I ran across this old thread after googling, "how apple lost me as a customer". Quite interesting.
My own experience is different, yet similar. In 2010, I bought my first Mac, a MacBook Air. After learning I could use Windows on it if I didn't like using it as an Apple computer, I figured I had nothing to lose. Besides, Apple sells "refurbished" devices that are literally good as new, with full warranty and the works. Cool!
After a few weeks, I found myself never using Windows again. It wasn't a conscious decision—it just happened by itself. Note that I had used Windows since version 1.0. (Yes, one point zero!) At that time, Windows was literally silly. The box even said it was a temporary OS, a stopgap until IBM released OS/2.
Back then, Apple charged for OS releases. Going from Snow Leopard to Lion was huge. The windows could now be resized from any corner; what a concept! Many, many other big improvements as well. I was sold on Apple Computers. They were so much better than any Windows computers available at the time. Fell in love with Apple's trackpad, and still love it. Upgrading to Lion was painful though, as my little MacBook Air overheated and crashed whenever I tried. So I pulled out my trusty little screwdriver and checked out the internals. WOW! A computer designed without double-stick tape, jumper wires, and weird connectors in weird places. Also, could be opened from the bottom, rather than tearing the whole thing apart like other notebooks at the time. Impressive! Replacing the thermal paste did the trick, and was easy to do. Cool!
I recall several calls to Apple tech support back then. Most reps were intelligent and talented. They seemed to really know their stuff. I was impressed. Then I discovered there was an Apple store a few miles from me, one of the first Apple originally opened, in fact. Wasn't as impressed by their "Geniuses", but having a store close by to help me out was fantastic. There was nothing like it for Windows computers.
Fast forward to 2016...
Was still loving my iPhone 5s, with its 64 bit processor. My (refurbished) 2011 MacBook Pro was still running strong. I was in tech heaven! But was dismayed to learn Apple removed the headphone jack from the new iPhone 7. WTF?!! Next, my trusty MacBook Pro bit the dust. Unbeknownst to me when I bought it, the thing had been recalled, and Apple sued for selling overheating MacBook Pros. Was rather upset to learn Apple had sold me what they knew was a faulty product, but didn't mention it. OUCH!!!! Next time, I'll do more research. This was my first impression that Apple wasn't as good as it was cracked up to be. Was getting the impression they were sneaky and underhanded. Was this a sign of things to come? Since Steve Jobs had passed, Apple seemed to be returning to the greed they were known for before talking Mr. Jobs into taking over again in 1997.
Here's a list of notable a few things that happened to me personallysince 2016...
* Upgraded from my iPhone 5s to the look-alike iPhone SE. Got a pretty good deal, and it was LTE and 4G compatible. I figured I was set for years to come. It was much faster than the 5s, and still had my beloved headphone jack as well.
* Was still getting by with my MacBook Air, but wanted to get something better.
* I had grown displeased by Apple's recent Mac offerings. No more magsafe. No more standard USB plugs. And those new "butterfly" keyboards had no chance of lasting, imo. That was obvious to me from seeing their initial design. One piece of flexing plastic just isn't going to last. As it turned out, the keyboards were even worse than I imagined. But Apple kept making them, year after year. WOW! I smelled planned obsolescence, big time!!!
* In mid 2018, just before Apple discontinued the 2015 MacBook Pro Retina models, I splurged and bought myself one. IMO, Apple was going downhill, so I wanted to get myself one of the good ones before they stopped making them.
* In early 2019, Apple closed both nearby Apple Stores, so they could avoid getting sued by patent trolls in my federal district. BUMMER!
* I cancelled Apple Care Plus on my new MacBook Pro, since I could no longer take it to a local Apple store for help.
* In 2021, the battery on my MacBook Pro was bulging so badly the case wouldn't close. Was cursing myself for cancelling Apple Care Plus, until I realized it would have expired by then. Learned Apple would replace the battery for $200. (less than my refund for Apple Care Plus) Seemed high, but I'd had bad experiences with aftermarket batteries. When I learned the battery replacement would also include a new keyboard and trackpad, $200 didn't seem so steep after all. I was grumbling Apple wouldn't replace the battery for free, since they knew many MacBooks were having the same issue. Grumbled less after learning they replaced those that were so bad they literally caught fire.
Note: These batteries were all made during the same time Samsung phones were catching fire. Apparently, the Chinese companies making them were cutting corners. Samsung's fiasco helped Apple hide the fact that their products suffered similarly. Lucky for them, I guess.
* Upon getting my battery replaced, Apple said I needed a new screen. It would cost $800. But the screen worked just fine when I gave it to them. After a rather heated discussion, Apple agreed to replace the screen. They said they were doing it as a favor, since I was a long-time Apple user. This didn't sit well with me, since they obviously broke it when replacing the battery. So they were "doing me a favor" to cover their own incompetence.
* Shortly after getting my MacBook repaired, the screen of my iPhone SE was popping off. Another bad battery! Apple would replace it for a reasonable fee, as I still didn't trust third-party ones. Then got an email that other parts in my iPhone were broken, and the repair would cost well over $100. Again, there was nothing wrong with the phone when they got it for repair; just the screen slighly bulging on one side. Called Apple support to discuss this. The guy said that the trouble occurred when removing the screen to replace the battery. So the screen coming loose was the problem, hence I would have to pay for all repairs. When I pointed out the screen would have had to be removed regardless, no matter what the problem was, the guy lied to me. "Apple has special techniques for replacing batteries that didn't involve removing the screen", he said. OH REALLY? The iPhone SE case is solid aluminum. The only way to open it is to remove the screen. There is no special technique to replace the battery without removing the screen. He wouldn't budge, though. Insisting I would have to pay the cost for all repairs. I finally got a supervisor who agreed to charge only the initial battery replacement fee. BUT, he repeatedly made the point this was being done as a courtesy to me. Apple had not made any mistakes when opening my iPhone to repair it. Apple doesn't make mistakes—their technicians are too well trained to make mistakes. (Apparently Apple employees aren't human like the rest of us!)
This is much too long a post already, and I've not mentioned my many other problems dealing with Apple support.
tl;dr Apple is not the company it used to be. They now prioritize profit above all else. Screw the customer whenever it's convenient. Make excuses for incompetence. etc. etc. Claim removing features are improvements for the good of the product. blah, blah, blah
Apple even has an official policy of not fixing old bugs. Google "apple bugs no regression" to see for yourself.
The one good thing I can still say about Apple is THEY'RE NOT AS BAD AS EVERYONE ELSE. Perhaps that should be their new company slogan. "You think we're greedy and uncaring? Try dealing with Microsoft or Google!" <sigh>
