The Joy of Tech: Why being a 'Fanboy' isn't necessarily a bad thing
Danny Ramirez as Fanboy in Top Gun: Maverick (Paramount Pictures). Apple Logo (Apple Inc.)

The Joy of Tech: Why being a 'Fanboy' isn't necessarily a bad thing

The term ‘Fanboy’ (or 'Fangirl') is thrown around quite a lot, and in many cases it’s used in a negative way…. “Oh you’re just a [product / service] fanboy”. I get this quite a bit.

fan-boy” : Someone who is an extremely or overly enthusiastic fan of someone or something.

I really love technology and I’m aware (like most things) it has it’s good and bad sides. I know that a lot of tech isn’t sustainable….although many companies are making moves to reduce their carbon footprints and any negative implications of technology production. However, I love how it can also make things easier for people… for example I can book and get updates on my medication deliveries without having to pick up a phone or walk to my local GP surgery to fill out a form. It also does so many more important things for so many people around the world. Making their lives more comfortable and better in ways that I can’t even imagine. It does great things and I’m thankful for everyone who is any part of creating things (technology or otherwise) that help people feel better and happier every day.

I get very excited around this time of the year. The Apple Keynote is happening on September 9th 2024. I guess you could call me an Apple Fanboy. I don't really mind it, but I really consider myself to be an ‘Advocate for great technology’. Some of that happens to be made by Apple, but I don’t love it BECAUSE it’s made by Apple, it’s just that a lot of the products I love happen to fall within that zone for me. You could say that I’m “In the Apple ecosystem” and so predisposed to like it a little more… that may be true and I’m not going to argue with anyone about that. It's not even a term exclusive to fans of Apple (or Android)... according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the first use of ‘Fanboy’ was used in 1919…. so a couple years before Apple even launched the first iPhone!

Fanboy or not, I love hearing the rumours, the leaked details, the podcasts where people talk about the new iPhone hardware and software features. Will there be a new iPhone (yes)? Will it be thinner? Have more battery? Does it have more pixels per inch than before? Will it let me easily send high-quality photos of my cat to my mum who is on Android....?

I like the ‘lead up’ to the event almost as much as the event itself… the anticipation of what the new phone will look like and my own expectations of the potential features, and their application in my life. I love looking at the tiny details of the camera or a feature that will possibly make very little difference, except spark a little extra joy that day. Yes, I'm even interested in the AI (Apple Intelligence)… but that’s a post for another day.

It’s one of the key times in the year when I tangibly feel part of a specific community (shout-out to UX Camp Brighton while we're on the subject) where there is a lot of buzz and hype and I’m totally here for it! Communities are brilliant and I believe everyone has one that they are a part of. Maybe it’s football, it’s action figures or boardgames, maybe it’s cars or Manga, or diagramming ( Lucid Software ❤️)… regardless of the topic it brings people together and I support that. If that makes us 'Fanboys' or 'Fangirls', then so be it.

What’s your community? What is it that you really love to nerd out to? Is there something that maybe doesn’t fundamentally change the world, but you love it anyway? It would be great to hear about yours in the comments... let's see if we can connect a few more humans together.

#fanboy #community #connection #SparkingJoy #apple #android

Leo Barnes

Lead Product Consultant | Helping people solve complex challenges.

3mo

As you can imagine, I watched the Apple Keynote last night. I mainly focussed on the iPhone portion of the event: *iPhone 16* - Great new phone and a significant upgrade if you're on anything before the 14. Not missing out on much that the Pro has (see next section) and even gets the camera button / function which I fully expected to be 'Pro only'. Lots of other incremental updates and AI features (although not all immediately available). Battery life increase too 🔥 *iPhone 16 Pro* - Again, you really need an older phone to 'justify' the upgrade but you can also choose to justify if it will bring you significant joy! The new camera are good.... although I suspect only a small % of people will use it to shoot video for their Vision Pro headset at this point. The camera capabilities are better than the base model in a few ways though (inc. low light Portrait photography).Oh and smaller bezels, because.... well it's better. There was a bunch of other tech announced (AirPods - regular and Max and accessories etc) but that's way too detailed for this update.

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Ian Cowley

Director of Data and AI

3mo

I know that Leo Barnes is not a fanboy, he's always willing to have the debate and rationally discuss the pros and cons. However, I suspected you need to explore both sides in order to say you understand which is the better product. However, I did try this recently and learned quite a hard lesson. I had become frustrated with my Android Pixel for some really minor issues and thought to myself, I'm going to try the iPhone. That was a painful process and I am finally back on my new Pixel having learned that hard lesson. I found some of the UX really poor compared to Android and was frustrated constantly. With your phone being such a large part of your life, you feel that pain constantly. So, hard to say, should you stick or twist?

Leo Barnes

Lead Product Consultant | Helping people solve complex challenges.

3mo

This article was inspired by a conversation with my friend and colleague Ian Cowley. Shout out to him for also being an 'Enthusiast of great technology'... and he proved it by recently trying (and properly evaluating) both 'sides' of the Apple / Android divide 💪🏼

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Sergei Golubev

UX Designer & Entrepreneur from Estonia 🇪🇪. Founder of The School of UX and TheUXConf in London 🇬🇧. 20+ years of experience at Microsoft, Heathrow, British Gas, fintech and own startups. BSc (Hons) | MBCS | CPD (UX).

3mo

Being enthusiastic is one thing, being a fanboy/fangirl is like a cult and makes a person completely blind in my opinion.

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Andrew Rugman

Technology Simplifier | Helping Sussex businesses turn tech headaches into advantages | IT Support & Business Systems Expert | Making tech work for you, not against you. + Co-Founder & Artist at Sublime Boundary

3mo

Techwise, I use PCs Android and Macs, yet I'm most fannish of Apple somehow. Do you listen to ATP? Accidental Tech Podcast. Critical fanboys, three.

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