[Don't] touch my monkey!
May 31st 2008
Cognitive Daily has asked a poignant question, "When you have a brand-new product (cell phone, iPod, etc.), how willing are you to let others use it?" Survey takers rate their willingness by ticking one of the following boxes:
• They must not touch
• They can hold it, but not press any buttons
• They can try it out for a few minutes while I supervise
• They can try it out for up to an hour, unsupervised
• They can borrow it for a couple days
• They can have it--I didn't really want it anyway
The interesting twist to this query comes when you factor in the response to another tick box in their survey: Do you use a Mac or PC?
Source: Cognitive Daily
[T]he fact that Mac users ... are so dramatically more stingy with their new gadgets is truly a striking finding ... This is literally the opposite of what you'd expect by watching Apple's own advertising, where "Mac" is the type of guy you'd invite over for a beer and "PC" is the type of guy who'd turn down your invitation in order to organize his DVD collection.
I have to admit I'm guilty of this. Although I'm quite willing to talk at length (ok, sometimes obnoxiously) about my toys, most of which carry Apple logos, I'm not willing to share.
I think it comes down to the Apple dichotomy: 1.) Almost everyone immediately bonds to any given Apple product on a visual and physical level, and 2.) About 90% of those people just don't get the product (ie isn't it expensive, hard to use, incompatible, elitist?)
So, Would you like to touch my monkey? Don't. Even. Think about it. I don't want to have "the conservation" again (you are beginning to bore me)...
What's your take?
