Is this the slow decline of the Apple "cult"?

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

State of the “cult” and fan enthusiasm

  • Many argue the era of line‑camping and breathless praise ended about a decade ago; iPhones and Macs are now mainstream appliances.
  • The old “geeky superfan” cult pre‑dated the iPhone and is seen as fading after years of incremental updates, services focus, and rent‑seeking.
  • Apple now looks more like an upper‑middle‑class lifestyle brand; it no longer needs the enthusiast cult to succeed financially.

Innovation vs maturity

  • Several commenters see Apple as having “stopped innovating,” only making small improvements since around the iPhone 4 era.
  • Others argue phones and laptops are at the top of a maturity curve; radical changes (e.g., folding screens) aren’t yet viable, and steady refinement is appropriate.
  • M‑series chips are widely cited as a major, non‑trivial innovation, giving Apple strong perf‑per‑watt and battery life, though some note Apple desktops are weak on raw perf‑per‑dollar.

From user‑focused to services and rent‑seeking

  • Some recall an “old Apple” that optimized macOS for professional media creation and editing; they see modern Apple deprioritizing those workflows and neglecting older frameworks.
  • Others say lock‑in and superiority marketing existed since at least the late 2000s; the intensity has grown but the strategy is consistent.
  • Growing reliance on iCloud and subscription services is seen by some as shifting Apple toward “rent‑seeking,” potentially eroding goodwill from its privacy/UX reputation.

Lock‑in, ecosystem, and productivity

  • Lock‑in mechanisms mentioned: platform‑exclusive apps (Logic, FCP, Xcode), protocols (iMessage, AirDrop, Handoff, Continuity), and restrictive App Store rules.
  • Supporters praise deep cross‑device integration (watch unlocking Mac, shared notes, seamless AirPods switching, password sync, easy migration) as real daily time savings.
  • Critics argue similar functionality exists on other platforms if you invest effort; they see Apple’s walled garden as a “pretty prison.”

UX and software quality debates

  • Some strongly dislike Apple’s UI paradigms (Finder behavior, Dock, “drag to install,” mouse feel, window management), describing persistent frustration when using macOS/iOS.
  • Others highlight attention to detail: Emacs‑style keybindings across the OS, AppleScript/Shortcuts, scriptable GUI apps, and strong developer tools.
  • Several note that “intuitive” is heavily shaped by what users already know; HN‑type power users are atypical.

Competitors and broader ecosystem

  • Google is portrayed as an ad company that fails at cohesive hardware/software ecosystems and messaging, inadvertently driving users to Apple.
  • Windows and Android are seen by some as equivalent or better on raw value and capability; Linux is praised for servers but criticized for laptop UX and drivers.
  • Some ex‑fans feel trapped between Apple lock‑in, distrust of Google, and dissatisfaction with Linux/Windows, nostalgic for mid‑2000s macOS.