Are We Experiencing “Apple Vision”?

10 years ago marked the beginning of innovation as we know it. Few could’ve ever foreseen or imagined what the future holds, except for arguably one man. It redefined up and coming  industry trends. It created new paradigms. And with it’s intuitive and beautiful nature, it has forever altered our understandings and perceptions of many of the characteristics that dominate our everyday life today.

It all started with white earphones. White earphones have defined the times over the last decade. They defined how you wanted to be seen. They defined who we are. Hip, trendy, stylish and cool. They made technology fashionable. The made technology luxurious. They made the rebel, the geek and the small-guy, the coolest kid in class. They made Apple the most valuable brand in the world. 10 years later and it was a pair of white earphones that started it all.

Alright, maybe it wasn’t just the white earphones, but the iPod’s earbuds were the early ingredients and integral components of an ironic brand in the making. They became the primary vehicle in penetrating a market that was Apple-less. With a significant shift towards the digital world and the mainstream  mass pirating of online music, the iPod encompassed the coolness, rebelliousness and major trend of the time. Discmans were popular. But iPods were the new thing. And the white earbuds let everyone know you were the one with the iPod.

Fast-forward a decade and you find yourself looking at the prominence that Apple has created with the iPod, MacBook, iPhone and iPad. All playing off the distinctive whiteness that can only be inherently associated and truly attributed with the Apple brand. In a sea of black and grey, white shines through. It creates something pure, elegant and utterly appealing. It puts fashion and appearance on the same level as functionality and user experience. It turns technological utility into technological beauty.

The resulting impact has created a seemingly domination of Apple products and Apple-only world view. Apple fanatics promote brand fundamentalism. The digitally and technologically inhibited become evangelists and ambassadors. And everyone else is left wondering if and when they should make the jump. Apple has created a machine that can sway public opinion. One that credit this to powerful branding and very creative and magical marketing.

But sometimes I sit and wonder. Have we been blinded by the beauty? Are we only seeing the white earbuds because we choose to only see the white earbuds? Are we all, to one degree or another, experiencing and suffering from “Apple vision”? Are we willingly controlling the situation or are we willingly allowing ourselves to be controlled?

Indeed, Apple does make some extraordinary pieces of technology that are very appealing, innovative and extremely intuitive. And they have indeed lead the way by popularizing the mp3 player, online music purchasing, touch-screen smart phone technology and the growth of the tablet market. Once you add their MacBook segment you have yourself a company that’s worth approximately $317.6 billion. Many would say this undoubtedly gives Apple precedence and ultimate bragging rights. But I’m not so sure.

We’ve become absorbed by the Apple lifestyle. Too many of us would live and die by Apple products. Too many of us have become complacent with Apple being the only alternative. Too many of us are being engulfed into an increasingly apparent iCloud. A cloud that is asking for our trust but obscuring our ability to see the horizon and those around us. Competition manifests creation. Open-mindedness perpetuates evolution and growth. This is not about denying greatness. This is about asking you the essential and defining question. Are you experiencing “Apple vision”?

(Photo credit)

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