41–50 of 107 posts
Is the issue limited to Apple? What's about other ecosystems and app stores?
This isn't unique, new, notable or even newsworthy. It's just how digital goods purchases work. Welcome to 2007, people.
The writing's been on the wall for a very long time now. This is just another symptom of the continuing clamp down of OS X. The App Store was the first manacle, and Gatekeeper is the second. It's no longer the default that you can install apps from outside the Apple walled garden. I'll go out on a limb and guess that a couple of OS X versions from now they'll move the override to an obscure command line. The next one…
Simply having a Fireworks-compatible (and good) app would go 80% of the way...
Is the issue limited to Apple? What's about other ecosystems and app stores?
Living in multiple countries always has, and always will be a huge hassle when it comes to DRM-ed wares / online shopping (there's usually a tangible benefit from saying that you live somewhere that you're not currently, because of regional pricing etc so providers tend to lock it down). They also have a legal obligation to verify your location to ensure that you're paying the right taxes etc. If you're in a complex…
Go to support.microsoft.com. File a request for any consumer tech support problem. Boom, before you've even spoken to anyone, you've gotta fork over $59. It actually charges your credit card online before you get to speak to someone.
Apple at least always answers your calls and provides advice before attempting an upsell to AppleCare. With Microsoft, you're going to be shelling out a minimum of $59 just to get them to open a chat window. That's assuming you're using a consumer Windows product. Use an enterprise variant or server OS? That'll be a minimum of $295 to talk to a human.
Lest anyone think the problem is solely with juggling accounts across different geographies, here are some examples of how broken the whole Apple ID user experience is, even for people whose digital life never leaves the US: - It's impossible to merge accounts or move purchases from one account to another, even if they are associated with the the same credit card information - If you have ever at any point used an em…
Primary contact on the account has now been changed.
Oh tell me about it. I used to split my time between the US and Brazil, and had credit cards and bank accounts in both. Sometimes apps I'd want would only be on one store, and sometimes only on the other. But Apple simply doesn't allow for people who reside in multiple countries, and have credit cards in multiple countries. I guess that lifestyle doesn't fit the "Apple way" -- it's thinking too different. It's absolu…
Apple is all about streamlining and optimizing for the common case. Not providing options for the minority with different preferences. If your lifestyle doesn't match, then you're doing it wrong.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Apple is all about streamlining and optimizing for the common case. Not providing options for the minority with different preferences. If your lifestyle doesn't match, then you're doing it wrong.
That doesn't mean that people can't complain about it. They could have easily supported multiple locations and credit cards and still streamline the process, and the only users who'd have to deal with it are the ones who need to use the feature.
Lest anyone think the problem is solely with juggling accounts across different geographies, here are some examples of how broken the whole Apple ID user experience is, even for people whose digital life never leaves the US: - It's impossible to merge accounts or move purchases from one account to another, even if they are associated with the the same credit card information - If you have ever at any point used an em…
You also can't use a CC address outside of the country you opened the iTunes account in, and they periodically re-validate that information so when you do give your bank your new address, as of course you will, you're in for even more fun.
So use a poste restante billing address, then, and never change it. Last I checked, picking up one's mail on a regular basis is not required by iTunes Ts and Cs, nor must a credit card remain on file to keep an iTunes account active.
There is no way to delete credit card information from an Apple Store account, that I see. If you know of one, please do let me know!
I travel full time, and have been living all over the world for the past four years and never had this problem. From Romania to Chile, Venice to England wherever I am, my iTunes works the way I'd expect. Compared to HULU and Netflix, Apple is one of the best in this regard. I have to get on a VPN to the USA to use my HULU or Netflix accounts, but iTunes just works, globally. I have a US itunes account, and use it in…
I've had no end of problems with them while traveling in SE Asia, including having my account locked several times. If I didn't have a few friends inside Apple put in a word for me I think it's very likely my account would still be locked, with absolutely no explanation as to why. I've learned the hard way not to go anywhere near the iTunes store without a VPN back to the U.S.