Amazon, Google, and Microsoft won't reveal their tablet sales numbers, but...

[Xithras]

66. Apple users have long had a different perspective toward their gear than other tech users.

I bought my son an S3 for Christmas, and my wife surprised me with a Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga. I doubt that tweeting about them ever crossed either of our minds.

To me, in the end, a computing device is just a screwdriver. It's a tool to get a job done. Some screwdrivers are unquestionably nicer than others, but I'd never be "proud" of a screwdriver or rush to the defense of my favorite screwdriver brand if someone suggests that another may be a little better. It's just a tool (and, in 5 years, it will be less useful to me than the REAL screwdriver in my toolbox).

In my personal experience, this pretty well sums up the views of most computer and smartphone users. It's also why most computer users just roll their eyes and ignore the geeks who dorkpout and nerdrage over operating systems and hardware minutiae.

Apple owners, on the other hand, tend to take a completely different perspective toward their computing devices. They tend to see their computers and phones as an expression of their lifestyle choices, and as status symbols to their technophile friends. To the majority of Apple fans, their devices aren't simply tools, but are an extension of their own personalities. When you insult the device, you insult them. The whole mindset has always seemed a bit odd to me, but life is short and I'm not going to begrudge someone their happiness simply because it comes from a bit of code and silicon.