With the introduction of Windows 95, Apple’s market share which was around 5% further declined to between 3 – 4%. That placed the company on near bankruptcy prompting Apple’s board to bring back Steve Jobs, one of the co-founders of the company in 1997. And with Jobs’ introduction of the candy-colored I-Mac, Apple’s fortunes turned around, and the rest is history up to the present. We are not going to talk about what Jobs did to save the beleaguered company. We will dwell on why loyal customers are extremely in love with their Apple products.

I myself was a PC user way back and was aching to get my hands on an Apple Powerbook. Why Apple? How do they stack up against their PC counterparts.

• Apple Computers - Price; more expensive, Applications Available; limited, Compatible Peripherals; limited, Product Support ; very good, Ease of use; very easy.
• Windows/PC - Reasonable price, Applications Available; infinite, Compatible Peripherals; 100%, Product Support; very good, Ease of Use; clunky and confusing at times.

Nevertheless, I was able to acquire my first Apple Powerbook G3 Pismo at the same time maintaining my PC laptop. The moment I turned on the power of my Apple, the welcome screen instantly captivated me. It was like casting a spell on me, hypnotizing me that this is a lot better than the other brand I have. After several days of familiaring with the functions of my Powerbook, I put it to test vs. my current laptop. Remember Apple is always behind the MHz speed thing ever since, but it performed faster than my other laptop. The screen graphics are more vivid and life-like. It’s lighter, thinner and sexier. Surprisingly friends of mine found Apple to be more attractive, to the point of contemplating of changing their PC’s. Now they were experiencing the so-called myth factor. The only drawback I found was a limited cache of applications available, but not anymore. After 7 years, developers are cashing in on the popularity of Apple that they have a Mac version for every PC application they have. For me there was no turning back. I went on to acquire 2 more Apple Laptops and an I-Mac. I also intend to change my old Powerbook into a Macbook Pro.

Apple has come a long way. They are now ranked no. 3 behind Dell and Hewlett Packard. But what is this myth or “X’ factor that is simply very hard to put into words. Could it be the name “Apple” itself. It is very easy to remember, sounds sweet, sexy and alluring. What about the charismatic CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs? After his ouster from Apple a couple of years back, the company’s popularity waned up to the point of near bankruptcy. With his return, the company’s course changed. Yes, he introduced pioneering products like the 1st edition I-Mac, the airport express wireless communication, the popular I-pod and now the I-phone. Could it be his pioneering savvy or his reputation as a master showman during his several keynote addresses? Fire him now and see where Apple goes from its present situation. Too drastic don’t you think? Apple even has “MacWorld,” a magazine review exclusively for Macs, Mac peripherals and software. Why publish a magazine devoted to a product with only a 5% market share? I don’t see a “Dell World” or an HP World” magazine around, only “PC World or PC magazine. Lastly let us touch on Apple’s vision. They are the innovator instead of the imitator. Their products have advanced functionality punctuated with the necessary aesthetics as icing.

All I can say is one will never be able to identify and pinpoint what this Apple myth is, or maybe there is none at all.