The Outrage Is Warranted

Some people actually have values, and some people actually believe, genuinely and deeply, in the value of art. I know that some cynical people don't understand why any of these things are important, but I think that's a sad attitude that diminishes life. To a cynic, Apple's marketing as a computer-maker for creative people has always been a con and the people who responded well to this marketing are just suckers. Perhaps this is true, but this disastrous ad from Apple shows why cynicism always fails even by its own standards. A cynical con is always found out and ultimately does not pay. To put it in terms a cynic will understand, Apple has built a market position on selling to creative professionals, and people in any profession are more favorably disposed to vendors who respect their profession. This ad, by showing such contempt for the profession of an important segment of Apple's customer base, throws away decades of good will nurtured by careful, effective marketing. Perhaps it seems foolish for customers to expect to not be gratuitously insulted by a company asking for their money -- to me, it seems like elementary self-respect.