My daughter made a stuffed skunk for me one Christmas several years ago as she thought it would be funny to keep it under my monitor to remind me of how stinky computers were. I use Apple computers.
The skunk remained under my Dell monitor for years (it’s a Dell because your monitors were, and are, overpriced). In a recent cleaning binge, I consolidated my stuffed stuff to sit above my HP printer.
I was musing about all the articles being written about your iPhone App Store for the bonehead decisions and your defensive reply (a miracle that you did officially reply and from Phil Schiller no less). I recently read Jason Calacanis’ “The Case Against Apple” and the immediate response from the Apple pundits saying his facts and logic were wrong and his article was “pathetic and reality deprived“. The irony being that Calacanis described himself as having a love affair with Apple. And we see an earlier Twitter message from one of his detractors calling out Apple on yet another App Store blunder.
So, yeah, it’s kind of a love-hate relationship between you and your customers. As I was trying to decide how I felt about all the negativity descending upon you, I realized I was staring at my stuffed stuff and something clicked.
I had placed the pointy-haired boss of Dilbert fame riding my daughter’s hand-made skunk. I thought of Steve Jobs riding through the halls of 1 Infinite Loop on his mighty steed rallying the troops to follow him to battle. It’s cute, but it doesn’t smell right.
You’re not fighting the good fight. It’s a self-serving fight. I’m sure you think your decisions are good for business, but I think they will harm your customers and shareholders in the long run. I’m certainly not a proponent anymore.
From now on when I think of someone, or some company, that I really like but who are deluding themselves that they’re doing the right thing, I’m going to say they’re “Riding the Skunk.”
