I bought a G4. That was an excellent machine.. I bought every update. And then OSX happened, and I really appreciated that - (I couldn't get my head around extension conflicts). The MacBook went 'aluminium' had a few of those - as well as the cute white ibook (I didn't go for the early colored ibooks). When the G5 came out, I went through 4 of them, 2 at the same time.
Some time parallel with this, the iphone came out. I bought the first one, returned it. Bought the third, returned it. Bought the 4s and kept it for a year. Bought an iPad and the next and still have it.
All along the way - I've bought iPhones, iPads, MacMinis, Macbooks, Macbook Airs for my family as well as advising my close friends what would suit their needs.
I have never adopted a position of 'pro' or 'against' - because some of these products (most iPhones) I haven't appreciated much, and some of them, the G4 towers, I've really loved - but I know that it all, mostly, comes down to personal need and preference.
From a 'customer service' point of view - my early experiences with Apple were terrible - you had to go to the strangest shops (out of town - maybe for value or maybe because they weren't available?) to buy them, with the most terrible customer service, an image and impression of being a company that did not care about the customer, and felt like the customer was doing them a service to buy their product. (2016 - are we here again?)
Over the years, the customer service orientation of the company changed very significantly. Now in the UK, I can buy a product in an Apple Store and return it for a full refund within 14 days for no reason whatsoever. This policy, as far as I am aware, does not exist for any other company operating in the UK. That is very impressive and has led to many purchases - I have been able to go to an AppleStore, try out a product, enjoy it and be able to keep it - and at the same time, do the same for some products, and return them. I don't know of any company in the UK at the moment (apart from Amazon?) that offers a similar service.
I have also had experience of their recent customer service from the point of view of a warranty - a few years ago I bought an Air 11. The motherboard kept frying itself - as irritating as that was - it happend 3 times - each time, Apple replaced the motherboard. Eventually they replaced the whole computer. I was even able, at the end of all of that to upgrade it to a Macbook Pro (paying the slight difference) and that is why I've been using a MBP ever since. You could argue that the original machine should have been flawless - I have taken the view that their service was exceptional throughout.
That level of service is something that I have not experienced from any consumer company in any field. And is probably why I feel such an attachment to Apple. I feel like they will 'take care of me'. That they go 'above and beyond' - even if I don't like some of their gadgets - they are still an excellent company to spend my money with.
Did I ever feel they 'listened to me'? I don't think that question ever came up until recently, with the 'thinner, lighter' obsession. It always seemed a 'given' that every new generation would be an improvement in all areas, and that these incremental improvements would occur regularly.
Soooo.... - if Apple have such great products and great customer service ? What's the problem?
The problem is that I, and many people, are wanting to buy the next Pro Macbook - a machine that offers the equivalent of the Windows/Linux world - in terms of what matters to us and our livelihood - Ram/ battery hours/ GPU / expandability etc etc - and not - the things that seem to matter to 'you' at Apple HQ - where it seems that the only customers that matter to you are the 'general public' - who, as you have been trying to convince the world for the past few years, would do just as well to buy an iPad ( or a Chromebook!!)
I have read recently that the reason updates to the MACMINI, MAC PRO, MACBOOK PRO, MACBOOK lines have been delayed are because of delays to Intel's schedule. That may or may not be so - I didn't use to have to be a tech industry insider expert to figure out why I couldn't get an up to date Mac equivalent to the cheap pc or chromebook gadget I just ordered from Amazon for $250 .
It seems only recently that we, as consumers, have to figure out 'whose fault it is' - is it Intel's fault for not getting their act together, is it 'our fault', as consumers, for expecting consistent ongoing improvements to a product line over time? Maybe it was 'Moore's Law's' fault? But, I don't remember caring about whether my computer's processor was better or faster, if I bought a new one in a year or two, but I did care if the computer could 'do more' - whatever the combination of its internals.
I guess all of this is leading to where we are now - what Apple has become? What are they trying to do with their computers?
Does Apple want to provide the world's thinnest and lightest computer?
Does Apple want to make the most money possible from what it is offering its customer?
Does Apple want to sell as many computers as possible?
All of these things make sense, from a company's perspective, and may well be the best way for Apple to go. Soo - well done Apple, and all your execs, for making the best of your lot, at the expense of all your customers, and especially those customers who kept that ailing ship afloat, when you were probably not even aboard, and now you are at its peak, reap the benefits, and sail into the sunset, and congratulations for utterly ruining something that was once beautiful.
Oh and one last thing... please, Apple, stop trying to fob this off on your loyal and longstanding customers, as being 'good for us'. Pleaaaase. Mr Schiller, Ive, etc let's role play a bit... can you imagine somebody buying a Mac Pro, or a new Mac Book Pro - who do you think this person is ? ??? Ummm?? They may not be earning 1 million an hour or whatever, but, if they are buying a Mac, they are plenty intelligent, smart and wealthy and successful - so I think it might be a good idea to stop insulting them - and telling them that red is green and green is red. Stop treating your customers like morons - that would be a good start. Even - just stop antagonizing your customers - that might be a gentle start?
I know, Steve Jobs, did this for years. He consistently made unpopular, and disruptive, decisions, in the name of being, 'we know best'. And for years it worked. The difference was that the products that emerged were, for the most part, groundbreaking and excellent. That is not what is happening now.
It is amazing to me to even be writing this - about a company that is the richest in the world, that has so alienated its core market, the people who kept it afloat for years, and they did so because it provided what they needed and wanted. Obviously, the Mac Pro, the Mac Mini, even the MacBook Pro are not going to provide the stuff that the stock market gets excited about. But Apple didn't used to exist on this basis. It used to exist on the basis of providing excellent products, and later, also excellent customer service. All this has gone out of the window.
As a last point, I would like to a quote from Phil Schiller's recent interview. This is not the one about the headphone jack or the SD card. This is the one that I feel illustrates why I, and maybe other long time 'MacLovers' have become so disillusioned, sad, frustrated and downright angry.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...rview-phil-iphone-ios-criticism-a7393156.html
"I have never seen a great new Apple product that didn’t have its share of early criticism and debate — and that’s cool. We took a bold risk, and of course with every step forward there is also some change to deal with. Our customers are so passionate, which is amazing. "
After everything I've written, and lived through, these past 25 years of supporting Apple, to have one of their top guys come out and say this - I'm amazed their PR let it through - because frankly Apple, the degree to which you are so out of touch with your long time customers, many of whom have spent many many tens of thousands, truly feels like a kick in the ****. Surely, you , Mr Schiller, are an intelligent human being - do you not expect your customers, who have spent tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, to be the same? Please at least, do us the favor, to not treat us like morons.
Some time parallel with this, the iphone came out. I bought the first one, returned it. Bought the third, returned it. Bought the 4s and kept it for a year. Bought an iPad and the next and still have it.
All along the way - I've bought iPhones, iPads, MacMinis, Macbooks, Macbook Airs for my family as well as advising my close friends what would suit their needs.
I have never adopted a position of 'pro' or 'against' - because some of these products (most iPhones) I haven't appreciated much, and some of them, the G4 towers, I've really loved - but I know that it all, mostly, comes down to personal need and preference.
From a 'customer service' point of view - my early experiences with Apple were terrible - you had to go to the strangest shops (out of town - maybe for value or maybe because they weren't available?) to buy them, with the most terrible customer service, an image and impression of being a company that did not care about the customer, and felt like the customer was doing them a service to buy their product. (2016 - are we here again?)
Over the years, the customer service orientation of the company changed very significantly. Now in the UK, I can buy a product in an Apple Store and return it for a full refund within 14 days for no reason whatsoever. This policy, as far as I am aware, does not exist for any other company operating in the UK. That is very impressive and has led to many purchases - I have been able to go to an AppleStore, try out a product, enjoy it and be able to keep it - and at the same time, do the same for some products, and return them. I don't know of any company in the UK at the moment (apart from Amazon?) that offers a similar service.
I have also had experience of their recent customer service from the point of view of a warranty - a few years ago I bought an Air 11. The motherboard kept frying itself - as irritating as that was - it happend 3 times - each time, Apple replaced the motherboard. Eventually they replaced the whole computer. I was even able, at the end of all of that to upgrade it to a Macbook Pro (paying the slight difference) and that is why I've been using a MBP ever since. You could argue that the original machine should have been flawless - I have taken the view that their service was exceptional throughout.
That level of service is something that I have not experienced from any consumer company in any field. And is probably why I feel such an attachment to Apple. I feel like they will 'take care of me'. That they go 'above and beyond' - even if I don't like some of their gadgets - they are still an excellent company to spend my money with.
Did I ever feel they 'listened to me'? I don't think that question ever came up until recently, with the 'thinner, lighter' obsession. It always seemed a 'given' that every new generation would be an improvement in all areas, and that these incremental improvements would occur regularly.
Soooo.... - if Apple have such great products and great customer service ? What's the problem?
The problem is that I, and many people, are wanting to buy the next Pro Macbook - a machine that offers the equivalent of the Windows/Linux world - in terms of what matters to us and our livelihood - Ram/ battery hours/ GPU / expandability etc etc - and not - the things that seem to matter to 'you' at Apple HQ - where it seems that the only customers that matter to you are the 'general public' - who, as you have been trying to convince the world for the past few years, would do just as well to buy an iPad ( or a Chromebook!!)
I have read recently that the reason updates to the MACMINI, MAC PRO, MACBOOK PRO, MACBOOK lines have been delayed are because of delays to Intel's schedule. That may or may not be so - I didn't use to have to be a tech industry insider expert to figure out why I couldn't get an up to date Mac equivalent to the cheap pc or chromebook gadget I just ordered from Amazon for $250 .
It seems only recently that we, as consumers, have to figure out 'whose fault it is' - is it Intel's fault for not getting their act together, is it 'our fault', as consumers, for expecting consistent ongoing improvements to a product line over time? Maybe it was 'Moore's Law's' fault? But, I don't remember caring about whether my computer's processor was better or faster, if I bought a new one in a year or two, but I did care if the computer could 'do more' - whatever the combination of its internals.
I guess all of this is leading to where we are now - what Apple has become? What are they trying to do with their computers?
Does Apple want to provide the world's thinnest and lightest computer?
Does Apple want to make the most money possible from what it is offering its customer?
Does Apple want to sell as many computers as possible?
All of these things make sense, from a company's perspective, and may well be the best way for Apple to go. Soo - well done Apple, and all your execs, for making the best of your lot, at the expense of all your customers, and especially those customers who kept that ailing ship afloat, when you were probably not even aboard, and now you are at its peak, reap the benefits, and sail into the sunset, and congratulations for utterly ruining something that was once beautiful.
Oh and one last thing... please, Apple, stop trying to fob this off on your loyal and longstanding customers, as being 'good for us'. Pleaaaase. Mr Schiller, Ive, etc let's role play a bit... can you imagine somebody buying a Mac Pro, or a new Mac Book Pro - who do you think this person is ? ??? Ummm?? They may not be earning 1 million an hour or whatever, but, if they are buying a Mac, they are plenty intelligent, smart and wealthy and successful - so I think it might be a good idea to stop insulting them - and telling them that red is green and green is red. Stop treating your customers like morons - that would be a good start. Even - just stop antagonizing your customers - that might be a gentle start?
I know, Steve Jobs, did this for years. He consistently made unpopular, and disruptive, decisions, in the name of being, 'we know best'. And for years it worked. The difference was that the products that emerged were, for the most part, groundbreaking and excellent. That is not what is happening now.
It is amazing to me to even be writing this - about a company that is the richest in the world, that has so alienated its core market, the people who kept it afloat for years, and they did so because it provided what they needed and wanted. Obviously, the Mac Pro, the Mac Mini, even the MacBook Pro are not going to provide the stuff that the stock market gets excited about. But Apple didn't used to exist on this basis. It used to exist on the basis of providing excellent products, and later, also excellent customer service. All this has gone out of the window.
As a last point, I would like to a quote from Phil Schiller's recent interview. This is not the one about the headphone jack or the SD card. This is the one that I feel illustrates why I, and maybe other long time 'MacLovers' have become so disillusioned, sad, frustrated and downright angry.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...rview-phil-iphone-ios-criticism-a7393156.html
"I have never seen a great new Apple product that didn’t have its share of early criticism and debate — and that’s cool. We took a bold risk, and of course with every step forward there is also some change to deal with. Our customers are so passionate, which is amazing. "
After everything I've written, and lived through, these past 25 years of supporting Apple, to have one of their top guys come out and say this - I'm amazed their PR let it through - because frankly Apple, the degree to which you are so out of touch with your long time customers, many of whom have spent many many tens of thousands, truly feels like a kick in the ****. Surely, you , Mr Schiller, are an intelligent human being - do you not expect your customers, who have spent tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, to be the same? Please at least, do us the favor, to not treat us like morons.
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I put this post in this forum because it is mostly addressed to people like me who have loved Macs for a long long time - and I define that as around 20-25 years - not to exclude others - but to provide a 'shield' to the very many people on this forum who seem to be 'shilling' for Apple and defending and fighting for every decision they make
