The Apple TV and Wii controversy

After apparently kick-starting a war between gamers and Apple geeks on the digg.com comments for my article about the Wii, I decided to explain the actual intent of the article and to address the way I really feel about Apple.

First, the “Nintendo Wii beats Apple TV” article was not about who came first in the web video on TV market. In fact, the only thing in the article that even addressed the release date of the products was the quote from Steve Jobs saying that Apple TV was the first time users could easily watch YouTube vids on their TVs. I believe all of us have heard of or possibly tried other methods for watching web video on TV in the past from computers hooked up with composite cables to WebTV to various Xbox mods. It’s pretty universal that Apple TV is not the first device that lets you experience YouTube from the comfort of your couch.

The keyword in Jobs’ statement was “easily”, a word that is opinion and not fact. There is no way to scientifically prove “easy” and what’s easy to one person might not be for another. In the case of the article, I stated that I felt that the Wii offered me an easy way to watch YouTube on TV. For that reason, I was not interested in buying an Apple TV because I felt I already had other methods of utilizing the main features of the device. As I said in the article, I have speakers for my iPod, Netflix and now a Wii to watch web video and view pictures. The Apple TV was not necessary.

The main point I was trying to make in the article was that the Wii seemed to do most of the features of the Apple TV, plus games, for less money. For me, that far outweighed any sleek Apple interface, HD playback of videos that were recorded in poor webcam quality to begin with, or any of the other marketing bullet points we see with the Apple TV. As far as I am concerned, the Wii is the better product.

That’s not to say that the Apple TV won’t improve or that Apple doesn’t make great products. I think many of the Apple fans who read the article misinterpreted it as a slam on that company and on it’s CEO. In fact, I love Apple and I grew up using Macs. As I got older, the products were more expensive than comparable Windows computers and had limited software, so I switched. Now that Macs have Intel chips and can run Windows, I can use both systems on one computer. Aside from computers, Apple makes some amazing devices, like the iPod, which are hard to live without these days. Apple’s products are easy to use, pretty to look at, and, apparently, cultural symbols of coolness.

My only real beef with Apple is the general attitude of some Mac users. In reality, a Mac is just a computer. While a lot of us are attached to our computers like they were our children, a computer is really just a product, an object, a device. I read a great post on The Best Page in the Universe once that illustrated this point.

You rarely hear Windows users going on and on about how their operating system is a fashion statement or acting like they’re better than other people because of the computer they use. I think there is a small group of Mac snobs that act like they’re better people because they use Macs and this is what creates the stereotype of the smug, hipster Mac user.

Unfortunately, Apple seems to embrace this stereotype and spread it farther by playing it up in commercials and in-store displays. I loved the comment by bearcliner saying, “I was walking through the mall when I passed an Apple store. There were dozens of cardboard cutouts of people wearing all black and having idiotic looks on their faces positioned in the store. Is Apple a weird cult or something?” It seems like Apple likes having a “cult” of faithful Apple users. Look at the “I’m a Mac” commercials with Justin Long. They emphasize the idea that Apple is the fun machine used only by trendy students or creative professionals for their cool jobs in between listening to their iPods at whatever coffee house or vintage clothing store they frequent. That’s why the recent ads for the iPhone are so refreshing. They simply show the product and explain what it does instead of making it into a huge fashion statement or lifestyle.

The reality is that a Mac is just a computer. The Nintendo Wii and Apple TV are just home entertainment devices. Everyone needs to stop getting so emotionally invested in the companies whose products they purchase. If it works for you, use it. There’s no need to wage a comment war against the people who disagree because they’re just doing what works for them too. We’re all just consumers looking for a good deal on the things we want.

*The “Nintendo Wii beats Apple TV” article was one of the most popular in the history of YourHub.com with over 33,000 views. It appears in today’s Central Denver YourHub section of the Denver Post as “Wii don’t need no Apple TV”*