An Apple obsessed software engineer from Kansas has been named the world’s ultimate fan of the brand following a global contest by SellCell.
David Freeman, who has a personal collection of more than 100 vintage Apple products, triumphed over more than a thousand other entrants to clinch the title and bag first prize of a brand new Apple Watch.
We launched the contest to celebrate the worldwide community of Apple fans ahead of the launch of the iPhone 15 this month.
David, 29, faced a series of baffling questions aimed at testing his Apple knowledge and won the title after giving 100% correct answers in the fastest time.
His love of Apple is such that single dad David admits: ‘It’s hard finding a partner who is okay with coming in second to Apple!’
He showed his love and commitment to the brand at a very early age when he started writing letters to Steve Jobs while still a high school student.
Let’s Meet Apple’s SuperFan
His home in Leavenworth, Kansas, is a shrine to Apple, painted in the colours of an early logo. It features a museum of more than 100 vintage Apple products. The home uses the latest smart technology to control all lighting, heating and security through Siri.
David will soon receive his prize of the latest Apple Watch. He admitted it would be an honor to wear it and can’t wait to brag to anyone that will listen.
He said: “It is completely surreal. I never expected to win when I entered this contest. I know I’m a huge fan, but I assumed there were other people out there who were even bigger fans than me. Now that I see everything written down, though it does start to seem like maybe I’m just a little obsessed.
“I’m extremely proud and humbled to bring the title to Apple’s home country. A lifetime of being called an “Apple Sheep” has finally paid off.
“Apple is so much more than just a company to me. It is a community and an ecosystem that touches so many aspects of my life. Every time Tim Cook steps out on stage to unveil a new product feels like Christmas morning.
“Even my coworkers know that I take Apple Keynote days off as a “Religious Holiday”. I take all the time I need to fully appreciate everything that was announced and order any new products.”
Apple Themed House
“My house matches the six-color Apple logo which highlighted the graphics capabilities of the Apple II in 1977.
“I received lots of concerned comments from friends and family about how I would be hurting the resale value or how hideous it would turn out. My real estate agent even called me colorblind when I showed her the palette I was going to use! I wasn’t going to let any of that stop me from having a house that I was happy with, though.
“And now that it’s done I get nothing but compliments from everyone who sees it. My house’s Apple-ness extends way beyond its colors.
“I use the Apple Home app to control my entire home. HomeKitt controls every light, door, fan, lock, smoke detector, thermostat, blinds, security camera, and TV. I have HomePods so Siri is available to open a garage door or turn down the temperature for me.”
Steve Jobs
David explained how he wrote to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs as a teen. He said: “I was inspired by the story of when Steve Jobs was in high school and called Bill Hewlett asking for spare electronic components. Not only was he given the parts, but also an internship at Hewlett-Packard. I was hopeful that I could gain a similar opportunity.
“I mostly expressed how much I loved Apple. Their products were so beautifully designed that I had a framed picture of a MacBook Pro on my bedroom wall. I asked for advice on what to study in college that would put me on the best path to achieve my dream of working for Apple one day.
“Unfortunately, the replies from Steve’s PA were lost well over a decade ago. I do still have a few pieces of him, in a sense though. I purchased a piece of one of his black turtlenecks several years ago. I was also able to custom order a pair of his glasses frames (Lunor Rund). The lenses were cut by an optician who claimed to have cut Steve’s as well.
“Steve Jobs was an incredible visionary with a keen sense of what people wanted before they even knew it. That being said, he had personal shortcomings that resulted in him being unnecessarily cruel to his employees and family.
“The world would not be what it is today without the contributions of Steve Jobs and his various companies. But I greatly admire a different founder of Apple: Steve Wozniak.
“It was his engineering talents that pioneered personal computing. He has a significantly less blemished personal record of kindness and philanthropy. In fact, I will have the extremely exciting opportunity to meet Woz next month. My company is sponsoring the Ad Astra Tech Summit where he will be the keynote speaker.”
Why Did SellCell Launch a Contest to find the Ultimate Apple Superfan?
When it comes to technology brands few, if any at all, can claim to have as many fans as Apple. They are one of the most brand loyal companies in the world.
At SellCell, as the USA’s No1 phone trade-in site, we deal in Apple products every day. We count ourselves amongst the brand’s army of devoted fans. Indeed at SellCell we have helped millions of Apple Fans get the best price when they are looking to sell their iPhone.
So ahead of the much-anticipated launch of the new Apple iPhone 15 we decided to launch our very own quest to celebrate Apple’s most devoted superfans, with the Battle of The Apple Fans Contest.
How Did We Find Our Apple Aficionado?
We came up with a series of testing questions which fans had to answer against the clock. We outreached to media and following a round of publicity more than 1,000 Apple fans from every corner of the globe, had entered our contest.
In David Freeman, we found a worthy winner. His home is a shrine with a museum of vintage Apple tech with the latest smart technology controlling everything.
We’re so happy to name David as the winner of our contest but this isn’t just about one person. We want to celebrate every Apple fan around the world. Without them the brand wouldn’t exist and all our lives would be much less rich.
So if you are a fan of Apple we want to say this: thank you for your love of tech and we hope you enjoy the new iPhone!