Mac cultists go crazy over iPad 3 rumors

The Internet is abuzz with reports Apple will launch its new iPad 3 in March.

If the rumor mill is to be believed, it’ll have a fancy new display with much higher resolution than the iPad 2.

But like it i-predecessors, the actual device seems less important than the hype surrounding it. So what fuels the cultish devotion to all things Apple?

“There’s something very personal about iPad or an iPhone that interacts with you on so many different levels,” says Leander Kahney, Editor and Publisher of the Apple devoted news site Cult of Mac.

“You know, it allows (us) to communicate and play, create and work.”

Kahney says while the intense devotion stems from a passion for the products, the showmanship of Steve Jobs is a big reason every new product generates such excitement.

“Steve Jobs used to do such a masterful job of saying ‘I’ve got a secret, come back in a month or a week and I’ll tell you what it is,'” says Kahney.

“The very fact that he said he had something up his sleeve would invite speculation. And because the products are so groundbreaking everyone gets involved in that game now.”

Despite the cultish devotion and the Cult of Mac moniker, Kayney insists Apple devotees are far from mindless zombies.

“I think it’s the exact opposite. I think people make very careful choices. They watch Apple so carefully. That’s why there’s so much excitement about the next products coming out.”

And Kayney says the excitement shouldn’t slow anytime soon. He predicts Apple will continue to generate strong sales and passions over the next decade with a plethora of devices ranging from new iPods to Apple TV’s that bring touch functionality, voice command, and other advances to huge screens.