I'm Not the Only One (1/8/05)

All eyes stare at me as I place my Styrofoam coffee cup on the ground next to my chair. I clear my throat and begin: “I, Stephanie, am a Mac addict.”

Rather than elicit a gasp or stare from this comment, all I get is “yeah, so?”

“So? What do you mean so? I’m a minority, I’m special, I think different! I am different!”

“Not anymore you’re not,” the glazed eye, half stoned member of my small confession group answers. This floors me.

I stamp my foot in desperation, which sends the coffee cup falling however since it is empty; it gains the same amount of attention my statement received. Yet it hits me. I am no longer a minority. What happened?

I’ll tell you what happened. The third generation iPod happened. Why the third one you ask? Let me explain:

I have been a Mac user basically all my life. Blame it on brainwashing from my dad, sure, but I’m a diehard. I’m 20 years old and on my fourth computer. I have bought all of them myself save this last one, my precious Aluminum Powerbook that my parents helped me with a last financial boost. I am also on my second iPod, a gift from that same father, because my second generation, 20-gigabyte music marvel, had no more room.

Now, unlike my fictional confessional group, which I conceived solely for dramatic purposes, I do not proclaim my affiliation very openly. Sure my friends know, and I do carry my precious iPod around with me, however even there you would have to be a diehard to recognize it. I have forgone those blaringly visible white earbuds for far better black inner ear Sony ones. Yet there is my faithful little remote clipped to my bag, getting no notice whatsoever, even with the apple logo emblazoned upon it. Let the other five people on the bus with iPods get ripped off. I used to wear the earbuds, before the iPod was popular but all that got me was the seemingly ignorant question: “is that a computer in your bag?” in reference to the remote. Well, in some cases, yes, it is, but no. Not in the way you think.

So what happened, you ask? Yes, yes. I’m getting there. For some reason other than the obvious, the world finally took notice of an Apple product. This time it was the third incarnation of the iPod. I already had one so I knew what the whole fuss was about but it seemed so amazing to people who had finally opened their eyes to it. Now, anyone who had one is cool, but not I. Seemingly, my iPod is just not cool enough. It’s big with sharp corners, and buttons that – gasp! – do no light up. How dare I own such a contraption?

Now, with my new fancy fourth generation iPod that can only be eclipsed by the iPod photo (though you would not know it if they are both off) and the U2 iPod, I am one in a crown of too many, in my opinion. No longer elite, my connection to my small community of loyal diehards who have been with me in this boat since before “switchers” ever made the scene seems to be harder to grasp. I can no longer spot my fellow addicts, and came to this conclusion when I commented on the coolness of a fellow students’ iPod. Rather than receiving a stout “oh man, I love this thing, isn’t Steve just a god among men?” I received an almost nonchalant shrug. Before, only Mac users could use them, now anyone can. It was the Christmas present; everyone was either getting them or giving them.

What am I to do? I do see many ‘books in school, however I am uncertain as to their owner’s allegiance. Have they too been a result of the so-called halo effect? Sure I could also bring my computer to school, but what for? I need it for trips and at home, not in school. Besides being less conspicuous, my class notes do not require energy, nor will they incite people to steal it. You want it? Sure, take it; just bring it back when you’re done photocopying it.

Let me also stress to you the fact that although I am a gadget girl, there are still aspects of that collection that simply do what they are supposed to do; my camera, though digital, is a simple one. Yes, I would love one with new features however I have been able to make do with what I have and it seems that people like my photography. Similarly, my cell phone is just a cell phone. I don’t want it to have a camera on it and I personally find camera phones moronic and in most cases useless. The picture quality is lacking and they have been used for more bad than good. Finally, my iPod just plays music. It has no color but I honestly don’t need that, and I don’t look at it enough to need that.

So where does this leave me? I have never been one to openly show which side I’m on, in almost every aspect of my life. I surprise people when they find out what religion I am from, and that actually brings me gratification. My musical taste is so wide that I have on many occasions been met with the response: “you listen to that?” I’m fine with being somewhat of an enigma, so that will not change any time soon. I have no obvious affiliation and therefore people seem to open up to me easier. I suppose my problem is not being able to identify my own anymore, but maybe that is the whole point.

My story will end here, so as not to drag on too long, nor to add any more historical context because I believe that my feelings about this issue will last. I am very happy for Apple, they are getting the recognition they deserve. My fear is that this will change a fundament aspect of them. They will no longer be the underdogs.

Maybe I should look into other, more obscure, Unix environments. Hm.

Nah.

I sit back down in my seat, straighten the coffee cup, and resume my quiet, observant stance on the computer industry.