Geeky Stuff

Apple Hype: Good or Beyond Bad?

Apple Hype Monster

You must know by now, that I am a wee bit of an Apple fan girl. Obviously. It’s tough to question my loyalty to Apple. Well except the fact that I still have that late 90s Compac desktop sitting in my living room. I just can’t get rid of him, he’s like my personal WALL•E.

Nevertheless, my loyalty for Apple is unquestioned. I may not be die hard enough to say, camp out for days in front of an Apple store to pick up the first released iProduct, but I’ll properly follow the guys that are and feel a quiet self-reflective disappointment that I’m too lazy or apathetic to camp out for days in front of an Apple store. I try to make up for this by posting zany Mac-related videos.

With that being said, I’m going to say something controversial… mostly so be forewarned:

I wish Apple would fix the problems with their current iProducts BEFORE hyping, advertising, then releasing the next gen iProducts.

Especially with computers. Sure Steve, go nuts with the iPods, but your loyal, creative, freelancers and students really need consistent, bug-free machines to work all the time in order to pay rent and hand in artsy school stuff.

I don’t know about how your Macs are running, but mine are far from smooth sailing. Don’t get me started about Leopard. The worst appears to be over, but OSX continues to reek havoc on audio firewire interfaces. It’s not that Mac aren’t lovely and oh so aesthetically perfect I make cooing noises when I stroke the brushed metal, but experiencing regular kernel panics, the spinning pinwheel of death, force quitting, overheating, fan noise, and major battery fail are not memories that are adding to my love of Mr. J’s Empire of hype.

Speaking of hype, ahem, the 3G iPhone, which was just released last week, receiving such massive hype that no one actually ended up getting one. Huh? I don’t get it. Me neither. What is the world coming to when iJustine can’t get a freaking iPhone?!? And already the Apple rumour mills are churning with the pulpy goodness of new sleek and sexy MacBook Touch.

Now as someone who recently got a MacBook Air, is still paying off a Mac Pro, and is still emotionally attached to last year’s MacBook, when I hear about a next generation release or major upgrade to a better, faster, more awesome and streamlined machine than the one I just bought last week, I don’t feel anything related to happy. In fact I feel a little ill, then hysterical, then I get on the line with Apple, and then I wait, and wait, and crrrrrrrrry when my call gets disconnected.

Too much Apple. Too often. Too much exposure and hype and advertising and mainstream blah! Remember when Macs were so underground that you had to fight tooth and nail to get even an once of respect? Like that time you were thrown out of computer camp for refusing to use a PC. Oh you weren’t thrown out of computer camp? That was just me? Ok fine, but It was important for me, at the age of 12, to really lay down the law. Oh and remember when you were the only one with sweet graphics in your 4th grade essay on tornados cuz you had Paint? Yeah, those were the days. Now, anyone from Beyonce to (puke) Spencer from the Hills (don’t ask me how I know that) can use and abuse a MacBook Pro. But, it’s all good right? More money for Apple, more live John Mayer keynote performances, better products for us… Yes? Or more like a n-n-n-No!

What do you think? Has Apple’s mainstream hype and lack of product accessibility (ahem… iPhone) got you feelin’ less than perky? Or are you jacked into your feed reader jumping with glee when your Apple RSS gets all kinds of new, sweet iProducts & Software?

What do you think of Apple hype?

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  • CTodd
    July 24, 2008 at 1:56 PM

    I think if Apple isn’t too careful, it’ll look more and more like Microsoft.

    After 3 years, I’m now starting to have troubles with my beloved iMac G5. I’m holding out until January to buy a new Mac as I have observed Apple recently keep adding in features, upgrades, etc over time and of course – I want the latest and greatest if I’m going to cough up $2000 or more for a new machine.

    Hell – I’ve even thought of buying a PC…

    {GASP!}

    … but since I’m moving to Madrid next year, and iPhones are available in Spain. I may just stick with Mac….

  • Scott
    July 24, 2008 at 1:57 PM

    Are you really having that many issues with leopard Lisa. What version of Leopard is it. Im running 10.5.4 and have had no issues what so ever. Sounds like you got a bad apple!

  • CTodd
    July 24, 2008 at 1:57 PM

    GRAMMAR FAIL.

    That was a horrific run-on sentence.

  • Jeremy Latham
    July 24, 2008 at 1:58 PM

    The problems you’ve described with Leopard sound an awful lot like what people have been accusing Vista of!

  • Jonathan
    July 24, 2008 at 2:00 PM

    I think you’re dead on. However, I also believe that if Apple did not do what they do and constantly revamp their product lines we wouldn’t be seeing A) amazing innovation from Apple, or B) amazing innovation from other companies (Lenovo, Dell, HP making subnotebooks, wireless carriers getting smarter about cell phones, digital music providers selling DRM-free mp3s, software developers constantly updating to make use of the latest and greatest hardware/technologies, etc.)

    I do think they need to remember that they are ALSO a computer company and not a portable media company that happens to make computers.

    And after being burned on buying a machine and then having it updated 16 days later, I can definitely relate.

  • Ryan
    July 24, 2008 at 2:04 PM

    Boo hoo! Why would you want Apple to subject itself and hold off on new and innovative products? Why would you want to corner yourself into that same dark place that many Apple fans hid in when the Microsoft based PC was el primo supremo? I think you wouldn’t be feeling so bad if you lived in the US and were able to get your hands on a 1st gen iPhone.

    If it were my choice, I’d have Apple products take over the corporate world. I hate having to go to work and be forced to work on a PC. It’s just, bleh…

    People weren’t able to get the iPhone 3G because the awesomeness of the 1st iPhone shed light on what’s to come. You talk about computer problems? Base your entire business around PC products and tell me how well that machine runs after installing any type of anti-virus or pop-up blocker. See how much you miss Leopard when Vista is eating up 50% of your resources in idle mode.

    Appreciate what Apple is doing and ride the surf like everyone else.

  • fotoeins
    July 24, 2008 at 2:05 PM

    Hi, Lisa.

    You’ve voiced out loud what I’ve been thinking for some time, though I’m sure we’re far more unique. No doubt, others who are fond of their Applunix machines are equally concerned by an apparent widening of distance (or is it detachment) between the Apple side and the consumer side, where support to and understanding of the community are concerned.

    (a wae history: there were many years between the SE30 and the 2nd-gen Titanium PowerBook. The latter was followed by two Aluminum PowerBooks, and now, I’m using a MB Air – HDD version.)

  • Scott
    July 24, 2008 at 2:05 PM

    Hey ryan, even though you do have valid points, your sounding a lil harsh towards lisa jsyk

  • Jorge
    July 24, 2008 at 2:06 PM

    Hello Lisa, just found your blog today! And nice first post i get to read from you!

    This is totally true. I don’t own a mac yet, but i’ve use them in college. Everybody gets a Mac, everybody wants a Mac, specially since Vista came out. I think that a Mac is whole other world. Ok it’s easy to use, but you need to get to know the mac because it has a lot of potential. The problem with Apple is that they are putting much more emphasis in the development of the product before launch than in the development after the launch, and there is the need for a balance in both things. We need constant updates and fixes so we can get the best experience out of our Mac.

    I think that Hype is created by the great experience and beautiful designs we have been given by apple before and that it’s good for them. Now i think it’s not good to be wanting to have always the latest. Sometimes last years product works as well or better than the new one. But since Apple is so sexy we always want the latest from them. I think this is beyond rational thought it’s a love relationship. Like Kevin Roberts (the CEO of Saatchi and Saatchi) will say…Apple is a lovemark and PCs are a rational “brand”.

  • Ryan
    July 24, 2008 at 2:11 PM

    Oh, and it’s amazing how only a couple years ago, Mac users tried to convince PC users that Macs were supreme. Now that Apple has people switching, Mac users want to cry and call new Mac users idiots.

    Earth to @Pasquale, everyone starts off as a “new Mac user.” Doesn’t make them an idiot for wanting to try something new because the light has been shed upon them.

    P.S. I used PCs for the better part of my life and bought my first Mac this year. I’m pretty sure I can use it just about as well as anyone out there.

    P.S.S. Wasn’t the Mac made to be user friendly with the “idiot” in mind?

  • Justin
    July 24, 2008 at 2:12 PM

    To me the reason why Apple is having more “problems” is because they have gotten more popular, its because of this that they are experiencing more problems cause of the amount of machines they ship there are bound to be a few bad eggs. Lucky for me i haven’t had a single issue with my macs that make me think Apple has gone rotten. Ive been a mac user since 2004 and i don’t plan on switching back to windows any time in the near future. Great Post!

  • Ryan
    July 24, 2008 at 2:20 PM

    @Scott

    Didn’t mean to sound that harsh, but it seems to be a growing trend as of late for people to bash Apple for being innovative as of late. It’s just that no one makes you “want” or “feel the need” to have the latest and greatest, that’s all on you. If your consumer base started complaining and saying “slow down, you’re coming out with too much good S**T,” would you tell your R&D to slow down? Would you hold your product off for another year when you know that profit can be made?

    Also, would you be happy with Apple if they only came out with new products every other year? It’s just kinda pointless IMO to complain about something like this because in the end, you’re going to buy and end up with the latest and greatest.

  • Nate
    July 24, 2008 at 2:24 PM

    Apple is way too trendy for my taste. It has become like the Abercrombie/Hollister of the computing world and more of an elite club than anything else. I don’t see why Apple has gained such a reputation of being a great graphical machine when almost any of the software used on a mac runs the same or better on a windows pc. Windows pc’s generally have better hardware than mac anyway. Remember how much mac sucked before they had intel procs?

    p.s. I <3 Bill Gates

  • Scott
    July 24, 2008 at 2:25 PM

    I agree, people need to stop complaining for apples multitude of awesomeness. and btw no biggie for the accidental harshness soundingness

  • Scott
    July 24, 2008 at 2:27 PM

    are you kidding me nate, hardware on macs are bar none (look at the mac pro with 32 gigs of ram and 1.5 gigabyte gfx card. and all of your good software except cad and some games are the best on macs because of the stable platform and integration with OS. photoshop on windows blows btw

  • Rich
    July 24, 2008 at 2:28 PM

    I think in retrospect it will turn out that Snow Leopard was the best thing that Apple ever did: it’s an idea that’s typical of how Apple should operate, and utterly unlike the rest of the industry. I’ve always found it interesting that OS X upgrades are implicitly about providing new features to developers rather than directly to users (but with a few glitzy things to make users want to upgrade), but it will be even more interesting when this strategy becomes explicit. Who knows, maybe they’ll even sneak some EOF-like features back into CoreData.

    I’m definitely finding the Leopard slowdowns and kernel panics annoying, and the iPhone 2.0 software has already crashed my iPhone more times than the 1.x software did in the whole time since I bought the phone on the day of its UK release.

  • John
    July 24, 2008 at 2:49 PM

    I remember those days of getting no respect with my original iMac. Boy have things changed.

  • Steve
    July 24, 2008 at 3:02 PM

    I’ve always said that I do not Apple to become big and powerful the way Microsoft is. I am glad you wrote this….someone had to. All it takes is for Apple to grow in market share a little bit and all the things we hate about Microsoft will affect Apple. The difference between the two companies is size. Apple is small, Microsoft is big, although both are equally successful. As soon as Apple grows, we, the consumers, will start to experience more of the things that we hated about Microsoft in Apple. This is evidenced by the recent growth of Apple.

    Think about this. Apple has recently gotten bigger and sold a lot more Macs. Guess what happened? We get more and more of the Microsoft-ish problems, i.e. MobileMe and iPhone 3G bugs and lines. If there is anything that the recent MobileMess has taught us is that more isn’t always better.

    If anyone reading this comment honestly believes that if Apple rises a few percentage points in the global market share, our customer experience will improve, I would LOVE to hear from you.

    I switched to the Mac platform partly because of what makes Apple, Apple! I was drawn to the tight knit community, the superior customer service, and most of all because I thought that I had just found the best kept secret in all of computing.

    But suddenly, Apple’s not looking too hot right now.

    But hey, maybe it’s just me.

  • Dan
    July 24, 2008 at 3:06 PM

    I think owning a Mac was necessary for creative designers, audio engineers, etc. and for whatever reason, most public schools also bought them in truckloads in the 90s. But the computing landscape is a pretty different place now. Most of the Mac’s defining genre of apps have shifted to the PC. There isn’t much that Mac’s can do better than PCs, and the undying belief that it can stems from familiarity from those creative people trickling down to others (hey you don’t think having all those kids grow up to Macs at school had an effect do you?). Still, I don’t even think Apple was that big of a deal until iPods exploded onto the market. They weren’t the best audio players. They were good enough and looked hip. Everything just snowballed after that.
    I used those Mac Classics, and personally I honestly could never understand how anyone could like them. System 7 was the worst OS I’ve ever used, well except for System 1-6. System 8 and 9 addressed look and feel, but the underlying kernel technology was getting pretty stale at that point. I’ll admit OS X looks cool, but really it was playing technological catchup for a lot of things.
    Still, I also have the iPhone 3G. Waited 4 hours on release day to get one. Can’t say it was worth that much hassle, but then again, I’m not terribly disappointed enough to return it either.

    @Scott
    right, that’s why Adobe, Autodesk (Alias Wavefront), etc have changed to Windows for their primary platform. :rolls eyes: I never understood the blind fanboyism that Apple addicts display. Look at the hardware that runs some Windows workstations: 8 socket quadcore AMD opteron with 128 GiB of NUMA memory and SLI Quadro cards. Sorry, what was the Mac spec you listed?
    Stable platform? Macs are just as unstable as their Windows counterparts. I don’t see how you can say with a straight face Leopard was that stable of an OS on release.
    And integration… how come no other OS maker ever charges me to buy an update to the OS when I need to install the next version of the Sun JRE?

  • Mitchell
    July 24, 2008 at 3:20 PM

    Ah, the timeless Mac vs. PC debate. Isn’t this fun? Not really.

    I’m pro Apple. One could go as far as to call me a fanboy. Sure, I drool over every new iProduct, I add it to my wishlist, and I turn once again to my pitiful savings and make outrageous plans to be able to afford said product…

    Too bad it hardly ever works. I have ONE (Repeat: 1!) Apple product: My iMac. It’s absolutely fantabulous. It’s the “new” iMac, all aluminum and glass and such. Only, I got it before Leopard was released, so I’m running Tiger. It’s kind of awesome, considering all of the problems and quirks Leopard doles out.

    Also, I really, really, REALLY want an iPod. More specifically, an iPod Touch. I would say I want that iPod mostly because it looks like an iPhone.

    But Apple is hype-happy. Too much so, seeing as one can’t actually go into an Apple store and get the product they want, even if it was just released. That being said, I may or may not see myself one day camping outside of my local Apple store waiting for ol’ Stevie’s newest product.

    Meh. Apple ftw?

  • Scott
    July 24, 2008 at 3:27 PM

    @Dan, where is your proof on adobe and autodesk using windows as their primary system? also lisa and I (people who actually use computers for productive reasons) that photoshop is far superior running on a mac OS. I have also used autodesk products on macs and windows. Dont even need to state an answer because it is already obvious. and also where is your proof of this 128 gig ram. Also if it does exist WINDOWS SUPPORTS ONLY 4 GIGS OF RAM, well unless you count 64 bit vista which has NO drivers. Mac pros with 32 gigs of ram that is actually used effectively + 8 cores of processing power + 1.5 gigs of gfx memory + OpenGL is the future of GFX (unlike crappy gaming devoted diretx) = macs ftw. Also Leopard is quite stable OS, but like any product not everyone experiences perfect results. I am by far not a blind fan boy, I am a person who uses macs for the clear reason, they allow me to compute efficiently and spend more time on my work (photography and videography) and less time screaming “why must windows Phail, i just tried to open a PSD”

  • Steve
    July 24, 2008 at 3:33 PM

    @Dan You make some decent points. But I wish you would compare Mac OS Leopard with Windows Vista. Apple is a completely different company now than it was during the era of system 7. As for the stability, I hate when people talk about how Macs “never crash”. Every single day a few apps crash. But the difference is in how it crashes. In Windows, you have to restart the system and deal with endless “End Now” prompts that do squat. With OS X, programs close gracefully and don’t bog down the entire system. I also believe that many of the problems of Windows that mindless Apple fanboys throw around mainly have to do with the quality of the hardware. You can get a $300 PC, therefore people are using (and complaining about) $300 PC’s. You can’t get a $300 Mac, or even a $1,000 Mac. Less junk, less problems.

    @Scott PC’s are more flexible. face it. They’re more customizable and are better for people who want to fiddle with their computers instead of actually using them. For us who actually enjoy USING our computer’s, the Mac is perfect. But try not to be naive, okay? Macs are good for us, but PCs are better for other types of people. You can have your favorites, but no platform is all around a superior OS. They each have their advantages and disadvantages, and by refusing to acknowledge that, you are only contributing to the fan-boyish, Mac zealot persona we have tried so desperately to banish. Don’t ruin it for us, eh?

  • Steve
    July 24, 2008 at 3:46 PM

    You just had to post this question, huh Lisa?!!

    Don’t you know that nine times out of ten an argument leaves each side feeling more convinced that THEY are right. This debate will NEVER be solved. I use Macs, my friend uses a PC. Can’t we all just get along? In no way am I better than my friend, and in no way is my friend better than me. I am not going to yell at someone who prefers oranges over bananas. I happen to be a banana guy, but what does it matter if someone else likes oranges? I like a good orange every once in a while.

    I hope you Mac fanboys out there realize that you’re not helping your own cause! Jeez, and you wonder why you have such a bad image.

    In the words of John Lennon and Paul McCartney:

    All we are saying is give peace a chance.
    All we are saying is give peace a chance.
    All we are saying is give peace a chance.
    All we are saying is give peace a chance.

  • Duane Storey
    July 24, 2008 at 4:29 PM

    Apple’s definitely going downhill. I mean, what does it say when their next massive OS release is basically described by Apple as one giant bug fix? Not only that, but they are planning to charge us for it, even though it’s fixing all the stuff they broke in 10.5.

  • Steve
    July 24, 2008 at 4:36 PM

    @Duane – It isn’t a bug fix. It’s a streamlining of the operating system. It makes your software run faster on the hardware you already have. It’s simply getting rid of the bloat.

    You may view that as a bug fix, and I can sort of understand that. However, it is not “fixing all the stuff they broke in 10.5”.

    It’s faster, and I will gladly pay money for a faster operating system. That’s better than any new features that just add to the bloat.

    As for the problems in 10.5, I don’t know of any outstanding problems. At least I’m not experiencing any. The only “problems” they had were fixed by Apple at our request (i.e. stacks and the transparent menu bar).

  • Andy
    July 24, 2008 at 4:44 PM

    I think Apple are doing fine. The past year, this year and next year will be a defining point in time for them. It is difficult to transition from relative obscurity to the mainstream, so they are bound to screw up a couple of product launches. They are not perfect after all. :)

    No matter what they do or what happens, they are always going to piss off at least some of the people who are true Mac originals. Mainly the ones who just liked being different to everyone else.

    Me personally – as long as I’m happy that OS X keeps me more productive than any other platform, I’ll be staying on the bandwagon for a ride.

    @Duane – I’m sure they will reduce the cost of 10.6. I think they are taking the right approach though. They need to make sure the OS can support the multi-multi-core future of computing, before they layer on more toppings. It’ll pay off in the long run.

  • range
    July 24, 2008 at 6:42 PM

    I only own an iPod Classic 160. I thought that the iPod Touch was nice, but 16GB or 32 wasn’t enough space for my music collection.

    iPhones… blah… Don’t really care about them. They are snazzy and cool, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t really use cell phones that much anymore. I used to use one for work all of the time. In a sense, I consider cell phones as being a leash, which is why mine is always on vibrate and I forget it at home a lot.

    I’ve thought about getting a MacBook last January, but getting one spec’ed the way I wanted was almost 50% more than a comparable Asus 13.3″ laptop, which had more features but came with Vista.

    Vista is pretty bad. I don’t know how it compares to OSX. My home machine is still on Win XP and I don’t plan on upgrading it anytime soon. My laptop is in Vista. It’s not always fun.

    MacBook Touch looks really nice. That’s something that I might consider getting, instead of upgrading laptops.

    PCs are extremely cheap to maintain, upgrade and modify, which is why I’ve had them since 1990. Before we had some Macs at home.

  • Duane Storey
    July 24, 2008 at 6:50 PM

    @Andy – To be honest, what they are doing is attempting to correct a mistake and have the consumers pay for for it. What they plan on doing in 10.6 should have been done in 10.5 The took a stable OS (Tiger) and made it into an unstable one (Leopard). And to correct it, they are asking consumers to pay yet again. And I’m not sure multi-multi core is really what the OS is meant to address. I have an eight core machine and most of the cores sit idle all the time. That’s no fault of the OS — there really aren’t that many tasks that can be independently parallelized.

    I like Apple products, but their quality lately just sucks. And I’m getting tired of them nickel and diming everyone to death. I mean, charging $3 for wireless N firmware updates and $10 for firmware on the WPtouch? What’s with that?

  • iPab
    July 26, 2008 at 2:08 AM

    They really have to fix MobileMe, and some problems with GPS in iPhone 3G.

    Something is happening with the quality on the NEW iProducts…

    Look at the iMacs G5, they still running, and has no damage…something is wrong inside 1 Infinite Loop.

  • Kitta
    July 26, 2008 at 11:41 AM

    I totally agree. Quality over quantity (or new iProducts) is becoming a thing of the past with Apple. They really do need to focus on current products and software.

    I adore Apple, but I hate all the iHype.

  • David Rusling
    July 27, 2008 at 12:57 AM

    I joined the Mac flock when the first PPC Mac Mini came out. Our household has 3 Macs and numerous iPods. Leopard was a little rocky at the start but has (for me at least) settled down. It (and Tiger) were always way more stable and friendly than Windows XP.
    Personally, I think that Apple are rushing some products out and that their standard has slipped a little. After all, they’re not a big company.

    For some, part of the lure of Apple is it’s exclusivity and rareness. As Apple succeeds, that’s going away.

    As for new model syndrome, there’ll always be a neat new device whenever you buy, but this site (http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/) is pretty useful.

  • Victor
    July 27, 2008 at 2:06 AM

    Hmmm, seems like my comment from 2 days ago was deleted. It was kinda long, but I wasn’t that much longer than any of the other ones posted earlier. I didn’t insult anyone, didn’t curse, and tried to make a response on both ends of the debate, that some people didn’t touch on.

    Eh, what you gonna do? Not sure why it was deleted though, but the sites still cool. Just hope this isn’t something that happens a lot.

    No biggie, I’ll just try to keep the post to a minimum now.

  • Mostly Lisa
    July 27, 2008 at 11:42 AM

    @Victor — just letting you know i didn’t delete your comment! my blog crashed a few days ago when i moved to a new host and i lost all the comments that were posted during the switch. i’m really sorry about that. i hate when i lose comments because i appreciate them so much!

    there is no limit to how long your comment is, so don’t ever worry about that.

  • Spike
    July 27, 2008 at 7:21 PM

    My comment got munched too, but about all I had to say was that my experience with several Macs, iPods, iPhones, etc., over the last six years has been virtually flawless. One recall for a noisy power supply fan on my first MDD PowerMac, one dead 12″ PowerBook that crash-landed on a concrete floor when someone yanked it off its perch by tripping over the power cord, and one nasty recurring freeze on my current MacBook Pro that seems to be fixed in 10.5.4.

  • Saf
    July 28, 2008 at 1:33 AM

    Look what I heard today :

    Apple looking to hire iPhone hacker!!
    http://tinyurl.com/5e3sss

    Steve is really awesome.

  • Mostly Lisa
    July 28, 2008 at 1:28 PM

    @Spike — gah! sorry about that. my iBook had a major crash landing as well. still worked after, just the CD drive went a bit wonky.

    @Saf — hahaha! awesome.

  • rich
    July 28, 2008 at 3:02 PM

    Apple must take care…

    When you put something on a pedestal, the danger is that it might fall off one day…

  • jason
    July 29, 2008 at 5:47 PM

    ok, waaaaaaaaaay off topic to most, but I think it relates to your post.

    You know Prince, right – you know, the guy who wears the “ass-out” pants?

    Well, in the 90’s he was recording, like, 7 albums worth of material every year. And he wanted to release it to the public. But his label, Warner Brothers was like “Dude, you’re bad and all, but no one wants to hear that much sexafunkafalsetto with a back beat”.

    Seems like they were right, somewhat, as his hits fell off the map. (although is street cred is still pretty high – yeah, he’s funky)

    Anyway, is Apple in the same boat? They release so many cool toys that we can’t keep up with them and end up saying “screw it, where’s that Toshiba that Best Buy was selling on Sunday for beans”.

    Ok, i’m done.

  • kristarella
    July 30, 2008 at 3:12 AM

    Yep, I think that Apple and their fan-boys/girls need to think hard before raving. I’ve been thinking that problems are a nature of large scale ventures. The more people who have Macs, the more chances there are of somebody having a problem with their Mac. Apple needs to make sure they stay on top of the problems while they are spreading like wild-fire (I wonder how ‘wild’ fire is different from regular fire…).

  • Suki
    August 4, 2008 at 12:20 AM

    Came here off Mark Cohen’s page, and I reckon you have all your points correct. The one catch? Apple is still better than a lot of the others out there.
    The main complaint I would have against Apple is that they’re releasing products prematurely, without testing them properly. But like you, I’m a complete slave to the sheer beauty and efficiency of their products! I will nitpick and say that the Creative Zen Plus has better sound quality and the iBuds are downright bad, but.. the sheer user-friendliness and beauty of the iPod is what gives it that touch of class :).

  • Karamea
    August 20, 2008 at 1:44 PM

    I’m currently reading this on my old PowerBook and hating life. Why you ask?
    Because last Thursday my almost year old Macbook’s video card decided to die.

    Please tell me how this happens? After a year!! My dad runs a Dell, and my mom, HP. And in the years that they’ve both had their laptops, they have never ever had the problems I’ve had with mine!!

    I trusted Steve to give me a working laptop to use for online classes and freelance work, and instead he gives me a laptop that needs 3, yes THREE new batteries in less than 6 months, and a video card that dies because the battery overheats almost on a daily basis!!!!

    And I won’t even go into my iPhone rant!!
    But yes, I more than agree with you on this one!! Too much hype. Not enough tests. I love Apple with all my heart. But I fear Steve might fall off his pedestal soon if he doesn’t slow it down!!

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