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Let people do what they want with their money and stop judging them for having MacBooks. You do not know their circumstances or how hard they have worked.
A recent Epigram article which implied that anyone who owns a MacBook is either ‘rich’ or some kind of ‘sheep’ is not a particularly ground breaking view.
But it erases the experience of many people who lie between these two ‘extremes’ and dismisses the need for Apple products.
Yes, this need has been manufactured by a consumerist monster that first took our charging port, then our earbud wires, and next our souls. But in many parts of the media world, and beyond, Apple products have become the norm.
This is in part due to the software required. In theatre, QLab is the industry standard for sound programming, and in film, Adobe Premiere Pro CC and Final Cut Pro X are all software which are only really compatible with Apple products.
Not everyone wants to be an editor, but it is often important to have Apple products, simply because they are designed to have the processing power to run this software.
If you want a laptop which is just used for browsing and writing the odd Word document, yes, you may choose to avoid Apple.
But, I generally do not bother ascribing some kind of moral value to people owning Apple products because they have a nice aesthetic – you do what you want with your money. At the end of the day, it is still a machine that does a job for you, but Apple have established themselves as the preferred technology in this modern age.
I generally do not bother ascribing some kind of moral value to people owning Apple products because they have a nice aesthetic – you do what you want with your money.
As for the ‘rich’ claim: I am not rich. But I am typing this short article on my MacBook Pro. It took a long time for me to buy this product. I first had to apply for a hardship grant through the Kent Film Foundation. This money was then used to buy a very old MacBook, which generally caused me a huge headache and barely worked. For its parts, though, I was able to trade it in at Currys PC World and get a large chunk of money taken off the total price. I also had to ask some family members for money, which was a difficult choice, because my savings from working two jobs for a long summer still wasn’t enough to cover the costs.
Does this make me morally better than people whose parents were able to give them an Apple MacBook as a reward for good grades, or getting into university, or simply because they needed a laptop?
Assigning moral status based on what kind of laptop people own not only widens the gap between students at Bristol
No. It is a laptop. It does what I need it to, and there are areas where it struggles regardless.
Assigning moral status based on what kind of laptop people own not only widens the gap between students at Bristol, and increases the snobbery, it also entirely misguided. There are Microsoft laptops that cost just as much as Apple ones, but do not work half as well. It is, ultimately, a useless comparison.
Why should we ‘branch out’ when there is a device that suits our needs? Just to make us more individual in the eyes of someone else?
Why should I care what kind of laptop the person sitting next to me has?
Featured image: Epigram/Ffion ClarkeWhat do you think about MacBooks in Bristol? Let Epigram know!
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