* It seems to me that passions flare when people are forced to make an expensive, difficult to reverse choice based on insufficient evidence between similar but highly incompatible products. E.g. which car is going to be better? I don't know, there's really no way to find out (history is at best a guide), so I do "research" and make a choice and now I am stuck with it. I'd like to believe I made a good choice, so any evidence that I clearly made a bad choice is hurtful*
This doesn't explain why the vast majority of the population seems to be perfectly able to buy a car and not become fanboys, whereas a small, largely very young, overwhelmingly male, sector of the population feel compelled to defend far more minor purchasing decisions.
Example: I drive a Ford. For some folks, driving a Ford puts you on one side of some great battle, whether it be Ford vs GM or Domestic vs Imported. For me, it's just a goddamn car, and my next car will probably be something entirely different. I don't feel compelled to defend the decision I made in buying that car, nor to argue that it's "better" than any other car, because (a) there's a lot of cars out there, each with its own advantages and disadvantages and (b) life is too short.
You're overly focused on iPhone vs. Android without considering all the other kinds of fanboism out there that simply go under other labels, whether it's patriotism, religion, favorite TV show, or brand of camera.
Is it all teenage boys? Well, teenage boys are a lot more passionate and vocal about whatever it is they're interested in than other demographics, but you don't have to look hard to find middle-aged Nikon fanatics, or Protestant nut jobs.
I don't think I actually mentioned iPhone or Android in my comment -- did you mean to reply to someone else?
However, I think you're excessively conflating different types of fanaticism here. Fanaticism about personal electronics, or TV shows, or brands of car, or brands of camera, is silly because these things don't fucking matter. Religious fanaticism, on the other hand, is fanaticism about something that is important. I myself don't believe any religion is likely to be true, but if I did, then this would be a sensible thing to get all worked up about.
The stakes of choosing the wrong camera are that you might wind up taking slightly worse pictures under certain circumstances. The stakes of choosing the wrong religion are (according to the tenets of those religions) that you'll get rewarded or punished for all eternity.
Likewise, patriotism can often be silly but at least it's about something important. If my favourite TV show ceased to exist it would be a minor bummer, whereas if my favourite country ceased to exist then I'd have some serious problems.
This doesn't explain why the vast majority of the population seems to be perfectly able to buy a car and not become fanboys, whereas a small, largely very young, overwhelmingly male, sector of the population feel compelled to defend far more minor purchasing decisions.
Example: I drive a Ford. For some folks, driving a Ford puts you on one side of some great battle, whether it be Ford vs GM or Domestic vs Imported. For me, it's just a goddamn car, and my next car will probably be something entirely different. I don't feel compelled to defend the decision I made in buying that car, nor to argue that it's "better" than any other car, because (a) there's a lot of cars out there, each with its own advantages and disadvantages and (b) life is too short.