A few weeks ago, I decided to purchase an M2 MacBook Air. At 34, I had recently beat cancer and I wanted some retail therapy. But what I ended up needing was therapy for my retail...
As with any new Mac, when I picked up my new machine, it was very exciting. However, after setting up the Air, I noticed two dark, cloudy spots in the center of the screen. Back it went... I then decided to go with an M1 MacBook Pro for the better screen, speakers, etc. (I used to go for the Pro models anyway.) I picked up a model on sale at Best Buy. However, despite it being brand new, there was a nick on the right side of the chassis and scratches on the back of the display housing. Back it went...
At this point, it seemed to make sense to go with an M2 MacBook Pro anyway. I ordered a base model 14" with 1TB of storage directly from Apple. When it arrived, it appeared to be in great shape, but... there was a nick I could fit my fingernail in near the right USB-C port. At first, I shrugged it off, but it was still frustrating. I had gone through multiple units (of different models) and they all had some blemish new out of the box. And for $2,000+, that bugged me. Now, I'm waiting for another M2 Pro. And since it's a BTO, I get to wait another 10-14 days...
I've dealt with the '01 TiBook paint chipping, the '06 MacBook case cracking, and the '08 MacBook Pro metal warping—I know Apple has had it share of quality control issues. And, overall, the issues I mentioned above aren't nearly as bad as those. But, it's still frustrating that I need to hold my breath out of stress, rather than excitement, when getting a new Mac. And even though Apple is merciful with returns, I still don't like having to make them (and I've had to make multiple ones for some of their products).
Maybe I'm more sensitive to the imperfections of my devices after dealing with the imperfections of being sick, although Apple has prided itself with its attention to detail. Still, at the end of the day, I couldn't see myself using any other type of computer—I just wish buying one wasn't sometimes an odyssey. What have your experiences been like?
As with any new Mac, when I picked up my new machine, it was very exciting. However, after setting up the Air, I noticed two dark, cloudy spots in the center of the screen. Back it went... I then decided to go with an M1 MacBook Pro for the better screen, speakers, etc. (I used to go for the Pro models anyway.) I picked up a model on sale at Best Buy. However, despite it being brand new, there was a nick on the right side of the chassis and scratches on the back of the display housing. Back it went...
At this point, it seemed to make sense to go with an M2 MacBook Pro anyway. I ordered a base model 14" with 1TB of storage directly from Apple. When it arrived, it appeared to be in great shape, but... there was a nick I could fit my fingernail in near the right USB-C port. At first, I shrugged it off, but it was still frustrating. I had gone through multiple units (of different models) and they all had some blemish new out of the box. And for $2,000+, that bugged me. Now, I'm waiting for another M2 Pro. And since it's a BTO, I get to wait another 10-14 days...
I've dealt with the '01 TiBook paint chipping, the '06 MacBook case cracking, and the '08 MacBook Pro metal warping—I know Apple has had it share of quality control issues. And, overall, the issues I mentioned above aren't nearly as bad as those. But, it's still frustrating that I need to hold my breath out of stress, rather than excitement, when getting a new Mac. And even though Apple is merciful with returns, I still don't like having to make them (and I've had to make multiple ones for some of their products).
Maybe I'm more sensitive to the imperfections of my devices after dealing with the imperfections of being sick, although Apple has prided itself with its attention to detail. Still, at the end of the day, I couldn't see myself using any other type of computer—I just wish buying one wasn't sometimes an odyssey. What have your experiences been like?
