On Monday, I wrote a piece focusing on what Apple is doing from a business perspective to out maneuver PCs. My intention was to stay out of the PC versus Mac debate. In fact, I wanted to take a neutral position. Instead, my statement that "neither one is truly better than the other" was taken as a personal affront to Mac lovers. To anyone I offended with that statement, please accept my apologies.

According to some that commented, there are mounds of research supporting the Mac OS X as far superior to Windows. Admittedly, I haven't read it. In my direct experience using a Macbook, however, I wasn't blown away. But again, that wasn't the point of the post.

I did learn a few things, though. First, that one statement made that post the most widely read post I have ever had, and it all happened in one day. The main driver was the fact that people are so passionate about Macs that they ran to see who was writing that "foolish"ness and "bullshit". We should all want our customers to be that passionate about our brands!

Second, when you make (what turns out to be) a controversial statement, readers miss the point you are trying to make (judging by the fact that no one actually commented on the intended point). And that leads me to a bit of a conundrum: is it better for more people to read my post, even if they miss the point, or is it better for fewer people to read it and get the point? Perhaps the answer is somewhere in between. Which is a classic branding problem. You want to attract as many people as possible to your brand, but you also want them to get it, interact with it, become fans.

It's finding that balance between volume and intense loyalty that makes a brand successful.

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