Weekend tech reading: Fanboyism and brand loyalty

[Matthew DeCarlo]

Fanboyism and brand loyalty The Misconception: We prefer the things we own over the things we don't because we made rational choices when we bought them. The Truth? The truth is that you prefer the things you own because you rationalize your past choices to protect your sense of self. Gizmodo

Windows 7 momentum: 7 copies sold every second Microsoft has sold over 100 million Windows 7 licenses in its the first 6 months on the market. Microsoft says that this makes Windows 7 the fastest selling operating system in history. Note, however, that this is not new information, and no update on Windows 7 sales after seven months was provided. SuperSite Blog

Safari 5 to be launched at WWDC with Safari Reader? MacGeneration reports that Apple is planning on a major update to Safari at this week's WWDC. Safari 5 will apparently include a Reader functionality that will make web page reading easier by extracting and organizing the text. The search field will now include Bing as well as Yahoo and Google. 9 to 5 Mac

RIAA asks court to close down LimeWire Lawyers working for the Recording Industry Association of America, the trade group for the four top record companies, filed documents on Friday requesting that a U.S. District Court in Manhattan grant them a permanent injunction against the country's largest commercial file-sharing service. CNET

A first look at the Manycore Testing Lab Here's a quick report off my initial reactions after spending a couple of hours getting oriented to the Manycore Testing Lab (MTL) through "VIP access", from my perspective as a CS prof at a small college. Intel Software Network

Adobe announces critical vulnerability for Flash According to Adobe, there is a critical vulnerability in versions of Flash Player (Windows, OS X, Linux, Solaris) and Reader/Acrobat 9.x (Windows, OS X, UNIX). The exploit allow a hacker to gain control over an affected system. DailyTech

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/39208-weekend-tech-reading-fanboyism-and-brand-loyalty.html

 

[captaincranky]

No Really, I'm Sooo Happy With This, You Should Have One Too...

But you know, it's hard to know if you're actually happy with something you bought, or just trying to cover up a lapse in judgment without years and years of therapy. In view of the exorbitant costs involved with mental health care, wouldn't it be better to come to Techspot and recommend the same crap you're unhappy with to others. Then, if they actually don't catch on and buy the same garbage, you can live out your innermost, "misery loves company fantasy".

 

[CMH]

Thats what you do all the time don't you cranky?

 

[captaincranky]

Thats what you do all the time don't you cranky?

Hey watch it buster. I don't care what anybody buys, because I simply don't care about them, or their damned computers....:evil:

That notwithstanding, the plain jane, mainstream vanilla stuff that I buy, isn't anywhere near fast enough, loud enough, gaudy enough, or expensive enough to impress the egos, er I mean, enthusiasts here.

 

[ET3D]

We only prefer the things we own if we actually like them (to a large extent). If we bought something and dislike it, then we'll likely switch to the competitor and from that point on think that the brand we bought and disliked is extremely flawed and not worth ever buying -- even if the problem we had was years ago, with a specific product, and things have changed considerably since then.

 

[LinkedKube]

Idunno captaincranky, although our pc purchases may be quite different I still look forward to your post. We enthusiast rarely get to smile and chuckle at anything that doesnt involve a pc upgrade.

 

[dividebyzero]

On the other hand, if the product is unnecessary, like an iPad...

Zing !

Factor in that a large number of consumers are fairly lazy and can't be bothered researching their potential purchases, low attentions spans, self-entitled trollers, paid PR, a media, that in some areas, subsists on controversy (as well as the hoplessly tech addicted) for page views and clicks and easy access to public forums for any adolescent with at least some functionality of the frontal lobe and an urge to let the world at large know of their mental deficiencies and hormone imbalances.......well, to paraphrase Josephe de Maistre...Every site has the membership it deserves.

 

[matrix86]

I think that sometimes, people can be a little too quick to jump on someone about being a fanboy. I only buy Western Digital drives and only use BlackBerry smartphones. Why? Simple...they work and i've never had a problem with them. Don't fix what aint broke. But I will gladly admit that while i've never had a problem with those, that they aren't perfect. I know WD doesn't make all perfect drives...and I know not all BB phones are perfect.

Operating system wise, I only use Windows. Why? It works for me. I prefer the interface and enjoy how extremely customizable it is. But I know it has it's issues and don't get defensive when someone points out the issues. Yes, it is extremely easy to viruses, but like I said, the interface is great. Would I never buy a Mac? Yes. Would I never buy an Apple product? No. I prefer iPod's over a Zune, and if the iPad had flash and UBS ports, I would have no problem buying it. And even though I don't have problems with my BlackBerry, I would have no problem getting an iPhone. But when the Windows OS comes out on an iPad, i'll buy it instead. Not because it's Windows, but because it's software will be more useful to me. I need something that's great for documents on the go...not for browsing the net and buying apps I don't really need.

When I buy an item, I choose based on 3 things:
~the companies reputation (this include customer service)

~Comments from SEVERAL sources on how the product performed for them

~advertised specs

I think with most people, it's all subconscious. They've read so much about how one brand is better than the other, that it gets embedded into their brain that it really is better, and when they try the competition, they only look for faults. Instead, they should be look for faults in both items. I prefer the functionality of a BlackBerry over the iPhone, but I think the touch screen keyboard on the iPhone is better than that of the BB. BUT, I know this is only my opinion and not fact.

Fanboys just need to realize that no one item is perfect. I've never had problems with WD drives, but someone else may have had nothing bad luck with them. Technology isn't perfect.

 

[red1776]

To my golden tongue ......

By nature we are all solipsistic beings who's image and self worth are largely formed by the collective decisions we make. never underestimate the ability of people to rationalize and defend a decision no matter how dreadful it may be....

Hey that's kind of pithy!...I wonder if it would fit on a bumper sticker

 

[dividebyzero]

@Matrix
Valid points.
The problem would lie in the fact that truly dispassionate and discerning tech users/consumers are not vocal. They see little need in attaching a personal commitment to their brand....the rest, well, it's the new religeon and the crusade to conquer the heathen starts at their keyboard. The battleground...supposedly, it's the middle ground between those who really don't care since a computer to them is a tool with about as much individuality as a popcorn maker, and the tech-savvy whose knowledge base is sufficient to find the right component for their usage.
Since, as you pointed out, there are no perfect components -if there were they wouldn't have competition and prices would be astronomical- so the middle ground is a fertile area for arguments that have no clear cut resolutions. The nature of tech is such that any lost impetus over a period of time through repetition of the argument is easily gained with the next generation of hardware, the next model, the next feature set most will never scratch the surface of.

Hey that's kind of pithy!...I wonder if it would fit on a bumper sticker

In 72 point it would be just right for a 1972 Buick Centurion !

 

[captaincranky]

All My Children.......

By nature we are all solipsistic beings who's image and self worth are largely formed by the collective decisions we make. never underestimate the ability of people to rationalize and defend a decision no matter how dreadful it may be....

Hey that's kind of pithy!...I wonder if it would fit on a bumper sticker

If you feel the need for a bumper sticker, why not simply go with, "Computer on board"...? That ought to "drive home" your priorities...:haha:

I'm going to go look up, "solipsistic", while I'm gloating over my best pun ever!

When you consider the way George W. Bush defended his, (or rather **** Cheyney's), decision to invade Iraq, looking for "weapons of mass destruction", you should come to the grim realization that that which you had intended as hyperbole, is tragically a gross understatement.

 

[hellokitty[hk]]

Many people have horrible "facts". Especially those with consoles i've noticed.
Now how do you break out this bondage?

 

[captaincranky]

Now how do you break out this bondage?

Now yer talkin'. "Throw down the yoke of oppression, overthrow the bougeoisie"!

Wait a minute, what type of "bondage" are we talkin' here? The crushing dictatorial governmental oppression type, or the kind where you get tied up on a Saturday night, and someone in leather says a bunch of rude things to you?

 

[hellokitty[hk]]

The bondage of...CONSUMERISM!

 

[captaincranky]

The bondage of...CONSUMERISM!

That's easy, just stop buying s***! It'll be fun. You can do your homework on the back of a shovel, like Abraham Lincoln, instead of agonizing over which laptop to buy.

Get back to me when you work that out.

 

[red1776]

Am I paying for this?...

Now yer talkin'. "Throw down the yoke of oppression, overthrow the bougeoisie"!

Wait a minute, what type of "bondage" are we talkin' here? The crushing dictatorial governmental oppression type, or the kind where you get tied up on a Saturday night, and someone in leather says a bunch of rude things to you?

The bondage of...CONSUMERISM!

:haha::haha::haha:

safe word: Walmart!

 

[CMH]

Wait a minute, what type of "bondage" are we talkin' here? The crushing dictatorial governmental oppression type, or the kind where you get tied up on a Saturday night, and someone in leather says a bunch of rude things to you?

Hmm. You got me interested there for a minute.

You do know that the modern world's finance is all based on consumerism. Tell people to buy only the things you need, and the financial world will get thrown into chaos. The kind of chaos that makes every global economic crisis so far put together look like a regular dip.

 

[captaincranky]

"Currency" is the Avatar of "Commodity"........

You do know that the modern world's finance is all based on consumerism. Tell people to buy only the things you need, and the financial world will get thrown into chaos. The kind of chaos that makes every global economic crisis so far put together look like a regular dip.

Relax CMH, for every old Mac hater, only has a land line phone curmudgeon like me, there are there are thousands of "do gooders' keeping the "economy" going, waiting patiently for the next piece of "largesse" to fall out of Steve Jobs pants leg.

Beyond that, I'm all for consumerism. That's why I cry every time I see the news regarding the oil spill in the Gulf. To heck with the wildlife, die if you must, we were given "dominion over the animals", way, way back in "Genesis I". I am most horrified when I see those poor defenseless little blobs of oil, laying on the beach with no one to nurture them. protect them, make money off them, and worst of all, they'll never experience their "glorious second coming" as a flock of fledgling credit cards......!

For those of you who feel that post was tasteless, or that I embrace the views expressed contained within, and consequently might feel an obligation to remove it, let me assure you; that was >>> PURE SARCASM <<<, motivated by utter disgust and revulsion.

So, despite this little hiccup, you can get back to the business of attending to your, "service and information based economy". All that silly business about about having to grow something, manufacture something, or developing sustainable resources to have an honest enduring society, is just a bunch of antiquated, obsolete thinking BS. Build another mall instead, that will "create jobs"! You're in charge of your own destiny, you know stuff, and you should be paid for it. Likewise, you should be paid to play video games on an amateur basis, since buying the games, stimulates the "economy". Just put the games on your credit card, that ought to get the economic ball rolling, as it were. And don't you worry about about who's going to pay for it, Daddy Obama's gonna print you another big fat ole stack of "currency".

Here's a bizarre, insane, economic stimulus concept, how about if we breed less, then there will be a whole lot more to split up between us.

Now, let me tell you about my super duper, brand new, Gigabyte motherboard...! You should grab one of these, and quick...! No really, I'm super happy with it..not trying to cover anything up.....