Lots of Complaints about Apple quality...what gives?

[MacTruck]

The American consumer.. just wants everything cheap these days. "Oh, hey look! A dvd player for 35 bucks!!! Lets buy that instead of the $80 Sony one! Who cares if it works only for 6 months?!!"

I don't think American consumers were so cheap a few years ago.. I mean, these days.. its just crazy!

Thats the mentality every consumer in this country has, and the manufacturers have resorted to that by moving manufacturing, etc. to offshore locations.

I wonder how many of you would complain if Apple started manufacturing their laptops in the USA, and as a result of which.. an MBP was $3500? I don't even want to think about the number of threads which would compare a comparable Dell laptop's price to an MBP's.

You asked for a cheaper product.. and thats what you get. A 'cheap' product.. (No, I'm not talking about Apple products here..well not all of them)

I have had 5 ipods.. and all of them died within a few months. I will never buy another ipod again. Yes, I still purchase apple hardware(computers), but I hope that they don't bring the quality down for pricing reasons. I, as a professional, would gladly pay $4000 for a top of the line MBP, if it was built in the US, with absolutely stringent quality measures.

Why does Sony have such good quality? Because they're not driving down prices like other manufacturers are. My Sony (and Panasonic) VCRs.. from the 80s, still work fine and have never needed servicing.

Unfortunately, if Apple gets caught up in the pricing battle to increase their marketshare.. it will eventually degrade the quality of their products.

I realized your argument fell apart when I read about all the macs falling apart.

Nobody wants cheap except old ladies over the age of 50. I buy name brand stuff and pay more always (apple, sony, alpine) and I expect more. Hell I just expect it to WORK. Sorry if that is asking too much.

And here is a news flash for you. When apple or any company for that matter charges $2,000 for a product made in USA then moves manufacturing to singapore, they still charge the consumer $2,000. Thats how they make MORE money. Thats the motivation. They don't make a computer at a cost to them of lets say $500 and charge $2000 in usa then move out of country and it costs them $200 and then charge $1700. What would be the point of moving then? Thats just stupid. They move off shore, save money and guess what? WE EAT IT. We get stuck with crap because the chinaman over there doesn't give a CRAP. Hense the junk coming out of that country.

I bought a new mountain bike last month. Its a GT. Known for being built right here in the USA. Even says "Designed in USA" on it. Nice and big where you are damned sure to see it. Flipped it over to fix the breaks. "Manufactured and Assembled in CHINA". Hows that for RUDE.

Every company is doing it. Its the New Millenium Business Model 101. AND IT SUCKS!

 

[aamiic]

As mentioned, people with problems are much louder than those of without.

Also, keep in mind - some people make the biggest deals out of things that wouldn't bother most people. You really have to read posts on message boards with a grain of salt and formulate your own opinion. I swear, reading MacRumors is bad for your mac enjoyment. I don't say that because of not finding this site useful - I say it because when I was Mac shopping twice now.. these forums more or less convinced me that the sky was falling..

Totally my fault - but it's hard to argue when you have so many giving misinformation or just their own opinions on things they have no first hand knowledge of. Aperture is a prime example of this - tonnes of people hate on it. Why? Because they don't know how to use it. I'm not suggesting it's the best app out there.. but I think a *very* small percentage of this site could possibly comment with any creditability on the product.

Anyways, I'm rambling.. I'm just saying don't take everything to seriously. Apple makes fantastic products, and their build quality is top notch. Sure things happen when you have a new product.. but uhh.. Apple has always been pretty good about being right ontop of the bleeding edge gear. How many headphone ports on a laptop do you know that produce next to 0 noise?

 

[milo]

Don't forget, Apple is in the process of switching their entire product line to a completely new hardware platform. ALL hardware AND software is being redone. All things considered, I think the transition has been surprisingly smooth.

2 reasons....

1)Apple are beginning to care more about profits then consumer happiness.

2)New switchers to macs who dont know how to use mac proucts and end breaking them...

Apple qulaity is taking a dive... Its like mercedes in the late eighties/early mid 90's... Nano is of poor quality and ipod packaging is cheap. There cutting cost on things like quality and added extras.

I don't agree with any of that. Apple would be incredibly stupid if they intentionally cut corners to the point of losing quality. There's nothing wrong with the nano beyond the scratch thing which I think is overhyped. And their packaging is some of the best in the industry, seems a silly thing to complain about being cheap. Apple customers are tough and often hypocritical, they bash Apple for being overpriced, then turn around and complain that Apple should have spent more on something.

Made in China, am i the only one who see's this? Made in China use to and still does mean made cheap, spin it all you want. You are paying a chinaman pennies so that U.S. CEO can reap in millions. think about it.

Which computers aren't made in China or somewhere similar? They really have no choice but have the machines made somewhere like China, otherwise the labor costs would force them to raise prices.

Quality or not but you are supporting your country. I don't think that it is a good idea for USA to become just a service oriented economy. Manufacturing is what made USA great.

But unless americans are willing to work for pennies an hour, the USA can't compete with other countries on price. Good luck finding a computer made in the USA, if they even exist they would cost a fortune.

I agree. Apple charged $3000 for a computer when they were making them here. Now they cut there cost considerably and still charging the same. Meanwhile USA looses jobs and Chinamen are happy.

Macs are WAY cheaper than they used to be. Low end consumer machines cost more than what towers cost now. They cut their cost and they've cut prices. If you told me ten years ago you'd be able to get a mac for $599 I'd say you're crazy.

 

[milo]

The problem is American bean counter ran corporations who only care about todays profits.
...
Lets just face it the American companys and Executives are greedy bastards who dont give a hoot about our country,its people or anything but the dollar and the chinamen has made them richer. Low bidder(chinamen) doesnt mean quality it means volume. I must admit i have seen more issues and problems with Apple ever since they went made in China.

Japanese companies answer to the bean counters just as much as american ones. I don't think the car market is a good comparison, many american cars have sucked. The market, the products and the way the companies are run are completely different. I doubt I'd ever buy an american car (at least not until they turn things around), but I wouldn't hesitate to buy other technology products from american companies.

It's easy to blame "bean counters" but that's just a cop out. Companies are at the mercy of customers and stockholders. And customers have tended toward cheap products over quality ones, the average person simply isn't willing to pay more for better quality. Tons of things have changed with Apple over the last few years, it's ridiculous to single out "made in china" and assume a cause and effect between lower quality (which likely doesn't even exist).

Why does Sony have such good quality? Because they're not driving down prices like other manufacturers are. My Sony (and Panasonic) VCRs.. from the 80s, still work fine and have never needed servicing.

DOES sony have better quality? I'd be interested in seeing numbers backing that up. I suspect your gear from 20 years ago is more reliable than newer stuff simply because ALL manufacturing has cut more corners and become more "cheap", probably zero to do with it being Sony or other pricy brand.

One thing to remember is that technology is advancing so fast, for many products, there's no demand for ones that last for years. People will throw away a perfectly functioning box just because the format has gone away, or it's too slow to run their apps. My quadra 950 works perfectly, but I can't imagine what I'd still use it for.

 

[generik]

Anyways, I'm rambling.. I'm just saying don't take everything to seriously. Apple makes fantastic products, and their build quality is top notch. Sure things happen when you have a new product.. but uhh.. Apple has always been pretty good about being right ontop of the bleeding edge gear. How many headphone ports on a laptop do you know that produce next to 0 noise?

Apple makes nothing. In other news Quanta does, including Dells. What were you saying again?

The finest design in the world is nothing if it is made by the same people who makes Dells. Same capacitors, same "logic boards" (aka mother boards), same spools of solder, same screws, same everything.

 

[generik]

Macs are WAY cheaper than they used to be. Low end consumer machines cost more than what towers cost now. They cut their cost and they've cut prices. If you told me ten years ago you'd be able to get a mac for $599 I'd say you're crazy.

Apples and oranges, technology gets cheaper over time. Likewise with $599 you can't even dream of owning a CELLPHONE 10 years ago, let alone a computer. Don't forget even PCs costs heaps back then.