The last time we gave multiple examples of how we value artifacts, including machines. I value my wedding ring. I value tools which make me productive. I value artifacts because of their beauty. This should be enough to silence anyone who claims that attachment to a Mac is irrational simply because it is a machine or artifact. Using the same logic as PC users, we would have to say that the value we place on wedding rings, works of art and certain tools is unjustified. This argument from analogy shows the waywardness of their reasoning. We also showed that under any given interpretation of "machine," "It's just a machine" is not sufficient to justify the claim that attachment to the Mac is unjustified. We want to explore these themes further this week. In the conclusion we will answer the question, "Is the Mac just a machine?" The answer may surprise you.

In a sense I am still speaking the unspeakable. In Infinite Loop 1 we showed that the reaction we have to the Mac is visceral, out-running our abilities to describe it. Language seems an insufficient mode of expression to describe our attachment to the Mac. This is not unique to the Mac, and this is important for the reader to keep in mind. Because we have the same reaction to the Mac that we do other things, including both artifacts and natural objects, perhaps all these things share certain properties which prompt this reaction. Maybe the significance I place on my wedding ring is prompted by the same kind of elements that prompt the significance I attach to the Mac. In this essay I wish to describe what those elements are. Hopefully, this will demystify the Mac mystique to a certain point.

There are three such elements. Get these down. You will then be ready to cogently answer anyone who asks "Why the Mac?" Your answer could be about megahertz and the availability of software. It could be; and indeed these things are needful. But everyone doesn't understand them. Or you can, as I will, connect them to things all people appreciate if attentive. You can answer using certain universal concepts which anyone can understand. So if someone asks "Why the Mac?" you should answer simply, "Because of its utility, beauty and symbolism, like many other things in my life."

Utility

I defined "utility" in the last article as follows: The utility of an object means it helps us reach our ends and does it well. That is, the utility of an object is defined by how good of a means it is to the ends we seek. (This is the basis of Microsoft's phrase "Where do you want to go today?" in fact.) The better an object assists us in achieving our ends the more we value it. Obviously, the Mac has utility.

Utility is found on many levels. One is simplicity: A tool has utility when it not only helps us achieve our ends but helps us achieve them simply. The simpler a means is to our ends the better it is as an instrument. Take any end you have. You always want to know, "What is the simplest way to achieve it?" We could take circuitous routes to our ends. But human beings desire simplicity by nature. We want the simplest to use VCR and the simplest theories in science. So is it any wonder we value the simplest to use computer?

We have been involved with buying two Macs in the last year for each of our parents. We bought my parents an original iMac and my wife's parents a blueberry iBook. We imagined both parents trying to get anything done well and simply on a Wintel. We couldn't see it. They have limited computer backgrounds. The choice was clear. Within a few months of getting my parents the iMac we visited them again. My mother was up late playing quiz games on line, something I had never done! And this is their first home computer. Both parents do not know what the "Finder" is, or what an extension is. And that is the point: They don't have to. The only things we had to explain were what a desktop and file is (in the real world). The rest explains itself.

We buy computers for many reasons. Some of the reasons we have for purchasing a computer include but are not limited to: business, creativity, education, fun and games, and all manner of productivity. One computer may serve several of these ends. I use my Mac for education, creativity and business for example. I write, prepare classes, build web pages and play on my Mac. I could do all these on a Wintel. But I do not. The reason is because Wintels do not serve these ends with the same utility as a Mac. I can be up and running in no time. I do not have to mess with "C:drives" or the registeries. I do not have to go in to command line mode to tweak the Mac. When I place a disk in a drive it shows up on the desktop and I do not have to search for it. There is no mile upon mile of hierarchical menus to wade through. If I wish to quit a program I quit, I do not "Exit" which makes it seem that the program is still running somewhere. File names make sense. What is "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT" anyway? Installation of software, any software, is easier by far. The whole OS is simpler and more elegant. It is clear what I am doing all the time. (And with the sneak peek we had of OSX at the Expo, this is only going to get better, and cooler.) All these add up to utility. Simply put: "There is no step three!"

The point of all this is clear: We are justified in valuing the Mac because it helps us simply reach some of our goals and ends in life. If those ends are rational, and one cannot argue that if education is our goal then it is not rational, then it is also rational to value the best means to those ends. "I love this thing!" is a rational response to the Mac.

Symbolism

In Infinite Loop 1 we examined the symbolism of the Apple logo. In Infinite Loop 2 we examined the symbolism of a wedding ring. Here I argue that we rationally value the Mac because of its symbolism.

I value my wedding ring not because it is just a piece of metal but because it represents, symbolizes, certain other values, such as fidelity, obligation and love. And again, what we say here is not confined to the Mac. We value lots of things, lots of artifacts and natural objects, because of their symbolism. An obvious example is the US flag, which is after all just a piece of cloth. And if the values an object symbolizes are rational, so is our attachment to it. Think about it . . .

As I sit here in my study there are many artifacts around me which I value because of their symbolism. One example is my degrees hanging on the wall which are after all just pieces of paper, right? Wrong. They symbolize hard work, determination, expertise and fond memories. All of these are rational values. Another example is my library and in particular certain books, which are after all just pieces of paper, right? Wrong. Some of the books remind me of how I was changed for the better by reading them. Some represent challenges met (I actually finished the thing!). Some represent fond memories of sitting alone and reading. These are all rational values. Then there is a plaque from World War I honoring my grandfather for his service in that "Great War," which is after all just a piece of wood, right? Wrong. What this symbolizes is beyond words. And then there is our Mac SE/30. This was our first Mac ever. We got it the first year we were married, in our first home, with our first savings. Sometimes I still fire it up just to remember those firsts. So much symbolism.

Classes started this week. Before one class I was making small talk with the students. I asked one who claimed to be a computer guy, "What kind of computer do you have?" I was fascinated not so much with his response but with how he responded. He kind of slumped in his chair, looked down and said, "I have a Gateway." There was almost a sense of shame and embarrassment in how he said it. (If my computer came in a box that looked like a cow, I would feel the same way!) Imagine asking someone, "What's your favorite football team?" and they answer, "The Cleveland Browns." Same thing, same kind of embarrassment perhaps. Now it is not the Gateway machine per se but what it symbolizes which caused this. What does a Gateway box represent? Oh, I don't know, perhaps just mass consumerism, appliance mania and conformity, despite talk about "Eye-catching Futuristic Designs" (a quote from gateway.com). We see this in the iMac copy Gateway Astro commercial. You know the commercial: a pudgy donut-eating common man wiping sugar all over himself as he is exposed for the first time to the internet. A faint attempt at utility. And Dell has flooded society with so many machines that they have lost any meaning they may have had. They have become throw aways. It only goes to show that utility and mass consumerism can be the opiate of the people.

What does the Mac symbolize? This is actually a very personal question. When we got our G3 my wife and I spent hours playing Maelstrom together. Those were good times. It was fun. We grew closer during this play. That G3 represents those times to us. But I am thinking in bigger terms here. What does THE Mac represent? Creativity, simplicity, quality, counter-culture values, thinking different, iconoclasticism, nonconformity, you know the routine. I think all of these are rational values on some level. If my Mac represents them to a high degree then my attachment to it is rational.

But in reality, one's Mac symbolizes whatever he wants it to. There is so much personal freedom we have with a Mac. It is seen in the desktop pictures we use, the system fonts we install, and the icons on our desktops, for example. We choose these on a very personal level. When I say, "I have a Mac," it lets people know something personal about me; it is almost like saying, "I'm Catholic." This personal symbolism is not unique to the Mac. It applies to the cars we drive, the neighborhoods we choose to live in and the clothes we wear. All of our choices are representations of our ego and nature. So in a sense, ultimately, as with so many other things in our lives, my Mac symbolizes ME. (Perhaps this explains the shame spoken of earlier: If in fact these artifacts represent us, poor representations reflect poorly on us and we know it.)

So the Mac, your Mac, is really not that different from many other things in your life. It functions as a symbol and performs that function well. This is why we value it, and doing so is rational: It symbolizes rational values. It is an extension of our souls.

Beauty

The third element which draws us to the Mac is beauty. This is the icing on the computer cake. I received a PC catalog in the mail the other day. After leaving it lay untouched for several days I thought I would give it a quick look. One thing stood out: These things are ugly. I am sorry, there is no other way to say it. Why shouldn't we make computers beautiful? Computers are an important part of our lives, and becoming more important (some say too important) all the time. We do the same thing for appliances, don't we? We do it for cars? Why not computers? (By the way, my Mac is not an appliance. I am preparing an article on computer appliances to be published at a later date.)

In Infinite Loop 1 we discussed the Mac's beauty. We will have more to say on this as we think about it. But these machines are aesthetically pleasing, and it occurs on so many levels. They look good and they feel good. Go ahead, touch it. See? The curves and colors are attractive. The plastics shine unlike other plastics. We didn't realize how beautiful the original iMac was until we took it out of the box and placed it on a desk in a den. In its natural environment, as it were, the iMac looks great. Our G4 is one beautiful machine too. And it grows on you, it becomes more beautiful to you over time. You notice little details the longer you are with it. And I read somewhere that if one looks at the round mouse from the top it looks like a woman's figure, that is, an hour glass shape. Perhaps. Be that as it may, Apple has a corner on the form factor.

But this is only hardware. When one adds the Mac OS to the mix the two fit together great. Indeed, hardware without software is dead, and software without hardware is impotent. This is why it is important that Apple is the only company in control of both (and why we do not run Windows emulators on our Macs). Think of Aqua. Now think of Aqua actually inside the curvy, shiny and colorful Mac. OSX's icons share the shiny plastic look of the iMacs and G4s. The geometry of the monitor, the angles of the design, match that of the OS. It was a match made in, well . . . Cupertino. Measure the Mac, both hardware and software, by aesthetic standards, for that is where it really shines, as it were.

So Is It or Isn't It?

So is it just a machine or isn't it? As in so many things in life, the answer is yes, AND no. On one level of description the Mac is just a machine: A concoction of plastic, silicon and metals arranged in a certain way. I guess on one level of description, say that of the neuroscientist, I too am just a machine: A concoction of tissues, organs and bones arranged in a certain way. But I also seem to be much more, something the term "machine" just doesn't capture. Human love can be described in a neurochemical way, but that doesn't really capture the experience, does it? So it is with the Mac. Calling it a "machine" just doesn't capture everything the Mac is and represents. It's like calling the Mona Lisa just a painting, or Mahler's Second just a symphony. And now we know why. We value the Mac because of its utility, symbolism and beauty. In this way the Mac is like so many things in our lives. So the Mac is a machine, but much more. So, perhaps, are we . . . and that does matter.

David Schultz