Devotees Make Hajj to 'Macca'

[trancepriest]

By Leander Kahney | Also by this reporter

SAN FRANCISCO -- For some Apple fans, the annual pilgrimage to Macworld in San Francisco involves another mini-pilgrimage, to the company's headquarters 45 miles down the road in Cupertino.

During the week of Macworld, dozens of show goers make the trek south to visit the "mothership" and shop at The Company Store -- the only official retailer of Apple-logoed merchandise.

"Muslims go to Mecca, we go to Macca," said Shawn King, host of the Your Mac Life internet radio show. "It's that touchstone thing. People want to go down and touch the mothership."

For the last four years, King's colleague Sylvia Marton has organized bus trips to the Apple headquarters on the first day of Macworld. This year, about 45 people went along. More than a dozen were turned away for lack of seats.

As soon as they arrive at the campus at One Infinite Loop, everyone poses for pictures by the sign at the entrance. The grass around the sign is worn away from the hundreds of geeks who've dropped to their knees to genuflect in front of it.

Many hope to get a peek at CEO Steve Jobs or head designer Jonathan Ive. But actually meeting them, or getting inside the building, is impossible. Apple's obsession with secrecy means the campus is locked down. Visitors are only welcome at The Company Store.

"Some people buy insane amounts of stuff," said King. "Aaron Adams (a show correspondent) spent $400 on T-shirts. He said, 'I'll never have to buy shirts again. I've got all I need right here.'"

King said some will spend $600 or $700 on mousepads, hats and coffee mugs. A popular item is a new shirt that reads, "I visited the Mothership."

Instead of shopping, some of the pilgrims go to a bar across the parking lot, known by Apple employees as "Building 7." (Apple's campus has six numbered buildings).

Laurie Duncan, a New York computer consultant who runs MacSamurai Consulting, went to the store with friends earlier in the week. She called the visit her "Mac Hajj."

"It's like a temple," said Duncan. "Catholics go to the Vatican, we go there. It's an icon of our faith. It's the culture. It's the cult. It's part of who we are, and that's the church…. It's fun. There's a bit of a thrill. It's silly when you look at it."

Duncan said she went to get shirts for friends, and to be able to tell people she'd been there. "People say, 'Oh, you went there? What was it like? Did you touch anything?'"

Duncan said it would be nice if the company had a small museum or offered a tour.

"You go to the Vatican, you get a tour," she said. "You don't just go to the gift shop. Steve Jobs should offer to bless your PowerBook. He could sprinkle water on your keyboard, and then you’d have to buy a new one."

[pod]

I can only imagine what some of the real fanatics would want to do there.