Just some technical observations from an old techy nerd. If I step on toes, I apologize, that’s not my intention, and I can be blunt.
My dearly deceased partner had an IMac when I met him, an incredibly expensive piece of crap. He didn’t know, Macs are the best. Everyone knew it.
It had a common defect that Apple refused to do a recall on. Hundreds of multi-colored lines were on the screen. It was usable, barely. It happened just after the warranty expired to him and many other people. The quoted repair would have been more than a new one. I get the game; make things virtually impossible to be fixed or upgraded by the consumer so they'd be dependent on a very aggressive pricing structure. And they'll keep coming back. From my point of view, Apple made crappy hardware, and often wouldn’t back it up. Do that to my sweetie? Expect some pushback. Others swear by the stuff.
When I moved in with a PC, it was all moot. I built my own; there were no worries about fixes and upgrades. The fixes were never needed (but could easily be accomplished at home), and I never needed to upgrade a unit since they were precisely customized from the start with my exact needs in mind plus experiential headroom, something you can only fuzzily aim at in the Apple world with limited models to choose from.
As we know, building a customized PC is actually quite easy (a Youtube video is all you need these days). I had to build a server on my job in ‘91 with no experience. “Put this in this slot” was basically all it was plus some screws and wires with keyed terminations. Easy. No rocket science degree needed.
Run out of hard drive space in an IMac? Get a whole new IMac! The new “Tiger” version of the OS bork your Photoshop installation, and re-installation doesn’t fix it? (I’ve heard similar complaints in computer forums ad nauseum about all Macs, not just the “I” variety.) A new Mac will take your troubles away! (for a while, “Sierra” is about to be released - pretty names for sometimes nightmares, but OS upgrades should be a breeze, shouldn't they? I can't wait to see what's new.) The inevitable slow-downs of more advanced software and intentional, programmed lagginess got you down? Make a trip to the Apple Store! They have just the slick, new, enticing thing! I could go on.
I always knew about Apple’s almost forced way of making people replace pretty, newish, very expensive hardware. The most repeated comment I've heard from IPhone users with pricey, just year old phones is, "Time for a new phone, this one is slowing down." They know people don't learn. Cha-ching!
Staying on phones, of course they all have limited software/data space when off the cloud. An IPhone with greater memory is only a few hundred greenbacks away, and then what do you do? Oh yeah, next year’s phone isn’t that far away. Not to brag, and my $50, three-year-old Android phone has a slot to add 128GB of more space. The memory cards are less than $50. The phone is as fast as day-one despite the OS updates. Imagine.
Apple is a closed space with only really one company in development. Not true of the PC world where also a lot of really great software is completely free, without ads. Many developers just want to share their ingenuity in a magnanimous way. I do my music writing on one such software. Imagine, truly free, amazing stuff. (I know this can be seen in the Apple world on a much more infrequent basis.)
In my opinion, after much observation from my nerdy eyes and brain, Apple makes slick, easy to use (initially), hardware and software that can suck, big time, and is apparently addictive. Heads banging into walls is no way to usher in advancement (again, in my opinion). PC’s are just as easy, as are Android phones, but they have less perceived prestige. I get the need.
I’m not out to change minds, denying another’s belief is never wanted, and Apple frustrations are totally avoidable and the alternative more frugal (remember that word?).
My two worthless cents.
My dearly deceased partner had an IMac when I met him, an incredibly expensive piece of crap. He didn’t know, Macs are the best. Everyone knew it.
It had a common defect that Apple refused to do a recall on. Hundreds of multi-colored lines were on the screen. It was usable, barely. It happened just after the warranty expired to him and many other people. The quoted repair would have been more than a new one. I get the game; make things virtually impossible to be fixed or upgraded by the consumer so they'd be dependent on a very aggressive pricing structure. And they'll keep coming back. From my point of view, Apple made crappy hardware, and often wouldn’t back it up. Do that to my sweetie? Expect some pushback. Others swear by the stuff.
When I moved in with a PC, it was all moot. I built my own; there were no worries about fixes and upgrades. The fixes were never needed (but could easily be accomplished at home), and I never needed to upgrade a unit since they were precisely customized from the start with my exact needs in mind plus experiential headroom, something you can only fuzzily aim at in the Apple world with limited models to choose from.
As we know, building a customized PC is actually quite easy (a Youtube video is all you need these days). I had to build a server on my job in ‘91 with no experience. “Put this in this slot” was basically all it was plus some screws and wires with keyed terminations. Easy. No rocket science degree needed.
Run out of hard drive space in an IMac? Get a whole new IMac! The new “Tiger” version of the OS bork your Photoshop installation, and re-installation doesn’t fix it? (I’ve heard similar complaints in computer forums ad nauseum about all Macs, not just the “I” variety.) A new Mac will take your troubles away! (for a while, “Sierra” is about to be released - pretty names for sometimes nightmares, but OS upgrades should be a breeze, shouldn't they? I can't wait to see what's new.) The inevitable slow-downs of more advanced software and intentional, programmed lagginess got you down? Make a trip to the Apple Store! They have just the slick, new, enticing thing! I could go on.
I always knew about Apple’s almost forced way of making people replace pretty, newish, very expensive hardware. The most repeated comment I've heard from IPhone users with pricey, just year old phones is, "Time for a new phone, this one is slowing down." They know people don't learn. Cha-ching!
Staying on phones, of course they all have limited software/data space when off the cloud. An IPhone with greater memory is only a few hundred greenbacks away, and then what do you do? Oh yeah, next year’s phone isn’t that far away. Not to brag, and my $50, three-year-old Android phone has a slot to add 128GB of more space. The memory cards are less than $50. The phone is as fast as day-one despite the OS updates. Imagine.
Apple is a closed space with only really one company in development. Not true of the PC world where also a lot of really great software is completely free, without ads. Many developers just want to share their ingenuity in a magnanimous way. I do my music writing on one such software. Imagine, truly free, amazing stuff. (I know this can be seen in the Apple world on a much more infrequent basis.)
In my opinion, after much observation from my nerdy eyes and brain, Apple makes slick, easy to use (initially), hardware and software that can suck, big time, and is apparently addictive. Heads banging into walls is no way to usher in advancement (again, in my opinion). PC’s are just as easy, as are Android phones, but they have less perceived prestige. I get the need.
I’m not out to change minds, denying another’s belief is never wanted, and Apple frustrations are totally avoidable and the alternative more frugal (remember that word?).
My two worthless cents.
Facebook
Twitter