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Apple - Think Twice

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Re: Apple - Think Twice

#151

Post by robmcm »

konstruktor wrote: post #34
msy wrote: post #10

Revision A Apple projects have had issues for as long as Apple has been making products. Second gen Macbook Air's had Logic board issues, 2007 era RevA Macbook Pros had video card issues, dodgy graphics cards on the early Mac Pros, the iPhone4 antenna, the list is endless. Often it's taken years for the issues to be resolved and Apple to pay for repairs, if at all. It's simple, if you want the shiniest tech, buy what…

When batteries for my 2006 MBP's model had problems, Apple issued a recall. I got a new one in a UPS box that I could use to send the old one back. This cost apple parts and shipping, not even a technician's time. Service like this is much harder to provide if the computers you build are not repairable at all. They created a situation where fixing one problem means exchanging the whole unit. That is their own fault.…

I had the same issue with a 11" MBP back in the day and had the same great fix, although I was told to throw the old battery away.

I also had an issue with a 1Gen time capsule, which when it broke got replaced in store no questions asked.

I guess I have been lucky?

Re: Apple - Think Twice

#152

Post by comex »

w1ntermute wrote: post #135
astrodust wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're essentially saying that any computer with a metal case, or extensive metal shielding inside could suffer the same problem. HP makes a number of metal laptops, for instance, in an effort to make them more recyclable, the same reasoning behind Apple's materials decision. Why would I buy a Lenovo T-series? It looks virtually indistinguishable from any laptop made in the late 1990s and still has that absurd red jo…

> Why would I buy a Lenovo T-series? It looks virtually indistinguishable from any laptop made in the late 1990s and still has that absurd red joystick. And with that statement you just exposed how ignorant you really are. The TrackPoint is far superior to any trackpad out there. In fact, I don't even use a mouse with my desktop - I have a USB version of the ThinkPad keyboard[0]. With the TrackPoint, you can use the…

The parent comment was wrong to brand its opponents fanatics, but yours is also excessively opinionated. TrackPoint versus (Apple) trackpad is, fairly obviously, a matter of taste, not of Kool-Aid.

Re: Apple - Think Twice

#153

Post by Apocryphon »

marknutter wrote: post #125
Apocryphon wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is evidence for you, personally, yes. However, in aggregate, for all consumers, it is anecdata. There are people who swear by the opposite experience, of years of bad issues with non-Apple tech until they switched over. The ultimate problem with this discussion is that yours is only one data point, when a full survey would be required to determine which manufacturer is best. At the same time, sympathies for your b…

surveys like this one: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20108336-17/apple-tops-in-...

The people have spoken.

I wonder how often these studies are taken- annually? Quarterly? It'd be neat if they were done frequently, rather like polls during campaign season. Maybe a month or two after major product launches to gauge if satisfaction has changed.

Re: Apple - Think Twice

#154

Post by bm1362 »

I used to work in AppleCare and would advise OP to simply try again with a different genius/agent. Apple will set some guidelines but ultimately it was up to the agent's discretion. I was there for antenna-gate and almost always tried to make the customer satisfied- although I would have to run through the tests to protect myself.

Its a bureaucracy like anything else, some are more susceptible to empathy.

Re: Apple - Think Twice

#155

Post by stcredzero »

burriko wrote: post #139

Interesting. I've had the exact same problem, and yet what happened to me was the best customer service I've ever experienced. I had bought a 15" retina MBP at launch, but only noticed the ghosting last month. After booking an appointment with a 'genius' online I arrived ready to argue my case. What actually happened was that the 'genius' agreed with me straight away that the ghosting was intolerable, and without doi…

> Interesting. I've had the exact same problem, and yet what happened to me was the best customer service I've ever experienced.

Not all geniuses are created equal. Some of them are horrible. Some are great. It's like any other population of human beings. I've gotten both kinds.

Re: Apple - Think Twice

#156

Post by chaud »

bugsbunnyak wrote: post #90
meaty wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ahh yes the unibody which is basically a fucking big short circuit, hence why mine caught fire. It's engineering, but it's not SOUND ENGINEERING. I stand by my expensive trinket comment. Buy a Lenovo T-series and you'll understand.

Sadly, Lenovo cannot be relied on as they once were (even for the first few years post-IBM). My W520 has been to warranty depot three times - still not fixed - for this problem that has been known for 1.5 years: http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/W-Series-ThinkPad-Laptops/W520-s... I'm still using, and loving, my T61P. If only there was a way to get an i5 or i7 in that lovely reliable chassis :(

Just as it has always been, the T series will be the best built laptops. You were free to purchase a T530 with any of the i5 or i7 CPUs and 1920 x 1080 screen. The only downside to them is the lack of higher end GPUs. They are just about as solidly built as the older T series.

Re: Apple - Think Twice

#157

Post by w1ntermute »

comex wrote: post #152
w1ntermute wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Why would I buy a Lenovo T-series? It looks virtually indistinguishable from any laptop made in the late 1990s and still has that absurd red joystick. And with that statement you just exposed how ignorant you really are. The TrackPoint is far superior to any trackpad out there. In fact, I don't even use a mouse with my desktop - I have a USB version of the ThinkPad keyboard[0]. With the TrackPoint, you can use the…

The parent comment was wrong to brand its opponents fanatics, but yours is also excessively opinionated. TrackPoint versus (Apple) trackpad is, fairly obviously, a matter of taste, not of Kool-Aid.

> TrackPoint versus (Apple) trackpad is, fairly obviously, a matter of taste

I don't see how it is. It's a simple matter of efficiency. When using a trackpad, you have to move your hand off of the keyboard and down several inches. When using the TrackPoint, you do not - the TrackPoint is accessible with your index finger from the keyboard's home row. All 3 mouse buttons are accessible with your thumbs while your fingers rest on the home row.

When using a trackpad to scroll, you have to keep lifting your hand off the trackpad and moving it back to the other side of the trackpad to continue scrolling. With the TrackPoint, you just hold down the middle mouse button and push the TrackPoint in the direction you want to go, for as long as you want. How is this even comparable?

In fact, I have completely disabled the trackpad on my ThinkPad in the BIOS. I have no need for it when there's the TrackPoint.

Re: Apple - Think Twice

#158

Post by meaty »

astrodust wrote: post #131
meaty wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You nailed it. The pretty factor is not at all important, neither is blindly copying a vendor.

I guess I should be wearing shoes made from truck tires and old seatbelts, shirts made from recycled canvas bags, and underpants made from old rags because who cares about appearances.

No you should buy shirts made of cotton, not tinfoil is what I'm suggesting.

Re: Apple - Think Twice

#159

Post by dpark »

w1ntermute wrote: post #135
astrodust wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're essentially saying that any computer with a metal case, or extensive metal shielding inside could suffer the same problem. HP makes a number of metal laptops, for instance, in an effort to make them more recyclable, the same reasoning behind Apple's materials decision. Why would I buy a Lenovo T-series? It looks virtually indistinguishable from any laptop made in the late 1990s and still has that absurd red jo…

> Why would I buy a Lenovo T-series? It looks virtually indistinguishable from any laptop made in the late 1990s and still has that absurd red joystick. And with that statement you just exposed how ignorant you really are. The TrackPoint is far superior to any trackpad out there. In fact, I don't even use a mouse with my desktop - I have a USB version of the ThinkPad keyboard[0]. With the TrackPoint, you can use the…

You come across as an Apple hater here. You're not making objective arguments or even providing personal anecdotes. You're just pushing your personal opinion as fact.

> And with that statement you just exposed how ignorant you really are. The TrackPoint is far superior to any trackpad out there.

When you call someone ignorant, you should typically follow up with a factual statement and not just your personal opinion. In my experience, the TrackPoint is tedious and awkward. Good for you if you like it, but everyone else in the world isn't "ignorant" for having a different opinion.

> It's more efficient than a mouse, and much, much more efficient than a trackpad.

Not in my experience, but a bigger issue is that the TrackPoint is abstracted further, which makes it less intuitive. If touching something on the screen directly is a first-level abstraction, introducing a mouse or trackpad is a second-level abstraction, because your motions are moving a proxy (the cursor) around on screen. The TrackPoint is a third-level abstraction, because you're using a joystick to move the proxy, so your motions are no longer paralleled on the screen (i.e. the cursor moves but you didn't actually move the TrackPoint).

> And the reason why the ThinkPad design has stayed the same since the 90s is because ThinkPad users aren't chasing after the latest shiny bauble - they want a device on which they can get their work done. The ThinkPad design is timeless in that it gets out of your way so that you can focus on what is important. Apple has to make sure they regularly have shiny new product designs to keep their customer base happy because their customers are more interested in looks than functionality.

This is just unadulterated Apple hate combined with some vacuous claims. This doesn't convince anyone that you're correct. It just makes you sound petty and bitter.

Re: Apple - Think Twice

#160

Post by crag »

It's not just Apple. It's all companies. When was the last time you tried to repair your washing machine under the warranty? Good luck.

And it's software too. I can't remember the last time I installed a piece of software that wasn't filled with bugs. Some of them just glaring. Companies mantra, "Oh we'll fix that in an update". Six months down the road. Meanwhile they already have my money. This especially true with games.

It's the way we do business now. "Sell now! Report earnings now!" And worry about the rest later.

I mean who cares if out of 25 million customers 15,000 have bad monitors. Just make sure none of them write for the New York Times. :)

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