Where did I say that Apple Enthusiast equates to tech bros? In fact, I specifically differentiated Apple people from those in the computer hardware community.

I agree that the majority of Apple enthusiasts may not know “how their products work,” but if one is a self-described “Apple Enthusiast,” I’d be surprised if they didn’t even know about Apple Silicon. It’s only their biggest ACTUAL innovation of the past few years (imo).

Look. I see you have an axe to grind, but I’m not sure where my standard of “expecting Apple Enthusiasts to know about the existence of Apple Silicon” contributes to the slow adoption of federated social media. I mean, if you want an award for being an early adopter, then I’ll mail you a ribbon. I’m just glad you’re here making it a much more pleasant experience!

Bro, these comments! lol

“I have no idea what I’m talking about, but since people are calling me out for talking out my ass, I’m instead gonna turn it on them for being ‘defensive,’ then recycle my same stupid ‘ear tampon’ insult.”

Then let me reframe this. Not all gatekeeping is bad. If I went to a MTG tournament, and started criticizing the company regarding something I’m totally wrong about, I think it’s totally justified for people there to gate-keep, as I’m in their community with no prior knowledge.

Just because you’re wholly unaware of innovations doesn’t mean no innovations have occurred. Jumping in and stating so in an Apple Enthusiast community will more than likely invite warranted criticism. Gatekeeping? Sure. We’ll agree on that. Justified? Yah. Read the room.

If you’re gonna participate in a discussion within a specific community, I wouldn’t call it gate-keeping for others to expect of you at least a base level of topic-specific knowledge.

Apple silicon, within the tech community, and Apple specifically, was a major thing. It’s the reason Intel needed to up their game as it’s why Apple severed the relationship. It drastically increased both battery life and performance, while reducing heat. Even people who hated Apple took a moment to give credit for the industry advancement.

I expect Apple people to understand all that, as well as others in the computer hardware community. I think it’s fair to expect commenters in an “Apple Enthusiast” community to know what Apple Silicon is before they start bashing the company for total failure to innovate.