“Karma. Doing the ‘right thing.’ Thinking different. Apple’s enlightened approach to building customer loyalty is now famous, generating big headlines every time CEO Steve Jobs takes on Hollywood or the music industry. Attempts to raise iTunes prices? ‘Greedy.’ A fight with NBC over revenues? ‘Give peace a chance.’ That’s Apple, your socially-conscious corporate friend, who does right by you while standing up to big bullies — sort of like a character from a Pixar movie,” Jeremy Horwitz writes for iLounge.
“But over the past two weeks, Apple’s fans have been grumbling that the company they knew and loved is transforming into another Microsoft, making short-sighted, anti-consumer decisions and carelessly releasing products with user experience-diminishing problems. In response, an increasingly angry erosion of Apple’s brand loyalty is beginning, with complaints mounting all over the Internet, including on the company’s own discussion forums,” Horwitz writes.
Horwitz covers four of issues that are “still largely unresolved by Apple, and the extreme anger and disappointment that its customers have been expressing as a result.”
• Apple Breaks 2005-2007 Video Add-Ons: No Warning, Just Buy New Ones
• iTunes Store iPod Games: Buy Them Again for New iPods
• iPod touch Screen Problems: Deny Them, Charge Restocking Fees
• iPhone Ringtones: Pay Twice for Each Song; Forget Using Your Own
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Davecc” for the heads up.]
Apple’s decision makers would do well to post the following quote in prominent places where they will be reminded of it daily:
“Goodwill is the one and only asset that competition cannot undersell or destroy.” – Karl Ludwig Börne
I don’t know what has gotten into Steve Jobs since September 5th, but the greed he’s shown since that date has been almost Redmondian. Let’s hope he’ll soon see the error in his ways.
“Each handicap is like a hurdle in a steeplechase, and when you ride up to it, if you throw your heart over, the horse will go along, too.”
– Lawrence Bixby
And this is the best list someone can come up with? Come one? #1 is going to happen, for which a new breed of software comes out to replace the old. #2 is also going to happen. Always iritating when one spends money, but I don’t automatically assume that just because I buy a new computer or device, that everthing is going to work on it as before. #3 seems to already be handled, as Apple has already stated that they are working on the solution (oh and that’s what no more than two weeks after being launched?), and #4 about ringtones is useless trivia. The world is going to have to wake up and realize that ANYTIME one starts trying to sell or distribute music in any form factor, the music labels have to be involved. Does Apple really care if you were to make your own ringtones? Probably not, but the music labels do, and since they already make mooola on them, they aren’t going to let Apple allow their patrons the make ringtones – period. A waste of 4 points that don’t add up to anything.
Come on Apple, stay with us here – Let’s not drop the ball with the basics.
“I stay up at night a lot, and I have nightmares a lot. Very bizarre dreams.”
– Kato Kaelin
Zune Tang ? Where are you?
Poor Bloomin Steve Jobs, Poor Guys he needs to have break,
What a evil world . Poor blooming guy. He needs to sell his shares and all the items he can top this discusting people and enjoy his life in wi retirement with his family, and
You will never have his great stuff again.
Amen
• Apple Breaks 2005-2007 Video Add-Ons: No Warning, Just Buy New Ones
• iTunes Store iPod Games: Buy Them Again for New iPods
• iPod touch Screen Problems: Deny Them, Charge Restocking Fees
• iPhone Ringtones: Pay Twice for Each Song; Forget Using Your Own
Don’t forget mandating glossy screens, cheaping the LCD’s and reducing graphics performance on the new AL iMac’s. Also the complicated Mighty Mouse with sticky scroll balls. And the numerous security issues with Mac OS X, some which STILL haven’t been fixed yet. Also the iMovie debacle and lackluster iWeb/.Mac combination.
I must admit, after over 20 years of Apple loyalty, that I’m having my doubts. It’s like they are burning out or getting overloaded or something.
I just hope Apple realizes these are real issues it’s customer base has and focuses on the needs of it’s users.
Still a big Apple fan.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />
These issues may be irritating for those caught in the crossfire, but they are hardly redmondian in nature…
Microsoft’s business policies have had profound negative impact, illegally crippling competition, and creating “standards” that no-one should be forced to endure.
It seems the author is simply looking for ways to criticize Apple. There has got to be a better way to make a living…
Apple
is not a MS
they have not dropped the bal
They are helping dickhead customers to much.
We are conditioned from MS.
Life can;t be good we say: shame,.
A couple of things missing from that list (in my opinion):
1. Locking out developers from creating apps for the iPod and the iPhone. Sorry, Web apps are not real apps. What if I don’t have an internet connection when I need to use one of them… which brings me to the next issue.
2. Going with AT&T;for the sole service provider. Their coverage and network reliability is absolutely horrendous compared to what I was getting with Verizon. And Edge? Seriously, I rarely use it because it is so unreliable.
I’m not ready to give up on Apple yet, but the road they seem to be going down is making wonder if they are losing some of the customer friendliness that made me like their products to begin with.
That is one HUGE mole hill.
It’s not the just consumer relations that made Microsoft so bad – it’s how they treat partners. Constantly stabbing them in the back.
Stealing and constantly selling bad cheap products. Apple is a long way from that company. Microsoft is our own little China.
One more thing…
An easy fix for the sticky ball on the mighty mouse:
just turn the mouse upside down and roll it on a clean sheet of white paper…
no muss, no fuss
I don’t know about the Video Add-Ons, the iPod Touch issues, but I will comment about the other two.
First, buying the games over again is no big deal. Every time you buy a new cell phone you must repurchase any games or tools you have bought from the carrier.
Secondly, the ringtones deal is fair as far as the price goes. $.99 is cheap compared to what else is out there, but we should be able to use songs we already own. Either that or Apple needs to open up all the songs on iTunes for ringtones. I probably would purchase the tones I already have just to save the hassle of hacking and avoiding updates but they are not available.
just buy appl and shut up
go steve!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Apple Breaks 2005-2007 Video Add-Ons: No Warning, Just Buy New Ones
What’s this? Talking about iMovie ’08? If so, Apple didn’t break them. They came out with a new application that does not work with them. The video add-ons are not “broken” for iMovie 06 which is still available.
• iTunes Store iPod Games: Buy Them Again for New iPods
Again. Apple obviously changed the OS on the new iPods. Games operate on the iPods for which they were purchased but do not work on new gen platform. This is not unprecedented. Each new gen game box requires new game titles to be purchased as well. Now, if the new iPods required all new music file purchases you’d have a legitimate complaint.
• iPod touch Screen Problems: Deny Them, Charge Restocking Fees
I haven’t heard much about this before now. How many people have been effected by this?
• iPhone Ringtones: Pay Twice for Each Song; Forget Using Your Own
Apple’s ringtone purchase policy is more liberal than most phones carriers offer, so that argument is bogus, however the limiting of file transfer into the iPhone to use your own ringtones is a bad decision as most all other modern phones allow this.
All in all it sounds like most of these complaints are mostly an overblown sense of entitlement.
If these are the only problems people have in the world, then I don’t know if anyone should be complaining.
In addition to what has been listed above. I too have noticed a startling change in customer satisfaction when in contact with Apple Support. I often have to refer them to my web order numbers to prove just how much money I spend annually. Funny, when they look at that they have an “ah-ha” moment. I use to not have to prove that I am of any value. But anyway, over the year I have noticed that I have to make such efforts to get quality support for some issues.
Recently, I sent in my iPhone because of the touch screen lack of sensitivity or deminishing sensitivity. I sent it in, and Apple returned it pronto. Not fixed. Apparently, according to Apple. It meets specifications. In the intrim, the loaner phone they sent me worked flawlessly. Guess I am stuck on that one.
You know what the worldwide market needs?
Much more operating sytem competition.
Right now we got a choice between a poor operating system monopoly, a good but flakey hardware/OS monopoly and a poor desktop OS.
We need more ‘operating system + do most all’ software combinations that will run on the now monopolistic Intel processors to serve the needs of most people.
If only Linux would get their act together…
One last thing, in all honestly. No matter how bad Apple evolves. Really, can you imagine merging over to MafiaSoft? Perhaps Steve is well aware that despite lagging customer service he knows we too are kinda trapped. Really, where are we going to go? Still, despite the obvious lack of fan-fare for the cutomers. Apple still is supperior and I seriously doubt anyone one of us is going to run out and buy a Dell because we are unhappy with Apple’s treatment of its customers as of late. All of us are kinda stuck with no longer being of value to Apple as it grows its appeal to the masses.
What’s wrong with another Microsoft?
Frankly Microsoft could use the competition. The Zune is on top but I would like to see the geniuses in Redmond push it further. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Zune—brown, thanks for asking—but there’s always room for improvement. Of course, Apple would have to reach Microsoft’s high design, quality and end user experience standards, and lets face it, the copycats in Cupertino have a long way to go.
Your potential. Our passion.™
If the journalists just said good things about Apple then the whole would get very boring.
This negative feedback is actually good for Apple. It’s very minor if even totally irrelevant but keeps Apple in the headlines. This free press spreads the word about Apple’s evolution and shoves all the other competitors to the back.
I met a friend who I haven’t seen for years. A die-hard PC guy. Queued up for 3 hours to buy the iPhone on the first day of release. Even has one mac at his work.
The games have to be re-bought because OS is different now on the new iPods. The old code won’t work on the new OS.
Apple is also falling down when it comes to fair pricing of services. I was recently advised of the impending renewal of my .Mac account. Living in Canada, I was not surprised to see that the cost was more than the US version of the service, except that it was nearly P more and the US and Canadian dollar are more or less at par right now. Prices for hardware here in Canada are preetty close to the US price. This disparity caused me to complain to Apple. They informed me that the price was not related to currency values and that $139 was the price in Canada. Period. Nonesense I said and cancelled my renewal.
“But over the past two weeks, Apple’s fans have been grumbling that the company they knew and loved is transforming into another Microsoft…”
Hahaha! Which developmentally delayed Apple Fan in particular is grumbling that Apple is becoming Microsoft?
By trying to make mountains out of mole hils, this “writer’ (read: Microsoft Shill) is also pointing out that Microsoft is evil and the bottom to which he alleges Apple aspires.
Jeremy Horwitz = Uninformed. Blow-Hard. Ass.
Seems to me like Apple is suffering from growing pains.
Some of you guys sound like fundamentalist republicans upset with the republican party. Where are they going to to, over to the democrats? Where are *you* guys going to go, over to MicroWorst? Give me a break…
@Spark:
“Apple Breaks 2005-2007 Video Add-Ons: No Warning, Just Buy New Ones
What’s this? Talking about iMovie ’08? If so, Apple didn’t break them. They came out with a new application that does not work with them. The video add-ons are not “broken” for iMovie 06 which is still available.”
No, incorrect. All the third-party video-out capable iPod Docks, even the “Made for iPod” models, personal video screens with iPod Docks, video cables, etc. are all broken. No warning about this from Apple. They just simply don’t work with the new iPods.
In a “big picture” view, this particular issue isn’t singularly about Apple’s customers, but the third-party manufacturers as well. They supported Apple’s iPod platform by producing accessories, accessories that thanks to Apple’s recent decisions no longer work.
No matter how you try to paint that picture, it sucks, and is the wrong move by Apple. Period.
racecar,
I think you’ve nailed it. Apple is growing a bit too fast for their own good right now. It’s resulting in bad decisions (the video add-ons for iPods, the glossy-only screens) and compromised decisions brought about by trying to grow into areas where other power players reside (AT&T;only for phone service, the multi-pricing in Europe, the ringtones pricing.)
Mostly, yes, they are minor issues. But these kinds of mole-hills do have a habit of growing if ignored.
“Apple’s fans have been grumbling that the company they knew and loved is transforming into another Microsoft,”
I am ONE fan who ain’t grumblin’. Your fans think you’re turning Japanese… Mr. Roboto… get off the Apple stories and
WRITE ABOUT SOME OTHER TOPIC.
This is worth reading.
Time to buy Apple stock!
Redmond screwed people and had them screaming for years as the stock price only increased.
All this whining tells me that Apple is stock is gonna soar!
I like how every other cell phone maker and carrier have even worse ringtone plans, but somehow when it’s Apple they are evil and greedy?
I also like the people who think “Apple should have just ignored the labels and let any song be a ringtone.” Yeah, because we all know corporations can just ignore the law and copyrights whenever they feel like it with no legal consequences.
Actually I agree with the article.
I vented my frustration over my $50 worth of iPod games not working on the new iPod classic on the Apple forums by saying Apple made a stupid decision by not updating the already bought games and they were greedy and at the very least they could warn iPod classic buyers. And I received a threatening email saying if I post anything like that again I would be kicked off their board and they would report me to my ISP.
I never used profanity, but I did call Apple stupid. After posting my comment I was just going to drop my frustration and move on, but then I get the threatening email which really angers me. Apple can do what ever they want on their discussion boards I understand that, in fact they could have just deleted my post and I’d have never known, but no, their power abusing moderators had to threaten me with an email. I not happy about that.
Apple needs to realize it’s a privilege to have all of us as customers not the other way around. Apple should NEVER threaten a customer.
Apple is turning into a greedy customer unfriendly company.
I understand that some customers are unhappy about some of Apple’s recent decisions (although I have no sympathy whatsoever for the whiners who complain that they paid too much for their iPhones), but the fact is that Apple couldn’t turn into another Microsoft even if it tried. Anyone who thinks it could has absolutely no clue about the real nature of a predatory monster like Microsoft.
Oh Good God. Is there ANYBODY besides me who didn’t read Wil Shipley’s screed and think he was way off base? Now that Gruber has climbed aboard is there no stopping this silly juggernaut?
Here’s my view on Gruber and Shipley:
Gruber And Shipley: One SDK Over The Line.
Here’s my view on Apple’s ringtones:
A Disagreement With DF Over The Ringtones Racket.
This stuff is not all black and white. Some pretty ridiculous “demands” are being placed on Apple by those who ought to know better.
r_y_a_n,
Post the letter so that we can see what was actually said.
it seems an unfortunate side-effect of appealing to the masses is a slight—if not large—drop in quality (across the board). apple is having to meet a higher than they’re use to demand and is in, what i like to hope, a transitional period. hopefully, they’ll manage to get back to basics and fig out how to handle the higher demand with the same prestige as they were handling business back in the day. i’ll give ’em the benefit of the doubt for a lil while… u know, give ’em time to get it all together… it will take some time (it’s only been really happening a lot in the past 8 mos or so). everyone goes thru a transitional phase when going from, what they consider, the norm to something diff.
NO business anywhere is doing a fraction of what Apple is doing – and achieving.
Give them a break you load of whingeing whiners…
MDN’s take. Very surprised, but very pleased. Excellent advice, MDN. Just hope that your target audience of one is listening.
You got that one right. “All in all it sounds like most of these complaints are mostly an overblown sense of entitlement.”
I cannot believe the MDN take on this.!!!! People get a grip. This is not a HIPPY love in. (Heck, even a Hippy love in was not a real love in.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” /> ) This is a great company making insanely great products for the average person and average company.
These products are YEARS ahead of everyone else. PERIOD.!!!!
Maybe those of you who are whining, need to run VISTA and a ZUNE for a month. (“NO Apple products for you, One month ” Soup Nazi turned Apple fan
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” /> ) Then come back and look at your statements. CHEEEZZZZEEEE People.
I have to use a (wait, it locked up again or just froze for a while, I can never tell which 🙁 ) pc and mostly IT is too busy to fix anything. I end up doing my best to try and keep it going, including replacing a hard drive. I still cannot get the DVD player to work again, NO idea why. And the old free spy ware program is broken and no longer catches spyware, but the new one does but only once a week unless I pay them money (for a work machine ??? ) to operate on a continous basis (and then what, take up all my free cpu cycles???)))
And all three of my mp3 players still work and pretty good, but once I got my refurb Nano first gen, I got so spoiled that they just sit on the desk gathering dust. Apple has been doing such a great job of “just working so well” that we forget how hard is it to make such great products.
Spoiled. Yet that is it. How many of you complainers would be willing to totallydrop Apple for a month (min) because of these issues?????
OK, so I like stuff for free too. ANd its a pain when Apple makes a mistake, (they posted a video download that was maybe ordered 3 months ago but never connected or maybe even ordered. OK, but they have been quick to fix the problem and great to work with.
Listen to blogs talk about Best Buy or uk’s PC World for a few minutes.
In closing, OK, I do not suggest any bowing down to Apple or Steve Jobs. But first, you need to say that you HONESTLY want Monkey boy running the company for a year. Then see if you might reconsider your whines.
MDN, this goes for you too. Be objective. Apple is a company that has a lot of people wishing it ill, and creating a lot of FUD. (Boy do they need to get a life.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” /> So setting the story right is good. But keep an even balance.
And if you still are not convinced, consider this possible world:
iPods are great. Next great update is watermellon color. Due out in 4 months. And a flash upgrade due out in 18 months. You will love it. Our passion is to keep you waiting.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />
New version of OSX is great. Don’t even thing of buying all that other crap. Leopard now due out by fall of next year. We won’t ship till its ready (or you quit buying 10.4).
Apple announces, DRM is back with a vengence. YOU NEED IT. It protects you. It is good. Prices go up 10% cause of addition of DRM. iTunes price drop. Now 80 cents for a tune. But it only will load on to one device. You must buy more copies, one for each device. Plus, subscription service is now the main way to get tunes. If our servers crap out, you lose your tunes. OPPS sorry about that. But remember, we are the best, they are crap. Prices go up another 5 %. Smile.
PS, see, it could be sooo much worse.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />
Have a nice weekend.
• Apple Breaks 2005-2007 Video Add-Ons: No Warning, Just Buy New Ones
Funny, mine still work fine on my 30GB video iPod.
• iTunes Store iPod Games: Buy Them Again for New iPods
My old Atari games don’t work on the Playstation 3 either.
• iPod touch Screen Problems: Deny Them, Charge Restocking Fees
Seems to me, Apple posted a message about fixing the problem.
• iPhone Ringtones: Pay Twice for Each Song; Forget Using Your Own
As opposed to all the other companies that make it SOOO much easier and I believe they give them all out for free, right?
I got the answer!
Steve Jobs is so busy “making deals” that he has turned over product quality control, attention to detail, innovation and inspiration to a bunch of second rate morons.
Hey Steve! The ship is getting a little off course here. Mind coming back to man the helm? Thanks.
“short-sighted, anti-consumer”
Lets hope it is not getting to this point.
But what a perfect description for Microsloth!
The biggest screwing Apple has given the consumer lately is the fact that they are better supporting Windows users than Mac users with their new products. Specifcally:
Safari 3
iPhone
iPod Touch
iPod Classic
iPod Nano, 3rd generation (AKA, “Fat Nano”)
I’m talking about the requirement for Tiger (OSX 10.4.8 for some and 10.4.10 for others), while any Windows XP will do.
As you recall Windows XP was released in late 2002, so any Windows PC bought in the past 5 years are supported w/o having to purchase an OS upgrade.
Tiger was introduced only 2 1/2 years ago. So, any Mac puchased before that requires a $129 OS “Upgrade” to support these new products. Yes Tiger has some nice features, but Panther (10.3) is still a very viable OS. For that matter, in 2002, when Windows XP was released, Jaguar (10.2) was still current.
Apple owes a little loyalty to their loyal customers, and should support OS X back to 10.2 with these products to support Mac users at least as well as they do Windows users. If they don’t they risk reducing the number of people willing to switch to Mac, and even increase the risk of people defecting to Windows when they realize that they’ll get longer support from Apple for their products than they do on Apple’s own platform.
None of these “issues” have affected me in anyway. Looks like Artie McStrawman was here again.
BTW, I love glossy screens!
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />
“But over the past two weeks, Apple’s fans have been grumbling that the company they knew and loved is transforming into another Microsoft, making short-sighted, anti-consumer decisions and carelessly releasing products with user experience-diminishing problems.”
This is BS. I know of NO Apple fan that is saying that Apple is becoming Microsoft. It would take decades to become that bad. And by definition, if they said that, they aren’t an Apple fan. These problems are small hickups involved in any change. And I for one like change for the better and don’t want to make Apple’s job harder. They are amazing, unprecedented, and there is no one who approaches the GREAT job Apple has done. So quit your whining.
If you don’t like the new iPod and iPhone problems, would you have preferred that they had not made these CHOICES available to you?
Its good to see people questioning apple, maybe this may help keep them from turning into Microsoft. Remember Apple a company live Microsoft, money is the first priority.
• Apple Breaks 2005-2007 Video Add-Ons: No Warning, Just Buy New Ones
“Funny, mine still work fine on my 30GB video iPod.”
Umm dude, they’re referring to the new models, not your old 5G. Try reading the article.
• iTunes Store iPod Games: Buy Them Again for New iPods
“My old Atari games don’t work on the Playstation 3 either.”
Yeah, but my 10+ year old PS One games do….
• iPod touch Screen Problems: Deny Them, Charge Restocking Fees
“Seems to me, Apple posted a message about fixing the problem.”
OK, that’s sorta true, Walt Mossberg posted a message about it just yesterday. But he’s not an Apple employee the last time I checked….
• iPhone Ringtones: Pay Twice for Each Song; Forget Using Your Own
“As opposed to all the other companies that make it SOOO much easier and I believe they give them all out for free, right?”
You’re ignoring people that want to use their own sound clips from GarageBand, etc.
Apple took the road to Greed years ago, when it’s stock started to “matter.”
Where have you people been?
I was into Apple before they went commercial.
Apple did not “break” anything this is no different than when they stopped using fierwire. I have the new nano, the old tech will not work with the new! This is a stupid compliant. Annoying ring tones who cares!
re: Tonybiker
“Apple did not “break” anything this is no different than when they stopped using firewire.”
The only bad thing about it is they are selling a $10 cable for $50.
@ @spark
Whoever you are, you are replying to the wrong guy. I didn’t write the comments that your are attacking.
A good article. I hope Apple reads it and makes things right.
God forbid that I should say this, I agree with the assertion that Apple is somehow, losing it’s shine, but not for the noted reasons, yet … I can not pin down the reason, just a gut feeling … maybe it’s a tribulation of scale.
Too many ventures on the go at once and the ability to manage them all effectively and of an acceptable standard; satisfactory to all, not only longtime users. Steve Jobs can not oversee, every and each detail of all the projects, like he once was able to, the vortex of scale will suck in bad and or indifferent management.
The recent spate of stories that parallel Apple and Microsoft is a fair warning to Apple to engage in an introspective rumination, regarding their core quiddity.
Stuff like this has been going on for a while. While never turning into M$, this is getting attention now because Apple itself is gaining attention. Remember iTools dying and .Mac starting up. You had to pay $100 to keep your email address.
Apple is not always going to do what their users want, today is no different. Is Apple turning into M$?? You got me, but these few examples can be swapped out with a few from the past with the only difference being Apple’s size and popularity.
“I like how every other cell phone maker and carrier have even worse ringtone plans, but somehow when it’s Apple they are evil and greedy?”
No, when other cell phone makers and carriers (mostly carriers, as they have the lock-in) do it, they are evil and greedy.
So what you’re saying is that Apple is just as bad as my cell phone company?
I remember Steve Jobs saying something to the effect that most people hate their cell phone company and how Apple was going to change that. Ultimately, Apple is doing the same things we hate the cell phone companies for–they’re just doing it cheaper.
The “Gosh, you can buy a ringtone for only 99 cents versus those other guys that rent you ringtones for $2.50” isn’t winning fans because of the whole principle that I have to buy the song again. The complaint wasn’t with the expense. The complaint is that I shouldn’t have to rebuy the song to use it in this manner.
Wil Shipley had a post on his blog yesterday revolving around some of these issues. I posted a response on my blog. Essentially, when it comes to ringtones, I don’t think Apple had a choice other than to charge for them. And not because of the music labels, but because of AT&T;.
And locking into one cell carrier? Well, just imagine the nightmare of having to support an entirely new platform on all carriers. Not a pretty picture.
http://itjobsrus.blogspot.com/2007/09/wil-shipley-i-respectfully-disagree.html
– o
http://itjobsrus.blogspot.com
Wil Shipley had a post on his blog yesterday revolving around some of these issues. I posted a response on my blog. Essentially, when it comes to ringtones, I don’t think Apple had a choice other than to charge for them. And not because of the music labels, but because of AT&T;.
And locking into one cell carrier? Well, just imagine the nightmare of having to support an entirely new platform on all carriers. Not a pretty picture.
http://itjobsrus.blogspot.com/2007/09/wil-shipley-i-respectfully-disagree.html
– o
http://itjobsrus.blogspot.com
A corp is a corp of corp of corp.
http://ThunkDifferent.com
I’m a loyal mac fan since 1989, but have come up against the kind of problem/lack of response I associate with Redmond, not Cupertino. Tiger broke operability for me (and many other people, if the forums are anything to go by) with iChat AV. Since Tiger, it’s unusable for many people, with an ‘insufficient bandwidth’ error message, in spite of many suggested remedies. Ok, software bugs are software bugs. But so many people having them, so little response (= so little care?) from Apple, makes me disillusioned. I’ve persuaded several people onto Mac on the strength of iChat alone. Now I’m embarrassed. Please, Apple, don’t do a M$ on us.
When Apple:
Lands an exclusive OS deal through Jobs’ parents…
Blatantly (and poorly) rips-off an OS to fulfill that exclusive deal…
Completely fscks someone through licensing, ala SpyGlass…
Does a BOB, Clippy, and Vista…
Releases, revises, and resells alpha-quality software…
Needs third-party tools to keep their own products secure…
Sends out the BSA Gestapo to shake down big, profitable customers…
Is so universally hated that customers are kept only through a perceived lack of choice…
Puts a freak like Ballmer in charge…
…then it’ll be time to be concerned.
People who complain about things that don’t meet their “expectations” are whiners.
People who complain about products that don’t perfrom as advertised have legitimate gripes.
People who can’t tell the difference are losers.
re: Joe B
I did need to get a new itrip. That the way it goes. No one has to buy a new ipod, you can get the and improved Zune. This happens all the time with cars.
ZOMG!!! You n00bs totally forgot the most egregious thing Apple has done EVAR: Charging $1.99 for the 802.11n Enabler for iMacs that had 802.11n hardware, but no firmware support.
Why did Apple do this? Hmmm? Was it Greed? Could it have been Satan? Well, yeah, it could been Satan, if you consider certain overreaching accounting-reform laws to be satanic.
This is just an example of why people need to find out why things are done the way they are before simply calling it greed or some other form of malice.
I don’t have one of the latest iPods (still on my 4G iPod), but I don’t like that Apple now requires their own expensive cable if you want to hook up your iPod to your television. I usually load TV shows from iTunes onto my wife’s 5.5G iPod and watch them in the living room. Seems with the new iPods you can’t do that without Apple’s cable. I can’t see any reason for this other than greed.
I still love my Mac, and wouldn’t buy anything else, but this just seems unnecessary.
Apple ain’t dealing with Mac users anymore. The majority of iPod and iPhone owners use PCs. Guess what? PC users play a lot more games than Mac people. Games are sacred. If Mac people didn’t stand up for firewire when Apple dropped it, why should a PC user have to pay $5.00 for something they already own. Why switch from Windows when it would require buying new software.
Apple WILL cave into the masses that are PC users, the iPhone rebate is proof. Eventually these demands will hobble Apple products with backware capability like they did Vista!
“Why pay for quality when free is good enough.”
– M. Dell
I’ve been a loyal Apple customer since 1993, but I’m sorry to say that increasingly the company I’ve come to respect is beginning to lose my respect.
The first thing was when my 3rd gen. ipod got completely screwed up with an iTunes update. But as I’d just bought a 60 gig ipod photo it didn’t really worry.
It was one one small thing that did it…Quicktime. I still can’t resize the window with the resize button. This was the one of the OSX fundamentals and now it doesn’t work. Great!
When I read about Apple screwing over customers who have already purchased products and forcing them to buy that product a second time it’s time to speak up.
I might add that when Tiger came out I was roundly condemned by the ultra fanboys form this site for being:
– disloyal
– not knowing what I was talking about
– and being condemned because Panther worked and I was waiting for Tiger to completely work.
So now I’m still waiting for Tiger to completely work…two years after its release. Is that acceptable?
Is its acceptable to bite the hand that feeds their market; Apple consumers and the accessory market that feeds the ipod market. Is that acceptable?
Is it acceptable for failing to fix a simple button resizing issue after several months of waiting?
It is totally unacceptable to be treated like loyal little milk cows that Apple can milk to their heart’s content.
Oh and for the record I don’t own shares in Apple or any company so I don’t carry any biases when it comes to criticism where and when it’s warranted.
Why am I so pissed off with Apple is because:
1. I use Apple in my marketing classes as a model company which I then compare to Microsoft and if I do that in six weeks it will be with some pointed caveats and,
2. I’m buying an iMac at the end of the year and I’m worried that something going to go wrong because Apple is allowing things to go wrong.
It’s just unacceptable!
PLUS:
Shiny iMac screen. ok, if that’s a consumer product, why does it have anodized alumunium body then? Or why don’t they at least give an option?
Apple is indeed turning into another Microsoft.
For everyone who says Apple is loosing their way and you are starting to have doubts, what are you going to do in response? Buy a Windows machine? I don’t happen to agree with all that Apple is doing but still prefer them over anything else out there. Also, don’t even get me started on the “iMac have low end video cards!” nonsense. I am typing this on a 24 inch 2.8GHz iMac which as far as I am concerned performs fantastically. The way people complain about not being able to get 600FPS or whatever is insane especially when you consider the fact that the human eye can’t see more than about 45FPS. Finally, regarding the making ringtones thing, Ambrosia software makes an application that allows you to take any part of any track you own and turn it into a ring tone without having to pay for it again and they have already updated it to be compatible with the latest version of iTunes that was just released.
End of rant.
I think the iLounge article is right on the money–I was thinking exactly the same thing myself, as I suddenly found myself advising my aging mother to, e.g., not get one of the new iMacs, because of their distractingly glossy screens, unconventional keyboard (which I consider right up there with the hockey-puck mouse for inflicting unnecessary pain and distraction on the user) and inferior LCDs (in the 20″ configuration). Instead she got one of the last of the previous generation from MacConnection.
Besides that move to make iMacs unviable as prosumer machines, the ridiculous new menu system on the new iPods, and the various forms of crippling of the iPod Touch also left a really, really bad taste in my mouth. Not just the Touches’ obviously crappy manufacturing quality, but the whole scramble to remove features from them, and Jobs’s calling them ‘training wheels for iPhones.’ Training wheels for something with a minimum annual subscription cost equivalent to buying a new iPod every six months? Since when are top of the line iPods supposed to suck in ways that leave you itching for a different product?
Apple used to try to make every product “‘insanely great,” so that “you will love it as much as we do.” They tried to stretch each product as much as they could, and to make them exceed users’ expectations. Now I agree that a different set of assumptions is operating, and they’re consumer-hostile. I also agree that these are short-sighted, self-defeating assumptions that will set Apple up for a Dell-style fall. Anytime you start to think that some of your products aren’t really very good, and your customers aren’t really very smart or discerning, you’re headed for rough water, sooner or later.
I think Apple’s negotiations with the cell-phone companies (or all the attention paid to Apple’s stock price) short-circuited Jobs’s previous humility and common sense, and turned him back into something very close to the arrogant oaf that he was, by all accounts, back when he was fired from Apple.
Plus, in addition, this new Bad Steve is greedy and grasping as well! He wants to make money by frustrating, tricking, and manipulating customers–like AT&T;or Verizon–instead of by offering them irresistibly great products.
Somewhere along the way, something’s gone wrong. If this Apple goes through another downturn, no one is going to be hanging in there, loving and supporting it as something special and unique in the world of technology, to help it survive.
Say it ain’t so . . . .
By the way, if you doubt the old, Jobs is back, look no further than the new Bluetooth keyboards–sans numeric keypads.
Look familiar?
Steve Jobs is feeling more and more godly these days… and it’s BAD for consumers.
:: iPhone Debacle ::
Arguments of technology moves fast aside, I’m amazed that Apple felt it could get away with such a quick price drop and think it would be okay by its customers. Such moves cause market confusion and customer resentment, and dissatisfaction.
There are 2 key negatives that were demonstrated:
– Steve decided Apple could get away with it.
– Apple was completely dead-wrong on what the customer reaction would be.
Some call the $100 credit a brilliant PR move. The price drop is what has driven increased sales, not the part about screwing early adopters. Giving back 1/2 of the money back does not amount to brilliance.
:: Apple TV ::
Apple left so much out of this half-product dressed in full-product clothing. The one feature that everyone expected it to have is nowhere to be found… that’s DVR functionality in case you live under a rock.
Two things demonstrated:
– Apple thought it could get away with it.
– Apple was completely off with what customers really want.
:: Apple Customers Bend Over Easily ::
Okay, this may not be Apple’s fault but it does affect the decisions the company makes.
Apple’s customers are collectively “Thank you sir, may I have another?” types.
Apple can do no wrong and is always right, always producing the best products and making the right moves.
Many of Apple’s customers define themselves by the things they buy. That makes them cool, smarter, and feel superior. It’s the product that defines the person. So if you point out any flaw, criticism, or even a suggestion… it’s taken as an attack on the person and not on the product or company.
The problem this causes or allows for:
– Apple perceives they can do anything
– Customers don’t drive innovation and product features
– Mistreatment of customers is somehow the customer’s fault.
– Products lack many innovations and features
… and Apple becomes more and more like Microsoft.
———-
Just FYI, this “troll” has been an Apple customer since the days of the ][e and ||gs.
The screen problems and the games compatibility are manufacturing/technology change issues. We’ve seen all this stuff before. Nothing new here, move along.
What’s more interesting are the video accessories issue and the ringtone issue. What both of these indicate to me is: Apple is under pressure by its (current or desired) content providers to provide strong anti-copying and content re-use controls. For example, the new authentication chip for video accessories might mean that Apple wants to offer movie rentals, and the studios want to make sure before they allow it that users can’t rent a video for a couple bucks and then pipe it out to a recording device and have it forever.
Unfortunately, I don’t think Apple can get away from this class of problems without walking away from some (or all) of its content providers. Although they are trying hard to strike a balance, some users won’t be happy with anything other than total content freedom (and some content owners won’t be happy with anything that doesn’t give them absolute, pay-per-view content control).
The only options I can see are to continue to try and create a middle ground where most of the players can meet, or begin cutting out content providers entirely and creating their own music & movie studios (which is probably not a business Apple wants to be in).
I have 3 ipods, a macbook pro, an airport express, an airport extreme, and a iphone–and my customer experience is awesome. I don’t know what you kooks are complaining about. I know it was so cool to be a part of this ultra-cool, chic cult named “apple users” for so long. But now that the world is catching on, it’s no longer so cool, is it? You’ve lost your identity. I’m sorry a couple of 300 million people joined your exclusive club. I know that pisses you off. BUT THE PRODUCTS ARE STILL GREAT!
Apple is unfair to both retailers and consumers. They insist that your products be cheap! I know most of you are as insulted by this as we at MS are.
Boycott APPLE! Vote for value with your wallets!
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