I’ve been meaning to write this blog post for sometime now. Its about an affliction or condition I define as “AppleEnvy”. In one way or another, if you are a technophile like me, you will understand exactly what I mean by AppleEnvy by the end of this post.

Apple is by far one of the coolest brands on the planet. Its right up there as one of the brands that pretty much everyone I know would like to own or be associated with, even by extension. After having a near death experience almost two decades ago, Apple has managed to claw its way back from the gallows to the very apex of technology coolness. However, what has always been true about Apple from the very beginning is that its DNA is rooted in being technology cool at every turn. To quote a good friend of mine, “Apple only ever makes really good s**t”.

It took Apple to make the iPod and iTunes the leading digital music ecosystem in the world. It took Apple  to “re-invent” the phone by making the iPhone the coolest smartphone to-date, even as Android gains global marketshare. Lastly, Apple’s iconic laptops and desktops ala “Mac” offerings represent the highest order of consumer and business technology tools. Its a fact. Personally, I have been an Apple aficionado for the better part of three years since first owning a Macbook, which still works remarkably well to-date and has never broken down on me. Apple products simply just work – and work really well.

Fast forward to last year and I finally secured an Apple iPhone 3GS. If you are one of the people who read this article and own or have used an iPhone you will know what I mean when I say that there is nothing quite like an iPhone in the world of mobile phones. Yes, I also have a couple of Android handsets and also use the latest Nokia handsets but the iPhone is quite simply on another level, honestly. The user experience is second to none and there is an iPhone app for practically anything you can imagine. To use one Steve Jobs famous expletives, the iPhone is quite simply, “amazing”.

Then, came along the iPad which is now in its second iteration in less than a year so the Apple product cycles are getting shorter. I don’t own an iPad although it is without a doubt one of the coolest products from Apple to-date. Yes, there are other tablets in the market and everyone is playing catch up to Apple’s iPad but once again its on another level – which is typical of Apple products. Its therefore no surprise that Apple is now the most valuable technology business in the world, ahead of the likes of Microsoft and Google – there is certainly something they are doing right there.

So. AppleEnvy. What is it? To me, the way to define it is simple. If you own or covet an Apple product then its likely that you suffer from AppleEnvy. AppleEnvy is the NEED to have the next and very latest Apple thing – whatever it may be. Its an addiction, not unlike crack cocaine or heroin. You quite literally gasp and wait with bated breath whenever Apple announces a new product. But why is this? I don’t even understand it logically but I clearly suffer from AppleEnvy. Yes, I have a Macbook Pro and an iPhone 3GS but its not enough. I want the iPad 2, iPhone 4 (or 5 when it comes out soon) and the Macbook Air 2. Yes. I want them ALL! Its illogical. I should be happy with what I have in the Apple world, but it not enough.

Its like a cult movement Apple has created in its venerable brand for its products. They make us suffer from AppleEnvy at all times as they spew out another “magical, fantastic, amazing, revolutionary, re-invented, disruptive and highly desirable” Apple product (to quote Steve Jobs’ now legendary expletives once again). To give you an idea of what I mean, look at the picture below. This is a photo of a “portfolio” of the highly desirable Apple products that currently have me exhibiting all the symptoms of AppleEnvy. Its a sad state of affairs to be honest but one I would happily give my left arm for to have that next Apple thing – whatever it may be. But leave me to my addiction – AppleEnvy is incurable as far as I know and its only treatment is that next fix of Apple coolness 🙂