There are a core group of extremely passionate anti-Apple folks who seem to go through every Apple thread and downvote anything that doesn't have torch in hand. It's pretty silly, but whatever.
I just saw one of these guys sincerely claim that Safari was "notoriously outdated and incompatible with the modern web". It is beyond parody.
There was a thread the other day that seriously argued that Apple promised the App Store was "completely secure" (which apparently extends out to guaranteeing the honesty, security and operational practices of every business if they happen to have an app on the App Store). I took multiple -4 downvote sprees for pointing out actual fact and reality, and felt good that I at least wasted a bit of their time.
It's boring and below HN, but it's the reality we live with.
They're downvoted because they don't offer anything interesting to the discussion, not because people think they're anti-Apple. They're thinly-disguised attacks on the article's author.
My direct experience is that there is a lot of skepticism about Apple on HN, much of it warranted, some of it (in my opinion, obviously) careening into unwarranted cynicism. But my observation is that comments critical of Apple that are most likely to get downvoted are ones with a clear subtext of "anyone who uses Apple products is an idiotic corporate shill who doesn't know anything about technology and it is my solemn duty to preach the anti-Apple gospel." If you come in with a chip on your shoulder, people will be inclined to knock it off.
Indeed, there is no quicker way to amass downvotes than to criticize Apple on HN. Fair or not it will attract the ire of the masses.
I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out why the tech industry and the hacker community especially can be so enamored of an anti-hacker company like Apple that it becomes part of their identity, leading to hyper defensiveness and the downvoting/killing we see. I don't feel like I understand it yet so I'd be fascinated to hear theories.
I said something that is observably true... that Apple like to pretend to everyone that hardware older than two years is obsolete.
That attracts a certain class of Apple user that don't like anyone bad mouthing their anointed one, for any reason, so dowvotes happen. By all means show evidence to the contrary, alternatively, if you happen to be a part of "that class" of Apple user (you know, the kind to pitch a tent outside the Apple store kind, willing to trade body parts for shiny squares) then just leave some downvotes and i'll know.
But you know what... you're right, that is basic internet, there are just to many of these people. Perhaps once Apple completes it's cycle and returns to the fragmented market milking monstrosity it was in the 90s this will all be over and the cult will shrink back to a more manageable size.
It's interesting to me how people can upvote comments that are pretty much made up nonsense but comments like yours and mine are downvoted because people just want to hate on Apple.
Friendly heads-up: if you try to say anything negative about Apple here on Hacker News, people will tend to downvote you out of cognitive dissonance alone. It doesn't matter if what you're saying is the truth, the people here just really like to roleplay as security experts and pretend like Apple is somehow different from the other PRISM-compliant corporations.
I don't think your downvotes relate to criticising Apple per se; they're due to a poor argument style. I am no great fan of Apple, but hurling vague accusations and FUD, then shifting the goalposts when anyone tries to refute you, adds little to the conversation besides noise.
> I still haven't changed my mind
Well you should have. You've been thoroughly shot down. The fact you don't accept that says more about you than anyone else.
Positive observations regarding Apple, factually correct or not, seem to attract downvotes. The downvotes on this comment in particular really baffled me: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15538585
Engadget, Macrumors, and here, for the most part (though I only comment here). The anti-Apple trolling is positively insane at Engadget, presumably because the average age of their commenters must be low, but it can get pretty bad at virtually any tech-oriented site, and even places like nytimes.com.
I definitely don't think 100% of Apple fans are immune to the above-decribed behavior: there are always some who aren't, especially if they're teenagers. You'll see more of that stuff now, because the space is polarized, and Apple fans have been put on the defensive. And yet I hardly ever see Apple fans producing hate-fueled criticism of other products and their fans. We receive way more of that stuff than we dish out.
I just saw one of these guys sincerely claim that Safari was "notoriously outdated and incompatible with the modern web". It is beyond parody.
There was a thread the other day that seriously argued that Apple promised the App Store was "completely secure" (which apparently extends out to guaranteeing the honesty, security and operational practices of every business if they happen to have an app on the App Store). I took multiple -4 downvote sprees for pointing out actual fact and reality, and felt good that I at least wasted a bit of their time.
It's boring and below HN, but it's the reality we live with.
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