Does Apple Own Your Soul?

Does Apple Own Your Soul? 

I have changed up my idea, I thought of something a little more serious. This is my question, and when I began my research I found that it was an easy question to answer. Trying to convince an Apple user that their phone may have competition is like asking the president to step down to the vice president half way through the term.  Apple's iPhone took over the teenage world this Christmas, and I will admit that I have two Apple products. However, I have found something better. I decided that my question would go to all of those Apple users, so I began with the employees at AT&T. I ventured into AT&T to check out the new Nokia Lumia 900 with Windows 7.7, and I found out that every sales person in the whole store had to use the phone themselves as their personal and work phone. Now, I'm not scared of the crazy Apple fans so talking to them about their experience was a pretty easy task. "Does Apple Own Your Soul?" was the basis of all my questions. Well, to some in that store, it does, and to others, they've moved on. The new Nokia Lumia 900 has won Best of Show 2012 at the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) awards. Nokia and Microsoft became friends recently and they came up with a phone that will change the way we look at Apple. Microsoft has just released Windows 8, a metro style, tile based interface (picture showing). The Nokia is only using Windows 7.7 because Microsoft hasn't released the full Windows 8, yet, only BETA is available to any person with a Windows computer. There will be an update late this summer for those who have the phone. Nokia has taken on Windows and rocked the smartphone world. I got the chance to talk to a few salesmen in AT&T. Mark, salesman of the year for New York State, Luke, general manager and total Apple fan, and an Employee (whose name I cannot remember), Apple's ex-boyfriend and Windows new fiancé. Mark was skeptical of his new phone because, after I later found out, he didn't really know how to work it. The iPhone does everything for you. You have your basic settings, background color and your app re-arrangements and that's about it. Windows requires your attention and love, in the end she's worth it because she's good to you and she keeps you interested. The employees would agree with my next statement...after a few years Apple doesn't keep your interest, you look for something else. An employee at AT&T worked with Apple products for 7 years and just recently got into the Nokia because of his work duties, and he ended up saying that he loves it. He was getting sick of Apple. Luke, the general manager, however, was not able to let go of his iPhone, so he kept both. Two phones, double the browsing, one in each pocket, half the fun. Luke was set on Apple because he was comfortable there and he claimed that Nokia didn't have a Twitter app. This is a false statement though. How do I know this? Well, because I ended up buying the phone. Yes, I bought it. I am the proud owner of a Nokia Lumia 900, and I have to say, I do not regret it. 

Apple owns Luke's soul. He wanted it his way and he got to have it. Though many people who have reviewed the phone have said things like "I'd say it's easier to use than the iPhone." and "It's also exciting because it marks the first clear and strong collaboration between manufacturer, carrier, and Microsoft." 

I noticed something that I think relates to then novel we are reading. The employees, the SALESMAN OF THE YEAR, and general manager didn't know anything about the phones they were selling. I had to go home and run through the manual and spend hours digging through the phone to see how it worked to it's fullest. They couldn't find an app that I found in the first 20 minutes of working with the phone. It does have a twitter app, he was too lazy to look for it. I think that relates to those who work for the bank and those who destroyed the homes of those living during the depression. They don't know why they have to do it, but they do it anyways. Why would you ask questions? They didn't get to the bottom of the problem, they just knew what they needed to know in order to work and get paid. The same goes for the AT&T salesmen. They only know the basics, and they can sound smart to those who don't know anything about the phone. A lot of people don't know anything about the phone they are looking for, but when I roll up to the store knowing exactly what I want and exactly how the phone works, they become powerless because I know more than them. If someone like Tom Joad knew more than those working for the bank, he could have gotten something done, but no one knows the answers because fear gets in the way of them asking the questions. Which is why there is such a competition between Apple and Windows. People buy what they know and follow what they know, they don't ask the hard questions like what works, or what makes this phone better than the others. They ask what people are buying or they buy whatever the sales people have themselves. It happens everyday and I feel like, we as humans take shortcuts around the hard questions because we are afraid of the answers. Tough love, the only way that progress is made is to ask the hard questions. If someone in the Grapes of Wrath asked a question and died because of it, they must have been close to an answer. If I ask an iPhone user to bring up their Music app on their phone, and I compare it to mine and they ask for their phone back as soon as they make the comparison, I know that I almost got an answer. I didn’t call the president or make contact with the Lay's representatives but I did ask a question that led to this comparison. Does Apple Own Your Soul? I met three people who all had Apple products and one loved Apple because he was lazy, the other loved Apple because he was comfortable there, he knew everything about it and didn't want to learn anything new, and the other one left Apple for the alternative. Apple had a pretty tight hold on Luke's soul, but with that Windows phone in his other pocket, it won't be much longer until Apple is just an ex-girlfriend.