Anyone else getting really worried about Apple products?

[MarkB786]

1) Fumbled my Series 2 SS Watch from 6" high on the night stand and cracked the edge of the screen
2) iPhone 6S Plus battery went bad after 8 months
3) iPad Pro already laggy and requires many double-taps to get a response.
4) 2-yr old loaded iMac already at a crawl and loves to shut down randomly
5) 1-yr old MacBook Pro scrolling stutters and pauses all the time, making web site navigation painful
6) Siri still sucks
7) News of bad battery life and graphics issues with the new TouchBar MacBook Pro

I don't have a single Apple product at this point that works great. I used to look forward to the launch of new Apple products, now I don't think I want to spend that much for the stress. Thinking hard about an exit strategy from the ecosystem, and really want to start dumping Apple stock. Am I expecting too much, or have things really dropped off over the past two or three years?

 

[AustinIllini]

Some of these things are case by case, but a couple of these are causes for concern. Apple still offers the best overall offering across all devices, but some of their decisions are head scratchers.

 

[ardchoille50]

* 1) Fumbled my Series 2 SS Watch from 6" high on the night stand and cracked the edge of the screen

Whether you agree or not, this is not a failure on Apple's part.. even a diamond can shatter upon impact.

* 2) iPhone 6S Plus battery went bad after 8 months

It would seem that replacing the battery would solve this problem. Have you attempted a battery replacement?

* 3) iPad Pro already laggy and requires many double-taps to get a response

What have you done to attempt to resolve this issue? Have you tried to see if changing your habits might bring about a better experience? Changing our habits can often change the experience we have with a product.

* 4) 2-yr old loaded iMac already at a crawl and loves to shut down randomly

What have you done to attempt to resolve this issue? Have you tried to see if changing your habits might bring about a better experience? Changing our habits can often change the experience we have with a product.

* 5) 1-yr old MacBook Pro scrolling stutters and pauses all the time, making web site navigation painful

What have you done to attempt to resolve this issue? Have you tried to see if changing your habits might bring about a better experience? Changing our habits can often change the experience we have with a product.

* 6) Siri still sucks

We need more information. I love Siri and dictation, it seems that they get better with use. How often do you use Siri?

* 7) News of bad battery life and graphics issues with the new TouchBar MacBook Pro

Reports from other people don't always equate to a bad product, their use case will not always be your use case.

It's not possible for any company to create a product that works perfectly for every possible use case - there are too many variables. Many problems can be resolved if we're open to the possibility that we, not the product, are lacking and changing our habits may afford us a better experience. A change of perspective can work wonders.

I currently have an iPhone 5, iPhone 6s, Apple TV, iPad Pro 9.7 and a Mac mini (late 2012) and my only complaint is that Siri sometimes yields wrong words, but that is easily remedied during proof reading. I don't think it's possible to have a voice recognition system that is free of errors.

 

[MarkB786]

*
What have you done to attempt to resolve this issue? Have you tried to see if changing your habits might bring about a better experience? Changing our habits can often change the experience we have with a product.

Not sure exactly what this might even entail. Like, stop using Photoshop, stop taking so many pictures, stop using my iMac or iPad for word processing? I really don't think it's reasonable to change my lifestyle to better suit Apple's possibly subpar components. The drive to maintain margins might be resulting in subpar user experience.

 

[Goatllama]

I'm only slightly worried about the overall company and definitely a bit disturbed with the Macbook Pro's seeming proclivity for problems. I mean, the products still seem good (aside from the neglected computer lineup); it's perhaps Quality Assurance that needs a second look, ironically enough.

 

[MarkB786]

* 6) Siri still sucks

We need more information. I love Siri and dictation, it seems that they get better with use. How often do you use Siri?

I was a bit vague here. Erroneous dictation is one serious issue. Another issue is incorrect responses to simple inquires, whether it be directions or contacts look-up. As one example of many similar issues: Last week I asked Siri to show me nearby pizza shops, and it kept showing me pizza parlors in a city I had traveled to the previous week. Had to reset my phone before Siri would recognize my current location. Small things like this add up to a poor experience.

 

[ardchoille50]

I really don't think it's reasonable to change my lifestyle to better suit Apple's possibly subpar components.

I feel that your happiness with Apple products will continue to wane so long as this attitude prevails. We humans are not perfect, and the fact that you don't design the products you use will always mean that those products will never fully meet every need you will have. We must remain flexible enough to change when the need presents itself, otherwise we risk breaking in the slightest breeze.
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I was a bit vague here. Erroneous dictation is one serious issue. Another issue is incorrect responses to simple inquires, whether it be directions or contacts look-up. As one example of many similar issues: Last week I asked Siri to show me nearby pizza shops, and it kept showing me pizza parlors in a city I had traveled to the previous week. Had to reset my phone before Siri would recognize my current location. Small things like this add up to a poor experience.

Agreed, Siri is not 100% accurate. I don't think it's possible to create a voice recognition system that will be that accurate, there are simply too many variables in the human voice. All I can recommend is to do your best and keep in mind that Siri will never be perfect.

 

[BernyMac]

Nah, I tend not to worry about any material thing. I try to get what I believe is the most useful tool for the life choices I make. If Apple is not the tool I can use, I look for others.

 

[ardchoille50]

Nah, I tend not to worry about any material thing. I try to get what I believe is the most useful tool for the life choices I make. If Apple is not the tool I can use, I look for others.

That is a very good attitude!

 

[MarkB786]

I feel that your happiness with Apple products will continue to wane so long as this attitude prevails. We humans are not perfect, and, the fact that you don't design the products you use will always mean that those products will never fully meet every need you will have. We must remain flexible enough to change when the need presents itself, otherwise we risk breaking in the slightest breeze.

I think your view may be just a bit too holistic to be practical, and may result in someone (perhaps a company) taking advantage of you without accountability. I agree with the other poster, that I choose products that enhance my life rather than frustrate it. I don't fret over material items, but I do expect companies to perform. Sounds like you may have enough $ in your pocket to not be frustrated by subpar products. I'm afraid I am not in that position. When I spend the premium for Apple devices, I expect it to be a better experience than my Dell laptop at work, which to me provides a minimum baseline experience. My recent Apple product just feel closer to that Dell experience than they used to.

 

[997440]

I've only been using Apple products for a little over a year. My experience has been good. As was said earlier, that could be because of my use-case. Regardless, I'm not wedded to Apple's ecosystem.

I don't use Siri.

On your #7 -- that is troubling. Not sure how much time is normal before Apple usually begins to correct product introduction issues, and not sure how common and widespread introductory issues are in the first place. I know there have been, and will always be, issues (recognizing reality, not making excuses). Definitely something to keep an eye on as a part, among other metrics, of continually assessing the company.

On your #s 3,4 + 5 -- None of that sounds normal. Do some troubleshooting/searching on your own, and/or start a thread in the appropriate sub-forum at MR (or elsewhere) to get help. It takes time of course, but it is what it is and usually problems can be solved. Many people are willing to pitch in. I've had to do it for Windows, Linux, and to a lesser extent, for OS X and iOS.

 

[ardchoille50]

Not sure exactly what this might even entail. Like, stop using Photoshop, stop taking so many pictures, stop using my iMac or iPad for word processing? I really don't think it's reasonable to change my lifestyle to better suit Apple's possibly subpar components. The drive to maintain margins might be resulting in subpar user experience.

Why is "stop" your first option in solving a problem? This is binary thinking and does not allow for tolerances. I feel it may benefit you to determine if binary thinking has crept into other areas and could be a hinderance. Just a thought

 

[kazmac]

Not anymore, working on leaving Apple behind.

 

[r.harris1]

I think your view may be just a bit too holistic to be practical, and may result in someone (perhaps a company) taking advantage of you without accountability. I agree with the other poster, that I choose products that enhance my life rather than frustrate it. I don't fret over material items, but I do expect companies to perform. Sounds like you may have enough $ in your pocket to not be frustrated by subpar products. I'm afraid I am not in that position. When I spend the premium for Apple devices, I expect it to be a better experience than my Dell laptop at work, which to me provides a minimum baseline experience. My recent Apple product just feel closer to that Dell experience than they used to.

To cut back to the original question that was asked of you, what have you done to solve the issues you are seeing? I get that you expect certain things for the $ you spend, most of us do, but surely you've also tried to troubleshoot, correct? What did you do and what did you find? If you expect to spend $ and have no problems, I'm not sure how realistic that might be in a complex tech product with so many variables and moving parts. This is in no way trying to let Apple off the hook - they've had some really bad product years over the decades and maybe they're having a bad couple of years, I don't know. I'm not having your same experiences with my intersection of your products (iPhone 6s, 1 yr MBP), and this isn't to discount your experience, just to say that it's not universal and that maybe some troubleshooting would be a valid approach.

 

[Abazigal]

1) Fumbled my Series 2 SS Watch from 6" high on the night stand and cracked the edge of the screen

You dropped a product and it's Apple's fault?

2) iPhone 6S Plus battery went bad after 8 months

Get it replaced. My 6S+ suffered from a blown motherboard. Apple issued me a replacement unit for free.

3) iPad Pro already laggy and requires many double-taps to get a response.

Mine still works smoothly.

4) 2-yr old loaded iMac already at a crawl and loves to shut down randomly

Any idea why? My 2011 iMac is still as fast and stable as the day I bought it.

5) 1-yr old MacBook Pro scrolling stutters and pauses all the time, making web site navigation painful

Odd. My 2012 MBA still works great.

6) Siri still sucks

I find myself using Siri multiple times a day. It's quite handy.

7) News of bad battery life and graphics issues with the new TouchBar MacBook Pro

Did you get one?

I don't have a single Apple product at this point that works great. I used to look forward to the launch of new Apple products, now I don't think I want to spend that much for the stress. Thinking hard about an exit strategy from the ecosystem, and really want to start dumping Apple stock. Am I expecting too much, or have things really dropped off over the past two or three years?

I have purchased a variety of new Apple products this year, and have been enjoying them very much, but they are mostly on the ios side of things. If you feel that Apple products are no longer for you, switch by all means. What matters is that your devices work great for you.

 

[loby]

That is a very good attitude!

Totally agree too...

 

[maflynn]

1) Fumbled my Series 2 SS Watch from 6" high on the night stand and cracked the edge of the screen
2) iPhone 6S Plus battery went bad after 8 months
3) iPad Pro already laggy and requires many double-taps to get a response.
4) 2-yr old loaded iMac already at a crawl and loves to shut down randomly
5) 1-yr old MacBook Pro scrolling stutters and pauses all the time, making web site navigation painful
6) Siri still sucks
7) News of bad battery life and graphics issues with the new TouchBar MacBook Pro

People have been complaining about these sorts of things as long as I can remember. Siri being awful is not a new phenominom, lagging/stutters in the MPBs have been an issue since 2012. Battery life is always a hot topic, but it seems most of that can be fixed by software.

I think overall, people are jumping on the bandwagon of hating Apple or at least complaining about them. While some of that can be attributed directly to Apple, some of it just crowd mentality on hating them now.

Am I worried about apple products? No really, but then if the apple product doesn't fit my needs, I'll buy elsewhere.

 

[Pakaku]

I went for building a PC as my latest main computer, because I wasn't a fan of what Apple was turning into, and I have to admit it was probably for the best that it happened.

 

[Rogifan]

There are a lot of things I worry about in my life. Apple products are not one of them.

 

[Tech198]

I wouldn't be saying anything till I have done clean installs, resets of problem devices/computers.

The thing is, many of problems people face can all be solved with a restore in most cases. And if that still doesn't help, then its not an Apple issue, it's a hardware issue. (unless others are all having the same problem after a restore)

 

[ardchoille50]

Sounds like you may have enough $ in your pocket to not be frustrated by subpar products.

Actually, I make less than minimum wage in Washington state, USA. However, I am very happy in my line of work. I typically spend months in pre-purchase research to determine if a product meets my needs. I do all of that research because a) I don't have much money in my pockets, and b) this practice avoids buyers remorse. If a product is subpar, I either look elsewhere or change my practices.

The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything.

 

[Clix Pix]

"4) 2-yr old loaded iMac already at a crawl and loves to shut down randomly"

What exactly do you mean by "loaded"....? An iMac which was top-of-the-line at the time of purchase or an iMac which has a hard drive now filled to the brim with stuff? What size is the iMac, the 21.5" or the 27"? The hard drive available in the 21.5" iMac two years ago and actually even now is just the same old spinner that they've been using for years, the 5400 rpm.....which in today's computing world is sadly lacking when it comes to speedy response.

Aside from whether or not the machine is slogging along under a 5400 rpm spinner HD, if the machine feels sluggish and is loaded to the gills with files and folders, maybe it is time to do a bit of housekeeping and dump a lot of things on to an external drive to take some of the load off the main computer and its hard drive.

 

[Negan Lannister]

The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything.

Words of wisdom.

Tim Cook lacks taste. He is the kinda guy that Steve was describing about Microsoft and Bill Gates over 20 years ago. Steve had taste. He was into Buddhism, calligraphy, and the minimalistic approach influenced by the Japanese. Sony was a huge influence to Apple earlier on. He wanted Apple to be like a great artist.

The happiest people really are the ones who make the best out everything they have. Material things don't really matter. The best material things in life will never truly fulfill your soul. I don't want to be a slave to an inflated ego trying to show off to strangers. People pleasing, attention seeking for validation. We will all have the same status at the end - deceased. The stuff we accumulate in this life we cannot take to our graves and use them forever.

Now, Momma said there's only so much fortune a man really needs and the rest is just for showing off. - Forrest Gump

Steve didn't care how much he was worth. He didn't care if he was rich or poor. What drove him was to change things. He had a modest home and wasn't driving around in a Ferrari. He dressed like a simple guy. Tim doesn't have that same drive or artistic taste which led to a financial fumble during the last year or so. Tim's lack of taste and drive to be innovative is the cause for concern for future Apple products.

Steve had IT. Even living a modest lifestyle, he could help create IT products. He had the eye for great products. Tim doesn't. Jony had IT early on with design but probably stopped caring years ago because there nobody to light a match under his butt. SJ and his arch nemesis Forstall are both gone.

Apple no longer thrives for greatness. They are at their best when they deliberate and their backs are against the wall with someone to motivate them to work harder.

 

[ardchoille50]

I'll tell you what, all of you who are unhappy with where Apple seems to be headed, put your money where your mouth is.. create better products. If you succeed in creating better products that meet my needs, I'll dump Apple and begin buying your products. No empire lasts forever.

 

[itsLouieV]

worried about apple products? no.
QA and Logistics... A little bit.