Apple Is Now Way Too Popular?

[gkarris]

Wow, I remember when the Apple Store first opened. Maybe you'll see a couple of people in there, checking out the new eMac. Then there's this new thing called an "iPod".

Now, I walk in there and there's always a ton of people in it. There's always a line for the checkout.

Then, I used to be the only one at the coffeeshop with a Mac. Now, I'm one of many.

But, now it seems that the products are starting to becomed plagued with issues, like the iPod Touch's screen.

What's next - customer service? Will Apple try its hardest to continue to make things right?

 

[RCGMac]

I agree... Part of me is glad that Apple is continuing to grow, but part of me is a bit sad b/c I feel like some of the community feeling of using a Mac is dying off. More and more MUG's (Macintosh/Apple User Groups) are dying off. Some of that is b/c they have just been replaced with places like MR, etc.

I miss going in to a coffeeshop or my lecture hall and being the only one with a Mac, while others are cursing at their PC's b/c they are messing up. At the same time, I am glad b/c it means more and more people are being exposed to the World of . I love being able to convert my friends to Mac users, and usually all it takes is using my Macbook for a little while before they want one, i.e. my girlfriend.

 

[aristobrat]

But, now it seems that the products are starting to becomed plagued with issues, like the iPod Touch's screen.

What's next - customer service? Will Apple try its hardest to continue to make things right?

Apple has been putting out "plagued products" since the days when it was just in you a coffeehouse, no?

http://www.appledefects.com

Perhaps now, as Apple's customer base has grown so much, you're seeing more complaints about Apple defects that you wouldn't have 2 years ago, but with just a little work in Google, it's pretty easy to see that Apple and defects go way back before most people would consider Apple becoming "popular".

 

[gkarris]

Apple has been putting out "plagued products" since the days when it was just in you a coffeehouse, no?

http://www.appledefects.com

Perhaps now, as Apple's customer base has grown so much, you're seeing more complaints about Apple defects that you wouldn't have 2 years ago, but with just a little work in Google, it's pretty easy to see that Apple and defects go way back before most people would consider Apple becoming "popular".

Of course there's always defects with new technology. I remember a sort of defect when the '040's (Quadras) came out and there was some wierd compatibility issue compared with the '030's (the II series). But, Apple fixed it in a software update.

But now, the defects are a much, much, bigger deal with more and more people jumping onto Apple's bandwagon, and get people more upset since they joined the bandwagon to avoid lack of quality, especially at Apple's premium prices...

 

[AHDuke99]

i do miss the days of 2002-2004 when i was an active member of spymac and the hay day of mac user groups. i remember the excitement surrounding the G5 powermac rumors and the panther demo. and the g5 powerbook speculation. those days were fun. sure they were frustrating as hell, but i'd love to open macrumors or spymac and read a "Thinksecret Reports Powerbook G5's next Tuesday" or "Truck seen unloading G5 Powermacs."

and "mysterious boxes delivered, eemployees told not to open until tuesday"

we dont get much of that anymore.

 

[aristobrat]

But now, the defects are a much, much, bigger deal with more and more people jumping onto Apple's bandwagon, and get people more upset since they joined the bandwagon to avoid lack of quality, especially at Apple's premium prices...

No disagreement there. The number of iPod touch complaint threads on MacRumors says it all.

I was just commenting on your thought that Apple products were now starting to become "plagued" because they're more popular than ever, when it seems to me that Apple's had a less-than-spectacular "getting it 100% right the first time" track record going back for years.

 

[gkarris]

No disagreement there. The number of iPod touch complaint threads on MacRumors says it all.

I was just commenting on your thought that Apple products were now starting to become "plagued" because they're more popular than ever, when it seems to me that Apple's had a less-than-spectacular "getting it 100% right the first time" track record going back for years.

Agreed, but their popularity is making their mistakes look a lot more prevalent.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

But, now it seems that the products are starting to becomed plagued with issues, like the iPod Touch's screen.

Trust me, Apple has had hardware issues in the past (flaming PB 5300s, CRT iMac high-voltage board issues, etc. etc.). I think Apple has always had above average build quality and reliability - though this does not mean that lemons don't appear from time to time.

Now that Apple is producing more Macs than ever before, the number of defective units is bound to increase even if the percentage of lemons produced stays the same.

I think Apple's current success can only be a good thing for us Mac users for the foreseeable future - better hardware, more apps, lower prices.

 

[coneman5259]

back in the day I used to dream of a world dominated by apple and not mr. gates, but then I started to feel a sense of pride when I too was the only one on the quad with an ibook. Now I just wish that the iPod never happened just for the fact that everybody is no longer "thinking different".

 

[gkarris]

back in the day I used to dream of a world dominated by apple and not mr. gates, but then I started to feel a sense of pride when I too was the only one on the quad with an ibook. Now I just wish that the iPod never happened just for the fact that everybody is no longer "thinking different".

Everyone is so now "thinking different" - everyone is now "thinking the same"...

 

[Unspeaked]

I think everyone's going to feel differently about Apple's different eras.

For people new to Apple, this is their personal "Golden Age" when they bought their first Mac and all these exciting iPhone and Intel rumors are running rampant.

I remember when I first started getting into Apple rumors, it was around the time of the PPC (still beige boxes) and people were already lamenting all the "new kids" with their PowerMac 6100 and 7100!!

In any case, I think everyone can agree things are a lot better than the late 90s when Apple was on a "death-watch" and the clone manufacturers were kicking their behind all over the computing industry...

 

[nickster9224]

Apple is most popular on the iPod part. but with macs they're making progress but there is still a lot more people with windows.

 

[Neurotrophin]

I am certainly a product of the iPod-induced new Mac community. Honestly, Im so glad that little white MP3 player came along a few years back...
If it hadn't then I'd likely be fighting with Vista now.
The grass really is greener on the other side.

I've pondered why I switched and I came up with three major reasons in order...
1) The iPod which precipitated my curiousity in apple and
2) Tiger OS X (this operating system is just a dream) followed by
3) iMac all-in-one form factor (tired of towers, both the space they eat up and the mess that accompanies them)

 

[Rodimus Prime]

I think apple is gettign popular with it current business practice.

As it grows that means the fan boy base it used to be able to use to get away with stuff is going to be come diluted. Apple is used to dealing with people who believe anything that comes out of it mouth is best answer and it can not possible be apple fault.

I am not sure about it right now but I know in the passed apple shipping was beyond awlful but they could get away with it. Now it going to start truely hurting them and people will not forgive so easily.

It the diluting of the fanboys that is going to hurt apple. Apple always been able to get away with more mistakes because the core user group was very forgiving. Now it not very forgiving any more. It time to say "welcome to the big leagues" to apple. In the big leagues you can not make your own rules.

 

[CalBoy]

I think apple is gettign popular with it current business practice.

As it grows that means the fan boy base it used to be able to use to get away with stuff is going to be come diluted. Apple is used to dealing with people who believe anything that comes out of it mouth is best answer and it can not possible be apple fault.

I am not sure about it right now but I know in the passed apple shipping was beyond awlful but they could get away with it. Now it going to start truely hurting them and people will not forgive so easily.

It the diluting of the fanboys that is going to hurt apple. Apple always been able to get away with more mistakes because the core user group was very forgiving. Now it not very forgiving any more. It time to say "welcome to the big leagues" to apple. In the big leagues you can not make your own rules.

I agree, esspecially that last paragraph. I hope Apple can correct this problem before it grows out of control. It would be such a shame if such a good company were to suffer such a fate.

 

[benfilan]

i totally agree with the OP, theres a sense of exclusivity with owning an apple product, and i think thats fading a little now. i remember going into halls for the first time with my snow CRT iMac and iBook, and people being like, 'wow!', while they faffed around with thier non-descript dells and acer laptops. since i've switched, i've never looked back.

i *hope* apple will get better and better, but right now i think they need to concentrate on quality and not quantity. they've been pushing so many new things and trying to expand to much, i'd hate for them to overstretch themselves and wind up being back to square 1.

 

[aristobrat]

Apple always been able to get away with more mistakes because the core user group was very forgiving.

Maybe the group will eventually give up on Apple because of their mistakes, but I wouldn't consider the "fan boys" to be forgiving. If anything, quite a few are anally critical about Apple and the quality of their products and they aren't afraid to voice it here, on their blogs, via Digg, or on Apple's support discussion areas.

How many threads were there last week with posts where people personally emailed Steve Jobs because of the iPod touch screen issue?

Forgiving users don't typically do that.

 

[thugpoet22]

Truthfully as long as the Mac OSX is locked on the apple computer, it will take years for mac users to compare to the number of OSX users. The ipod is a great invention and it did introduce many people to the world of Mac but it did not necessary force them to give up that world. Itunes can be installed and runs fine on a PC just as it does a mac computer. If a person buys a ipod that does not mean that their going to get an apple computer.

Now the laptops as a industry have have been surging and apple with its laptop line has benefited a great deal in this respect. But their desktop line is doing horrible. The macpro, as great as it is, doesn't sell as much as it should or as much as it could. The imac is a great computer non the less and it gets points and specific attention due to its grand design.

But truthfully i think the biggest selling point for apple is its software, its the best i've ever used or seen. Its pretty and functional. And i think apple is very well aware of this because if that was not the case they would legally allow people to install Mac OSX on PC machines. I could only imagine how many people would buy it at its consistent price point.

But the software is the heart of this company, i think people make it out to be the hardware i.e the ipod. But like i said people dont become switchers because they bought an ipod they switch because see beauty and functions in the way apple operates.

 

[Kamera RAWr]

Why do some feel the need to be exclusive? Why do we need to be the only ones in the coffee shop with a mac? I suppose we are all like that about some things... Be it macs, cars, cell phones, etc. I have personally always found this mentality strange, even though I suffer from the same disease

 

[hulugu]

I think everyone's going to feel differently about Apple's different eras.

For people new to Apple, this is their personal "Golden Age" when they bought their first Mac and all these exciting iPhone and Intel rumors are running rampant.

I remember when I first started getting into Apple rumors, it was around the time of the PPC (still beige boxes) and people were already lamenting all the "new kids" with their PowerMac 6100 and 7100!!

In any case, I think everyone can agree things are a lot better than the late 90s when Apple was on a "death-watch" and the clone manufacturers were kicking their behind all over the computing industry...

Exactly. I can remember the days when Apple appeared to be riding into the sunset and being a Mac user was being a part of a doomed minority, holding onto their ideals against a vast tide of Windows dominated systems. I remember arguing with a computer lab minder about whether or not my Powerbook would "break" the network by connecting to the printers and frankly I hope those days are gone.

Most of the people who hope for 'exclusivity' don't know what being a tiny minority really means, especially in the computer market where being small means fewer apps and peripherials. Even though the numbers may appear, at least according to a census of my local coffee shop, 50/50 I still know I have a certain affinity with the other Mac users, because we're still a minority out in the world and, this is the important part, we made a choice to use the Mac, rather than just accepting whatever was out there. It's this choice that's important and makes other people a little more interesting.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

Maybe the group will eventually give up on Apple because of their mistakes, but I wouldn't consider the "fan boys" to be forgiving. If anything, quite a few are anally critical about Apple and the quality of their products and they aren't afraid to voice it here, on their blogs, via Digg, or on Apple's support discussion areas.

How many threads were there last week with posts where people personally emailed Steve Jobs because of the iPod touch screen issue?

Forgiving users don't typically do that.

Yet those same fanboys will still tell people to buy apple products and still buy themselves. Non fan boys will tell people not to buy apple products because this has happen to them and they will not buy them.

Thing I was thinking of is apple poor shipping. Also look on these boards when ever someone has something go wrong on there computer or complains they get flamed like no tomorrow.

As I said before most of the fanboys are the ones who treat apple like a god and apple can do no wrong.

The one complaining I would not call fanboys but something else. Not quite sure yet but not fan boys.

 

[Eric Lewis]

well

all the apple stores in canada are always a zoo!

3 in Toronto
1 in Montrea

Whenever I go on a trip to toronto/montreal i always stop at an apple store and cheek email/facebook/macrumors and buy some random stuff that i really dont need...!

everyone does this....they see an apple store and go check their email...

its so common

 

[Rhosfelt]

I go to a fairly big campus (+14,000) and I have only seen one other apple laptop..And I do keep an eye out for apples. Because I yelled like across the street at the girl using the Macbook.

Given that everyone has an iPod, I own so far 2/3 of the apple population on campus

-BTW you have to remember as the apple community grows their store do not there are currently only about 3 in PA, and I think they just opened one last summer, so I can understand with the realize of iPhone and the new iPod out, for people maybe interested in Mac but not in the computer market quite yet stores will be a little crowded.

 

[Doylem]

Ah, yes, the good old days, when Apple Macs were beige and had a handle in the top. The winters were shorter, the summers were longer and beer was fourpence a pint. It was proper beer too... not this cold, fizzy rubbish they sell nowadays. It's as bad as that awful music. Except that it's not really music... it's just a noise. The young people of today...




Where was I?

 

[CalBoy]

Ah, yes, the good old days, when Apple Macs were beige and had a handle in the top. The winters were shorter, the summers were longer and beer was fourpence a pint. It was proper beer too... not this cold, fizzy rubbish they sell nowadays. It's as bad as that awful music. Except that it's not really music... it's just a noise. The young people of today...




Where was I?

I believe you were telling us about going to school up hill both ways, with snow year round.

Seriously though, at times, we have (as humans) a tendancy to remember "the good old days" even if they weren't so good.