F
ew brands engender such intense loyalty as that found
in the hearts of core Apple buyers. Whether they own
a Mac computer, an iPod, an iPhone, or an iPad, Apple
devotees are granitelike in their devotion to the brand.
At one end are the quietly satisfied Mac users, folks who own a
Mac and use it for e-mailing, browsing, and social networking.
At the other extreme, however, are the Mac zealots—the socalled MacHeads or Macolytes. The Urban Dictionary defines a
Macolyte as “one who is fanatically devoted to Apple products,”
as in “He’s a Macolyte; don’t even think of mentioning Microsoft
within earshot.”
The chances are good that you know one of these MacHeads. Maybe you are one. They’re the diehards who buy all the
latest Apple products and accessories to maximize their Mac
lives. They virtually live in the local Apple store. Some have
even been known to buy two iPhones—one for themselves and
the other just to take apart, to see what it looks like on the inside,
and maybe, just to marvel at Apple’s ingenious ability to cram
so much into a tight little elegant package.
There’s at least a little MacHead in every Apple customer.
Mac enthusiasts see Apple founder Steve Jobs as the Walt Disney of technology. Say the word Apple in front of Mac fans, and
they’ll go into rhapsodies about the superiority of the brand.
Some MacHeads even tattoo the Apple logo on their bodies. According to one industry observer, a Mac or iPhone comes “not
just as a machine in a box, it [comes] with a whole community”
of fellow believers.
What is it that makes Apple buyers so loyal? Why do they
buy a Mac instead of an HP or a Dell, or an iPhone instead of