Cult is usually identical to an extreme fanatical devilish practice. The cult followers are easy to spot since they are wearing strange clothes, speaking unlike "normal" people, or behaving very extreme that does not fit into society. They are also small group and having just one or a few leaders whose commands are accepted as divine.
In this information era, cult is apparently not limited to religion area, there is now a cult movement in technology field. Apple Inc could well represent the argument. Their followers are still considerably small and Steve Jobs perfectly fits as the leader of the cult.
The movement is started in 1980's when Mac or Apple launched a computer set to challenge IBM. Back then, it was not as easy as now to operate the computer, one needs to know a set of commands or steps to execute simple task such as opening files. But Apple was the first to launch the idea of using icon/picture to execute commands that changed the way of operating computers. Since then, Apple is seen as the revolutionary movement against the "giant, corrupted, and evil" PC companies like IBM.
Apple also succeeds to create a new lifestyle with its other products like iPod and iPhone, that helps its followers to distinct themselves even more than outsiders. If someday Apple decides to produce its own clothes, kitchenwares, bottled water, car et. al, I would guarantee those Apple geeks would certainly buy them regardless the needs, the qualities, or the price. It is the identity of belonging to an exclusive group that they buy.
If you ever use Mac, you will notice some huge differences compare to regular PC. Mac keyboard does not have delete command. What they call delete is actually a backspace. You can only delete the character on the left of the cursor in Mac.Doesn't it sound inconvenient to have just backspace but not delete? Your can't help to notice there is a key with apple symbol in the keyboard next to alt. In PC, you need to press ctrl key to perform any shortcut command. But in Mac you press apple key instead. The funny thing is, Mac also has a ctrl key that hardly ever use. Why do they put it there if there is no use of it? In the beginning, I thought Mac was just plainly inefficient. They omit the key that should be there (delete) and provide the key that shouldn't be there (ctrl). But, it is actually their marketing strategy. They want to be different more than just efficient. If everybody else in the world pressing ctrl for the shortcut, they press APPLE. If everybody else can conveniently delete the character in the left or right of the cursor, they don't mind to give an extra effort to make a statement that they are different.
One more interesting fact is Apple has a department of evangelism in the company. It is basically a marketing department, but they call it evangelist that is again embracing an idea that apple is not a mere computer sellers, but a way of life.
Now, a little bit of personal stories. I am a PC user. I love PC for its inexpensive price, its fast performance, its varieties of games, its services that are available almost everywhere in the world. It sounds like a winning argument for me for everyone to choose PC instead of Mac. However, if you ever encounter Mac user and have a debate with them, you will notice how fanatic they usually are defending Mac and even trying to convert you to be Mac user. They usually brag about Mac's exclusive design and its virus protection. Sometimes I feel like talking to a cult evangelist who's trying to tell you the truth of the universe and the way of salvation instead of talking about computers.
Nevertheless, I applaud the works of the Apple company, it is a very smart marketing move to present the products more than just what they do, but also what the values they represent. Everyone wants to be seen different. Ironically, if they keep growing in numbers, it will eventually be a self-defeating marketing strategy. They are no longer the revolutionary minority group who wants to change the world but they are now the giant empire that needs to be defeated.
