpacking district. A fourth, inaugurated a few months ago, is adjacent to Lincoln Center, the biggest cultural center in the United States.

Mr. Jobs founded Apple in 1976 with his partners and was responsible for manufacturing the first personal computer. In the mid-80s, he fought against the board of directors and quit the company. He came back a little more than a decade later in 1997 and initiated a revolution inside Apple that affected various sectors of industry, including music, telephony and the Internet.

Before his return, the trend in computers and other hi-tech equipment was to manufacture products with a series of buttons and functions that were complicated for customers. Like Coco Chanel in fashion, Jobs opted for minimalism, and then came the revolutionary iPod, a product with only one button that allowed us to store hundreds of songs and much more. Next came the iPhone and now the iPad, a computer without a physical keyboard.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has stopped in time, suggest some analysts, while Apple cannot stop innovating, raking in a lofty number of patents. Journalists in the tech field, who some time ago focused on the media labs at MIT, now cannot wait to see what kind of products Apple will bring in the future.

Unlike Microsoft, Google has continued to innovate, creating an Internet search platform similar to Apple’s iPhone, known as Android. Android receives praise from experts as an option for consumers who do not follow the “Apple Religion.” In big urban centers, away from coastal cities like Boston and San Francisco, mobile devices that use Android are much more popular than the iPhone.

On the other hand, Blackberry dominates the corporate market with its ability to send and receive e-mails. However, bank and law firm employees tend to use the Blackberry for professional purposes and the iPhone for personal purposes.

There are websites and blogs using the terms “religion” and “cult” to describe Apple. Leander Chaney posted on his blog, The Cult of Apple, that using Apple products is a lifestyle. Apple followers assume that they cannot enter a cafe and open a Dell. It would be shameful, wrote the blogger. It would be the same as if Harley Davidson bikers were caught riding something other than a Harley.

Of course, the big risk is who will succeed Jobs at Apple. His health is fragile, and here is the question that everyone is asking: How can the Dalai Lama of computers be replaced without losing his followers?