Apple banning Facebook in all retail stores

[Rojo]

Awesome! Now just ban MySpace and Facebook from all my friends' computers please

Facebook serves one purpose: to remember high school--which I worked long and hard to forget.

MySpace serves... no purpose at all that I can see. I already have better email and IM services.

I've tried both, and I just don't get what my friends see in them.

Well I don't see what people see in MySpace either, as it just seems like an assault to the senses (and not in a good way) to me...

BUT -- Facebook is entirely different. It's almost Apple-like in it's implementation (not quite, of course, but closer to Apple than any other social networking site). And it really doesn't have to be about remembering high school friends you want to forget, or getting requests to add stupid apps to your page, or participating in lame list memes, or requiring a complete lack of privacy, or any of the other things people complain about Facebook. It CAN be those things, if you allow it. However many people fail to understand that it can also be tweaked and customized to your heart's content to be exactly the experience you want it to be. YOU have the choice to block or limit people, apps, your news feeds, whatever. I personally have it set up to block almost all applications, and limited my news feeds to see only news from people I actually WANT to know about. Because of this, I'm a lot more connected to the friends I really care about, know a lot more about them, and have gotten better relations with them because of it. I've also met new people, and participated in activities that I wouldn't have known about otherwise. I'm made aware of important events and people's birthday's (VERY helpful), and get to learn so many new things every day. If I ever get a little tired of Facebook, I just don't log in that day. Now worries. It's always there whent I want to return to it.

Facebook and sites like it only work for you if you're a very social person, OR if you are at least interested in what other people are doing. If you're not that social, and don't care about what other people are doing, Facebook definitely isn't for you. Also, your general experience has a lot to do with the kind of people you're actually friends with that also use it. I'm lucky and have a lot of great friends on FB who are always doing fascinating things and have fun and witty stuff to say, or have interesting activities to bring to my attention that I normally wouldn't know about. I can see how someone's Facebook experience would be much different if their friends just weren't that interesting...

No one has to like Facebook or want to join it, but it baffles me why some don't "get" why other people might enjoy it or find it useful. Just because it's not for you, doesn't mean others aren't getting a lot of usefulness out of it.

 

[batchtaster]

I thought Apple stores were supposed to be a place with free wifi and stuff so people can go there and hang out?

You thought wrong. It's a store, not a community service.

And, oh please. People pretending that Facebook "testing" is an important factor in determining whether to buy a computer. Any browser, any platform, and you already know how the damn thing works. No person on Facebook in Apple Store is buying - they're updating their sad little lives more often than anyone cares.

Besides, if you were really a "true", hardcore Facebook user, you would have already bought an iPhone and you wouldn't even need to duck into a Store and sponge off Apple while screwing an actual customer out of some face-time with a new model Mac.

P.S. I'm not on Facebook or MySpace (where every page is ugly and completely unreadable). I refuse to be. I get incredibly bored when people go on about it. And it's even stupider when they use it for something for which there is a much better site. eg: I know people who use Facebook just to show photos - when PicasaWeb, Flickr, and plenty of other sites actually specialize in photo hosting.

 

[bretm]

you go into any apple store and 80-90% of the people in there are not ever going to buy anything, maybe an iPod yet you can't near any of the hardware you might be interested in buying for people messing around. I hate apple stores because of this. I go in wanting to BUY something and end up leaving with nothing but stress and annoyance and end up buying it online or at a 3rd party retailer.

This will hopefully get rid of the wasters who generally populate apple stores!

But you bought one. The stores are a great big Apple billboard. Apple doesn't care WHERE you buy your mac. If you're like me, the stores are simply a place to touch an item before ordering online somewhere. You'd have to be nuts to purchase stuff there.

It mustve really been an issue and a problem to can the facebook and myspace. Because Apple does want people loitering. Especially kids. They may not have the funds now, but when they do they'll want an Apple. Why do you think getting Apple laptops in schools is such a big deal?

 

[rva1]

http://tinycomb.com/2009/02/05/apple-store-bans-facebook-for-life/

Thoughts?

Personally, I'm glad they've made this decision. Less people just wasting time in there, more time for people to experience the computers.

Good move. This will allow more people to get there hands on a Mac at those retail locations.

All of the negativity in the posts here are really non-issues. Some people only need to SEE a Mac and they are sold, others need to TOUCH one, or EXPERIENCE the awesome software that comes out of the box. Being able to access Facebook, MySpace, your favorite porn site, etc... will NOT be the deciding factor in buying a Mac.

 

[Veri]

Find me a better search engine, and I'll use it.

There is no "best" for everything, but I did mention meta-search services such as Dogpile. That's not to say there aren't some independent search engines that often give better results than Google. Compare a Google cat with a Gigablast cat (and remember when Google was all about simplicity?).

Podcasting doesn't involve streaming - you download a file to your computer and then on to a portable media player.

As far as my experience goes, even the best podcast series include a lot of rag-chewing, suffering the same problem as blogs: a sense that the authors are more interested in their own voice than in imparting information.

So, I could do as you suggest, or I could just stream episodes I find interesting to my PC/portable. Similarly, I don't have to read every edition of some magazine from cover to cover, but would be better off downloading individual articles as I want them.

I can treat a podcast as I treat traditionally labelled streaming media, just as I can treat collections of streaming media as a podcast - though podcasts do helpfully more often come with metadata to group related streams.

 

[MatLane]

i agree. Stops idoits just going in there to check there Facebook and MSN mail

 

[phalewhale]

Facebook Schmacebook

I 'get' why facebook can be useful. It's a lot more visual, personal and fun than e-mail and SMS, and a lot cheaper than video calls. But, the majority of students and colleagues I see using it, update it with piffling nonsense! What is the point in telling everyone that you've just had a big meal and feel full!??? I mean, jee-whiz have you not got anything more useful or entertaining to do with your life?!! One fella I work with actually has a half naked picture of himself posing to a camera with his bare chest exposed. In the timeless words of good old Alan Partridge, that's just "sa-ah-aaad!"

Not to mention the fact that people are so nonchalant when it comes to posting personal information like full names, dates of birth and contact details. AND the names of their little one's which in a lot of cases is actually their password! These people then have the intelligence level of a small crab to go and post that information for all to see on the Internet.

No, you can keep your social networking sites for me, shove 'em where the big ball of brilliant bright light in the sky does nay shine.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that Apple can ban facebook ALL day as far as I'm concerned!

 

[batchtaster]

No one has to like Facebook or want to join it, but it baffles me why some don't "get" why other people might enjoy it or find it useful. Just because it's not for you, doesn't mean others aren't getting a lot of usefulness out of it.

What exactly is Facebook's practical "usefulness"? It's a vanity system, plain and simple. It's the Internet equivalent of those sidewalk street numbers.

There are 2 problems with Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and a whole raft of other "Web 2.0" services:
1. People are deluded about how interesting/fascinating they are. Videos, blog posts, status updates, all sorts of other junk that they imagine the world wants to know about them. I can't tell you how many hours I know are being completely wasted at my work by people spending all day on Facebook. Now multiply that by the number of people on the damn thing.
2. The hunger for "fame". All trying to be the next "big thing" on the Internet, even though everyone who has ever been a "big thing" is universally hated. As a result you end up with people spamming their videos, blogs and other garbage into other areas. Take a look around on any average YouTube video at the people begging others to watch and subscribe.

And in any case, yay to the banning of Facebook in Apple Stores. Reduce the sponging and the "tourists".

 

[gkarris]

1. People are deluded about how interesting/fascinating they are. Videos, blog posts, status updates, all sorts of other junk that they imagine the world wants to know about them. I can't tell you how many hours I know are being completely wasted at my work by people spending all day on Facebook. Now multiply that by the number of people on the damn thing.

^^^ Tell me about it. People (all ages) ask me "Are you on Facebook/Myspace". I say "no... too much computer stuff to keep track of already". They're like, "oh, too bad..." (kinda like, you're a "looser" for not being on ).

Eh, I don't really care.
They've had MySpace blocked for awhile.
Ironically, I go onto MacRumors whenever I'm in the Apple Store.

LOL.... same here..

Great move by Apple. Last I was there for an hour I was trying out the new iLife '09 with some sample videos from the web of a camcorder I was thinking of buying. Wanted to make sure the camcorder vids work with iLife '09 and try out the Image Stabilization (the camcorder didn't have it).

The new White MacBook was the only one in the store loaded with iLife '09, so would not have been happy if I had to wait for a person fooling around in Facebook or MySpace - go use the MacPro...

 

[Rojo]

And it's even stupider when they use it for something for which there is a much better site. eg: I know people who use Facebook just to show photos - when PicasaWeb, Flickr, and plenty of other sites actually specialize in photo hosting.

Just because Flickr and Picassa are technically better services for photo hosting, it doesn't mean it's necessarily the best way to share photos with friends. If all your friends are already on Facebook, all you have to do is simply upload your photos, and it's up to your friends to view them or not (they'll get a news anouncement about it on their feeds, if they've set up their profile to receive news fom you that is).
However, not as many people are on Flickr -- so in order to share your photos to all your friends you have to send e-mails to them all with links to your Flickr page, which can get really annoying (if done too often) and obtrusive. I have close to 300 friends on Facebook, but maybe only 5 on Flickr. Hmmm....I wonder what's the best way to share my photos?

Look -- I know it's fun and popular to Facebook-bash, but it's become apparent that the haters either don't really know it well, and don't understand why it's beneficial to use -- OR -- they seem to have lots of uninteresting and/or vain friends who like to post boring details about their lives (in which case I can understand why it seems lame to you). Again, your experience varies greatly depending on (A) how you customize it, which is completely in your control, and (B) how interesting your friends are (not as much your control -- then again...just find more interesting friends).

 

[true777]

Finally, Apple. It's about time. Now if only they also banned gmail and Yahoo! mail then maybe those losers would go away who use the Apple Store as their personal office for hours, running businesses out of the Apple Store and dicking around mailing their friends for hours completely ignorant to actual customers lined up behind them who genuinely would like to try out a product. Each and every time I go to an Apple Store I end up waiting for about 10 min behind some loser who is doing his email, until I decide it is hopeless and leave without ever being able to test the product. I basically don't go to Apple Stores anymore for this reason -- it is hopeless.

I would be most happy if they shut down internet access to anything but apple.com altogether -- good riddance. NONE of those loitering losers buy Macs. If they did they would be checking their email from their own Mac and not clogging the Apple Store for weeks and months -- it's always the SAME people. Seriously, get lost, folks.

 

[Royale w/cheese]

Um, have you actually heard the really stupid reasons why people won't buy Macs? Many of them are for even dumber reasons than that.

You can argue that those kind of people might not buy a Mac anyway, finding any excuse. But then again, with some people, it really only takes that ONE THING to turn them off. So why give them more ammunition? Is it petty to be turned off by one little thing like that? Sure. But the point is, some people ARE that petty. And at the end of the day, the end result can still be a lost sale. And while it's true that person might be an idiot to give up on a Mac due to something as lame as having their Facebook banned, Apple is being JUST as silly for not thinking of a BETTER solution to handle the computer-hogging problem.

Why BAN a harmless website, when there are so many other simple alternatives you can do that will ALSO limit people's time, but not turn anyone off to your product? It just doesn't make sense to me...

Exactly. My girls Aunt always gives her crap when she sends something that doesn't work right because she didn't do something right, and then blames it on the mac that it doesn't work. She is always using facebook and myspace and this translates into her badmouthing macs because of problems my girl has with her aunt's inane files. And of course she is always having trouble with her dell. If she did ever think about getting a mac and she went into a Apple Store, she would most def be turned off when she would not be able to log into those sites.

But I will be the first to tell you she is a moron.

 

[hero4higher]

When the Apple Store first opened Steve encouraged people to come down and burn CDs and make home movies. They also had kid sections that were set up so that kids could play games. Free WiFi for all was also a promise, and actually in New York's 5th Ave store a deal with the city requires Apple to provide free wifi, because the store was built underneath a public space. I don't regularly go to the Apple Store because I don't live close to one, so maybe this has changed. However it's worth remembering that no one thought the Apple Store would work, because Gateway was losing their shirts in the retail business, there was no iPod halo, and the Mac was losing marketshare. In a way, Apple was begging people to come look at its computers. Of course, as the Mac is increasingly mainstreamed it makes sense that the classic "macaddict" will be replaced by... well, by the people on this forum, but I think Apple will do well to remember what makes them special in the first place.

I still remember when I bought my Power Mac 6500 at CompUSA. Not only were there no demos, but I had to ACTUALLY CONVINCE THE SALES PERSON TO SELL ME A MAC. It took more than five minutes of me saying over and over "I know what I want: Power Mac 6500/250" and then him trying to sell me a wintel box. I can't imagine the people posting to this thread that they won't upgrade their iMac because teenagers wouldn't let them launch calculator.app on a black/aluminum model were buying Macs back then.

 

[gkarris]

When the Apple Store first opened Steve encouraged people to come down and burn CDs and make home movies. They also had kid sections that were set up so that kids could play games. Free WiFi for all was also a promise, and actually in New York's 5th Ave store a deal with the city requires Apple to provide free wifi, because the store was built underneath a public space. I don't regularly go to the Apple Store because I don't live close to one, so maybe this has changed. However it's worth remembering that no one thought the Apple Store would work, because Gateway was losing their shirts in the retail business, there was no iPod halo, and the Mac was losing marketshare. In a way, Apple was begging people to come look at its computers. Of course, as the Mac is increasingly mainstreamed it makes sense that the classic "macaddict" will be replaced by... well, by the people on this forum, but I think Apple will do well to remember what makes them special in the first place.

It's nice when life mimics perfection...

But the computers are there for people to "try things out", not "use instead of" their own...

 

[rdowns]

Apple has NOT banned Facebook

AT least according to a blog at Fortune.

How do these rumors get started? Or, more to the point, how do they get perpetuated?

Late Thursday, a site called tinycomb (”Hand-Picked Tech News”) reported that Facebook had been banned “for life” from every Apple (AAPL) store in the United States — some 207 retail outlets in all, by my count.

This must have been one of those facts that was too good to check, because I’m pretty sure none of the half-dozen newspapers and blogs that repeated and embellished the story bothered to do any legwork to confirm it.

It certainly seems that most of the readers who applauded the reported ban — a couple dozen at tinycomb, nearly 40 at Digg, more than 120 at MacRumors — took it as fact.

“Why has this been kept under the radar?” asked SherwinNero at tinycomb.

“Has it really been kept under the radar,” answered Max, “or was it considered ‘not significant enough’ to put it on the front pages everywhere?”

Or is, just possibly, not true?

I know from experience that some Apple stores put limits on where on the Web you can take their demo machines — sometimes restricting Safari to Apple’s promotional pages.

And it’s certainly possible that individual stores have blocked Facebook — as MySpace has been blocked since May 2007 — because some of its members were hogging the machines.

Indeed, Ars Technica quotes an unnamed Apple employee who says his store has been blocking Facebook for about a month.

“It’s just trying to find a balance between letting people try out the computers, but not tying them up so others can try them as well,” he told Ars. (link)

But a person at Apple headquarters in a position to know assures me that there is no nationwide ban on Facebook in effect — permanent or otherwise.

I’m headed to the nearest Apple store to check it out. If you’re in one now, let us know in the comment stream where you are and whether the demo machine you’re using will let you get to your Facebook page.

 

[Rojo]

AT least according to a blog at Fortune.

So sounds like selective banning, depending on how bad traffic is?
Well that's a little bit better. But still...I think any kind of banning is unnecessary if there are other alternatives...

 

[cav23j]

you can just go on a iphone or itouch there and go on facebook through the web browser on it or jump on a proxy that would work on a mac and go on any site

 

[sniper308]

Yeah it's a silly move...

 

[chr1s60]

Even though I am one who will go in an Apple store to play around on the new models, I think this is a good idea to keep people from sitting on a computer for 30 minutes or more when they have not intention of buying the computer.

 

[TheSpaz]

Isn't MySpace and FaceBook only for girls?

I wish my girlfriend would stop using them...

...she wishes I'd stop going to MacRumors

 

[slicecom]

I didn't realise it was universally cool to hate on facebook already . I just got on board . What's the new comparable site that still has indie cred ?

Once over 50% of your friends have something, its instantly cooler to hate it than to like it. It proves you're unique and cool because you're in the minority.

As for Apple's decision, I agree with it. While I'd like to be able to go into an Apple store and test a fully capable computer, going to any site within reason, hopefully this will get rid of some of the people who think the Apple store is an internet cafe.

 

[nagromme]

No one has to like Facebook or want to join it, but it baffles me why some don't "get" why other people might enjoy it or find it useful. Just because it's not for you, doesn't mean others aren't getting a lot of usefulness out of it.

I never said other people aren't getting something out of it--in fact, as I mentioned, my friends clearly are. I, personally, am not

And I agree that it's a well-designed site, unlike the MySpace extravaganza.

 

[Unspeaked]

Friendster 4eva.

 

[Rojo]

Once over 50% of your friends have something, its instantly cooler to hate it than to like it. It proves you're unique and cool because you're in the minority.

Yep - I never understand this mentality. And it seems to apply to everything. I often see people who are obsessed with a certain band, and then all of a sudden one day they decide they don't like them. When I ask why, they say "they became too popular." It's never "I don't like their music" or "their stuff doesn't do it for me anymore" -- but they're turned off simply due to the fact that others happen to enjoy the music too, and they don't feel "special" like it's just for THEM anymore. I really can't stand people like this, who can't seem to judge something on its own merits, but rather how popular (or not) it is.

There's a lot of people who once enjoyed Facebook when it was limited, but suddenly don't like it because there's too many people on it now, and they don't feel "special" anymore. WTF?!?
It's really quite sad....
[/rant]

 

[Unspeaked]

There's a lot of people who once enjoyed Facebook when it was limited, but suddenly don't like it because there's too many people on it now, and they don't feel "special" anymore. WTF?!?
It's really quite sad....
[/rant]

If it helps any, I've disliked Facebook since the very first time I heard of it when it was still a student-only thing.

And I'll even go one further and admit I like MySpace a little.

(If only I had voted for John McCain, I could complete the trinity and be The Human Paradox.)

Edit: I also like Beverly Hills 90210. And Barry Manilow.