Does Apple still care about its customers?

[TheColtr]

Maybe I’m just getting cynical, but it sure feels like Apple, following most other companies, is losing its focus on the user experience. I know it’s all to grow that ARPU, but I am losing the joy I once had while using my Apple products. They just don’t feel like the same thought and care has been put into them.

I think the more frustrating thing is where do I go? It’s not like Google, Samsung, or Microsoft is any better in terms of putting its customers first. I just hate that slowing Apple is getting more hostile toward its customers for the benefit of trying to squeeze more ads and promotions into its products. They use to think different, I’m afraid they are starting to think the same as all the other tech companies.

 

[fatTribble]

For me, they may not always do what I want, but I still appreciate their products. iPhones have become vastly more complicated than in the early days. Many IOS features are not for me. I know some talk about leaving the ecosystem as a protest, but I’m not sure there are enough people for Apple to notice.
I try to enjoy the products for what they are rather than what I want them to be. I’m not always successful.

 

[MikeTheBohunk]

A personal anecdote: I had a similar feeling back in 2016, so I switched from my long-trusted pal iPhone 5s over to the brand new shiny Samsung Galaxy S7. For a while, I was happy with it, it was a fresh breath of air. Over time, however, Samsung showed its own sheer amount of quirks, bugs and all other nastiness, and it wore off pretty quickly. After 9-or-so months, I bought the 1st-gen iPhone SE and switched back to it from the Galaxy. Now I'm home, I finally said to myself. In the end, I may have been just bored, and I seized the opportunity of not having to pay for the Samsung phone.

I'm not planning to make another shift like this any time soon, because for me personally, grass really wasn't greener on the other side as much as I'd expected. It may or may not be the same for you; but if you're seriously considering it, absolutely go for it and see for yourself. Maybe you'll find some new joy in using your tech toys elsewhere; maybe you'll come back and find a new appreciation for what Apple does. Either way, you can only gain from this experience.

 

[contacos]

Not only that, I also feel like the support at the Apple Stores got less customer oriented. Now it’s almost instantly like „ok PAY“. Back in the day, I would go there and they’d give me an iPhone replacement before even checking what is really wrong with it or they fixed my MacBook Pro free of charge back in 2013. Now it’s like „sorry, your warranty expired 1 minute ago, we can’t do anything about that“

I also miss a proper Genius Bar. Nowadays you have to chase the staff down and hope they are available. It almost makes you, as the customer, feel like you are disturbing them and then they tell you to wait and you have no idea if they forgot about you or not

 

[phillytim]

As long as Apple continues to rape our prisitine UI with their ads, which is crazy that a $3 TRILLION dollar company feels compelled to do, then the answer is a resounding NO - Apple is now only interested to chase greater & greater profits at the expense of the user experience.

It is unfortunate that companies are compelled to show greater & greater profits with each quarter, at any cost; but now that the pandemic-era buying spree is over, companies also must return towards a more sustainable 2019-era earnings benchmark reality.

And of this can be said the same for Microsoft (who is now placing ads in the Windows 11 start menu), Facebook, big tech, etc.

 

[Lihp8270]

Apple, like other companies care about customers when it makes financial sense to do so.

 

[I7guy]

It's not possible to care about every single customer and with so many customers not every interaction will garner 100% satisfaction, but I feel apple does care about it's customers and want them to have the best experience possible. From pre-sales to sales to support to termination. In general, I'm feeling most customers are happy with Apple, excluding the hyperbolic over the top criticisms that sometimes surface here.

 

[Mousse]

In general, I'm feeling most customers are happy with Apple, excluding the hyperbolic over the top criticisms that sometimes surface here.

More content--possibly tolerant--than happy, IMO. I see most of the criticism here being real areas of concern ie ads everywhere, dongles galore, software with more bugs than Klendathu, etc. Apple would do well to at least give an ear to those gripes to make their product better.

A few decades back, Sony hired a vocal critic of their product to see where they could improve. Due to taking his input to heart, they became the big name in consumer electronics some years later. That critic became the CEO of Sony later on.

If Apple turns a deaf ear to all the criticism, they'll end up like MS, Google, IBM...just another tech company most people accept as a necessary evil.

 

[prisoner54]

You might want to look at the thread 'Tim Cook needs to go'. There's quite a lot of sentiment like yours. I've posted a couple of things which might chime with you, e.g. this. Cook is doing a fantastic job as a CEO in terms of growth and supply line logistics. But in terms if vision and customer experience, not so much. We have armies of eager buyers who will purchase anything Apple makes these days. And I get you about the Apple Stores: it used to be that you were made to feel special. I had a bunch of interactions back in the 2000s and 2010s that made me feel good as an Apple purchaser, including replacement parts and out-of-service repairs for free because I'd been such a loyal customer for so long. Not these days.

Not only are more people paying top dollar, but the customer and user experience has suffered. They just don't care any more. And they are cutting out attention to the mid-tier prosumer base by vastly over-speccing and overpricing their Pro models (MacBook Pro, Studios, Studio Display). The iPad Pro has been a joke for a while, vastly overpriced and overpowered, but with an inadequate OS.

 

[solarmon]

Yes, they do.

 

[usagora]

I honestly don't feel any different about Apple in 2022 than I did in 2005 when I switched 100% to Apple. I switched because I preferred the design of both the OS and the hardware, and I still do. I couldn't care less that they're putting ads in the App Store app or the Apple TV app. If they start putting ads in macOS or iOS, though, I think that would cross a line. But with apps for Apple services, I see no issue with ads, especially since they're not requiring you to read/watch them.

As for the whole concept of "caring", I don't like to attribute too much emotional language like that to companies like Apple. They exist, yes, to make people's lives better through technology, but they're also in business to make a profit for their shareholders. If they catered to absolutely everyone's individual desires for every product or service, that would fail miserably. At the end of the day, they're going to do what is most profitable for the company while hopefully standing by any company-wide principles. And I know of no Apple principle that says they won't ever increase prices or run ads.

 

[I7guy]

More content--possibly tolerant--than happy, IMO. I see most of the criticism here being real areas of concern ie ads everywhere, dongles galore, software with more bugs than Klendathu, etc. Apple would do well to at least give an ear to those gripes to make their product better.

A few decades back, Sony hired a vocal critic of their product to see where they could improve. Due to taking his input to heart, they became the big name in consumer electronics some years later. That critic became the CEO of Sony later on.

If Apple turns a deaf ear to all the criticism, they'll end up like MS, Google, IBM...just another tech company most people accept as a necessary evil.

Sony back in the day was accused of price fixing with the unique trinitron TVs. Apple went through the revival the first time Steve Jobs was rehired. The revival effort is now over. There have been bugs in every release. If you haven't seen this thread. It's a great read. https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...14-launch-the-worst-ever-not-so-fast.2361027/

Apple obviously takes user input, but it may not be the way you think. In my observation they tend to do things (other than what they have to do thats required legally) that benefit the majority of their customers or has a significant ecosystem update. A lot of criticism I read is destructive, e.g. Apple is crap, they don't allow sideloading. But constructive criticism that has a recurring theme, especially through the feedback process, I'm sure is listened to and prioritized.

 

[Violet_Antelope]

As soon as money becomes the number 1 focus, the answer is no, they don’t. Obviously businesses need to make a profit, but it’s where the priority lies that makes the impact. The same thing happened locally with our vet. It used to be personal - know, focus and care about the animals. There was plenty of money there - the vet who owned it was quite well-off. But when he retired he sold it to a big company. They sold it etc until now it’s all a massive conglomerate. And even individual workers have lost the focus on the animals vs the money because they’re ordered to. I took my sick dog to the night vet for emergency help. I was distraught. *Literally* the first thing they said as they opened the door was “how are you paying?” no greeting, no concern for my boy. It’s so sad. And yes I have now changed vet to one of the few privately owned ones left, and the difference is night and day - mostly because the best vets left to work there!

 

[klasma]

As long as Apple continues to rape our prisitine UI with their ads, which is crazy that a $3 TRILLION dollar company feels compelled to do

Just as a side note, the $3 trillion are not an amount of money owned by or available to Apple, it’s the nominal value of the shares owned by the share holders. I agree that the new ads trend is a disgrace though.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Frankly the #1 reason I stick with Apple, is that they respect their customers’ privacy. I’m sure there are examples where they could do a better job - iCloud encryption is a mixed bag for example - but there’s no WAY I’d be buying apps from the Google Store, or storing my security video on Amazon Cloud.

Are there things Apple does wrong? Sure, and we should continue to point those out and encourage improvement. But you’re starting in a better place with Apple, I’m convinced of that.

 

[Mike WA4D]

“Apple’s $191 Billion Single-Day Surge Sets Stock-Market Record”​

Bloomberg Thru. Nov 10

That’s all you need to know. The ridiculous title of this thread is typical in the Mac community. The Marxists and the many who claim Apple is “greedy” — are despondent today. They want to be coddled by Apple and it’s alleged “extortionist” pricing.

I urge those critics to leave the Apple ecosystem. They’ll be much happier with inexpensive and lower performance products.

 

[antiprotest]

If Apple ever cared about us, they have stopped caring a long, long time ago. But I have never been under the delusion that Apple was my friend, that Apple is a charity, that Apple exists for the good of humanity, or any of that. Apple exists to make money for themselves and it is only looking out for themselves as a company. And I am looking out for myself as a customer. I need products and services. They make products and services. That's all. It is purely a business relationship between us, even a mutually exploitative relationship.

Some customers get too personal. You can tell who they are when they defend Apple no matter what, and when they have a different standard for Apple than for other companies. But that is like a high school girl having a one-sided crush on a jock that cares only about sex, and who would never care about her as a person. She is going to be hurt and disappointed. Apple has never cared about me as a person, and I have never cared about Apple on a personal level. If not for the fact that it would greatly inconvenience me, I would have no problem if Apple disappears today.

However, Apple does pretend to care, and that's marketing. It's the image they are supposed to present. I would pretend too, if I ran a business. Just don't buy into it and look at the products and services objectively based on your needs and wants, and you will not be disillusioned.

 

[Mike WA4D]

Just as a side note, the $3 trillion are not an amount of money owned by or available to Apple, it’s the nominal value of the shares owned by the share holders. I agree that the new ads trend is a disgrace though.

It seems that Apple’s business practices are upsetting to many here. The company and it’s devices are not a religion.

Apple’s $191 Billion Single-Day Surge Sets Stock-Market Record Nov. 10, 2022​

Bloomberg

I urge those of you who are resentful of the astounding and successful metric above to leave the platform. Further You should go to one of those clinics the counsel gays to return to being straight or detoxified from religious indoctrination. There is hope!!! And of course move to the Win/Linux/Chrome /Android world. You’ll be much happier.

 

[aurora72]

The manufacturing cost of an iPhone 14 is $80. Sale price is $800. For the iPhone 14 plus, pro max and the like the manuf costs increase only by a dollar or two while the sales price by 100 times of it. It's no wonder that the higher end products are way more profitable. So by the time you buy those restriction oriented gadgets, you're already ripped off and restricted to the max. If you accept such unfavorable terms at the first place, then it's no use complaining afterwards. Actions speak louder than words. Buying no Crapple products would speak louder than saying "hey it doesn't care about me" I don't buy any Crapple thing produced after 2011. Apple became crap after 2011.

 

[Mike WA4D]

If Apple ever cared about us, they have stopped caring a long, long time ago. But I have never been under the delusion that Apple was my friend, that Apple is a charity, that Apple exists for the good of humanity, or any of that. Apple exists to make money for themselves and it is only looking out for themselves as a company. And I am looking out for myself as a customer. I need products and services. They make products and services. That's all. It is purely a business relationship between us, even a mutually exploitative relationship. Apple has never cared about me as a person, and I have never cared about Apple on a personal level. If not for the fact that it would greatly inconvenience me, I would have no problem if Apple disappears today. However, Apple does pretend to care, and that's marketing. It's the image they are supposed to present. I would pretend too, if I ran a business. Just don't buy into it and look at the products and services objectively based on your needs and wants, and you will not be disillusioned.

Apple has never cared about me as a person.

”Stopped caring long ago” Only looking out for themselves. Apple can “disappear” today.

That’s why I come to this forum. To read the miserable posts of the oppressed! Laughs

 

[antiprotest]

Apple has never cared about me as a person.

”Stopped caring long ago” Only looking out for themselves. Apple can “disappear” today.

That’s why I come to this forum. To read the miserable posts of the oppressed! Laughs

It was meant to be realistic instead of cynical. I place no blame on Apple and I do not feel oppressed at all. It was only a description of a business relationship that some people seem to forget. You make muffins, I want muffins. It doesn't mean we are family. If that sounds oppressed to you, then you have misunderstood or you are one of those who takes things too personally.

Or do you think Apple actually cares about you as a person? And if you have an alternative and it would pose zero inconvenience for you to switch, would you still care if Apple exists? If you answer Yes to either, I think you are taking this business relationship too personally. That's what I am saying.

 

[Mike WA4D]

It was meant to be realistic instead of cynical. I place no blame on Apple and I do not feel oppressed at all. It was only a description of a business relationship that some people seem to forget. You make muffins, I want muffins. It doesn't mean we are family. If that sounds oppressed to you, then you have misunderstood or you are one of those who takes things too personally.

Or do you think Apple actually cares about you as a person? And if you have an alternative and it would pose zero inconvenience for you to switch, would you still care if Apple exists? If you answer Yes to either, I think you are taking this business relationship too personally. That's what I am saying.

Man you're waaaay too invested in Apple, it's reason for being and your own. Relax.

 

[michaelscarn]

Like most companies in 2022, Apple sadly doesn't care about customers, only shareholders and profits.

I travel a lot, and in recent years, have noticed some negative changes to hotel chains, airlines, and rental car agencies I was once extremely loyal to. I have the top loyalty tier in all of these programs, and some I even have unpublished loyalty tiers for their top customers. With these changes and the lack of concern from management despite countless complaints from me and other loyal customers, I have concluded that my loyalty truly doesn't matter to them, and I should take my business to companies that better fit my needs, even if that means giving up the "status" of those loyalty programs.

It's getting to that point with Apple. The only reasons I stick with Apple are because it's familiar, and I still believe that the overall physical quality of their products is superior to other brands. I just feel like they don't care about their customers anymore, it's ONLY about the bottom line. Everything has been diluted, from the in-store experience, to customer service, to product innovation. It's just another tech brand, no longer the premium brand it once was.

 

[antiprotest]

Man you're waaaay too invested in Apple, it's reason for being and your own. Relax.

Um my comments all point to how I am not invested in Apple, and telling others not to be invested, since it is only a business relationship. But it seems you are reading everything I write and making the opposite interpretation out of them. And you have responded to none of my points, yet saying I sound "oppressed," and when I answer you call me invested. WTF?

 

[antiprotest]

It seems that Apple’s business practices are upsetting to many here. The company and it’s devices are not a religion.

Apple’s $191 Billion Single-Day Surge Sets Stock-Market Record Nov. 10, 2022​

Bloomberg

I urge those of you who are resentful of the astounding and successful metric above to leave the platform. Further You should go to one of those clinics the counsel gays to return to being straight or detoxified from religious indoctrination. There is hope!!! And of course move to the Win/Linux/Chrome /Android world. You’ll be much happier.

Man you're waaaay too invested in Apple, it's reason for being and your own. Relax.