Apple - Showing The Cracks?
 

It seems that companies can only continue a great run for so long. I'm starting to wonder if Apple is slipping. I like tech, and I like it to just work without tinkering. My wife and I have had an iPhone 3, 4, and now 5s. My kids both have new iPod touches, and we have two iPads in the house. But in recent months they have began to infuriate me with flaky, random behavior that has been difficult to correct. Just a few examples:

Software updates, the damned devices forget their settings. That means I have to manually reconfigure every device for stuff like iMessage, or my wife will get my text messages.

My kid's iPods, despite being set to manually manage music, have random songs appear. Worse yet, YOU CAN'T EFFING DELETE THEM. Not in iTunes, not on the phone. I had to manually download songs that were in iCloud so I could delete them from the phone, and yes I had show all music turned off. My son's iPod had over 100 songs that we did not select, some that were not appropriate. Is it too hard to add a "delete all music" button so I could at least start over?

When they opened their iPods on Christmas, it took an easy 3 hours of my time to restore them from a backup and update them. Both crashed at some point, causing me to start over.

I could go on and on. Am I the only one? iTunes has royally sucked for a LONG time, but it seems that iOS 7 has brought it to the devices.

Since updating my MBP to 10.8.5 it is a crashing POS. I am constantly getting a GPU panic that is documented by Apple as a bug. Apple says anything older than 3 years is not eligible for fix. I missed it by 2 months and both local Apple stores told me to pound sand. Same story for an older G5 iMac that toasted it's MB inside 2 years.

My Nokia Lumia 920 running WP8 is having more and more issues. Seems every app update I do the apps run worse. WP8 mail app constantly crashes. GPS was broken until I did a recent update as was the great onboard camera. Now both work intermittently. My family is running Android phones and have zero issues.

I have no plans to spend any more of my money with Apple or MS. Android and Linux is my go to from here on out.

I have iOS and Android and I have experienced issues on both platforms. Truthfully Android is no better and how its all fragmented makes iOS look like heaven sometimes..
But Android (latest release by the way) is getting better and I like the parental controls that don't exist on iOS.

The recent and current MacBookPros with retina display and SSD have been very well behaved and (knock on wood) very stable. Industrial design still beats anyone else.

iPad - meh. It is a great tool for my music charts but beyond that I don't care for them. I tried to use only a tablet over the holidays and it convinced me that it isn't for me. I don't really like iOS7 but I don't like Android or MS mobile OSs either. I still find the iPhone to be hard to beat for functionality and form factor. At some point phones get too damn big. I actually find it easier to work on my 5s than on an iPad oddly enough. But if I need to do any real work, I need a real OS. My wife's Air suffered a coffee death at work, and they bought her a new 13" MBP. It is about the perfect combination of power and portability if you're in the Mac ecosphere. Have a time capsule now and everything backs up automatically. Setup of that was ridiculously easy. No geekery needed. I'm tired of messing with crap, I just want it to work.

Apple isn't perfect, but I haven't found a better/easier alternative, and their industrial design (hardware) still kicks arse.

Apple....blah. Nothing special. Buggy. I would ditch my iPhone if it weren't for the expensive ass docks in three of my cars.

Im a big fan of Android. I had an Google G1, then a Google G2 and now I have an HTC One S. I had an iPad 1st gen because at the time, there wasn't a better android option. I used it for a while around the house. It wasn't great, too heavy and too slow.

I just bought the missus a Macbook Air 11", so she bought me a new iPad Air (typing this post on it). The iPad Air is a huge improvement over the first gen iPad. It's much lighter and faster and works great for listening to music at work, surfing the net, reading, and the occasional game. Her Macbook Air is super cool. I've been a microsoft guy since the late 80s, but I'm considering going to an iMac for my next computer. I think the real strong point of Apple is their hardware. IOS isn't super impressive to me, but OSX seems pretty darn cool.

My house is equivalent to a small apple store. A few issues here and there but nothing to complaint about.

About two months ago, my 6 year old iMac gave the screen of death. I upgraded the memory, followed internet directions and is now faster than when I bought it.

Apple products aren't perfect but when I look at my 4 year old PC next to it (intranet at work use to only allow PC), the PC looks like a machine from the 80's and behaves like from the 50's

Matt, do you have an Apple store near where you live? Are they any good?

I've had good luck with Apple products for a decade now but one of the big pluses for me is that when I have had an issue, the service at their stores has been amazing. And that's in multiple cities and multiple stores here in L.A.

I know it's a PIA to drive to the mall or wherever and make the appointment but I've had them hand me a new device more than once and quickly solve problems other times.

Overall, I've had great performance from the hardware. As for IOS7, I haven't installed it in my phone yet. Holding out because I like the old one.

It's a once-enigmatic company that has lost it's larger-than-life leader. Jobs was really the personification of something that is otherwise another "institution". The masses can no longer identify with a "person" that we know won't tolerate anything but stellar performance and unrivaled innovation. Both of those have clearly fallen to the sidelines.

This transition started the day Steven Jobs left the scene.

Denis, no Apple store nearby. Nearest is OKC or KC, 2+ hours away. The joys of living in the big city. Honestly I was pretty happy with our products until I upgraded to iOS 7. That's when our phone problems started, and I had to tweak the hell out of the interface to make it not look like an anime cartoon that ran my battery down in a few hours. It's the first time I've felt the need to really tweak anything on an Apple product, normally I have been 100% satisfied with the products right out of the box. Like I said, they typically just work. It seems like they've been on a dud streak recently - Apple Maps and iOS 7 were both pretty half baked.

First, let me state, I have no dog in this fight... I have been a lowly tech for the last twenty years and spend half of my life digging around in the guts of these machines.

I have worked with and taken apart a few apples... to me all computers (apples, PC's, whatever) are just circuit boards and components.

I don't believe apple is any better or worse than any other computer.

I do believe they are living on there reputation and you are paying extra for the logo on the case.

I also believe over time their rep will fade, people will stop paying the premium, and they will go the way of IBM.

Just my two cents.

I downloaded a song in iTunes on the PC. I could not add it to my iPad by dragging it like every other song. I have to d/l off the cloud and load it that way. Weird.

A PC operates like a Mac with Parkinson's.

I do worry that Apple will start behaving like MSFT soon now that Jobs is gone.

rjp

PS you guys seen Apple's new depot service deal?

I bought my 2011 MBP in for a loose hinge- drivers side was loose. They said they had to send it in to the depot for repair- FOR A LOOSE HINGE.

How it works is that it would be a Tier service- and they would fix anything wrong with the computer- nothing but a loose hinge on mine.

The Tier service was $430.00- I literally laughed at the rep. I told her even at $100 / hr their quote is totally fcked up. There is nothing wrong with my machine except a LOOSE HINGE.

I finally nutted up, got the special screwdrivers and my torx bits out, and loctite and fixed it myself in 5 minutes.

It seems Aapl service has gone away now. I don't remember it being such an expensive PITA. They used to be cool.

Well, as long as they don't start sticking paid advertising into the search results like Win 8.1 does then I'll be OK.

If they start sucking I'm going Linux next.

rjp

I had an Iphone for 4 years, and have had an Ipad for a little over 6 months. I just upgraded to a 5S and was kind of tired of the phone as it were. A month later, my little brother asked me to trade him my new 5S for his galaxy S4. I did, thinking it would be a good change, and that I would like learning and enjoy using a newer/different phone with different operating system. I WAS WRONG.... The Iphone is head and shoulders above the Galaxy. Easier to use, the functions require less user integration, and the OS is just better. Apple may be pricy, and the design is somewhat dated, but the functionality is all there and just better IMO.

I have already started that move... loaded Mint on a sucky desktop I had at home that was running Vista... it is fantastic!

A real eye opener, I think as more people discover you can get an OS that is just as good as apple and MS for free there will be an exodus.

However I also think the market is fairly deeply entrenched in the belief that they need Microsoft/apple to hold their hand to get all the computing done.

You Apple guys crack me up, you stack up a PC with a slower processor and less RAM against a apple with more of everything and bash the PC.

I like Apple because of its customer service. My 2010 MacBook Pro graphics card died 2 months ago. I could still use it, was just slower in Photoshop and Illustrator.

Brought it to a store, they shipped it out and replaced the logic board, graphics card, keyboard and screen and top shell. Screen and keyboard were fine, no notes on why they replaced them, top shell had a tiny dent in it and that was noted on the repair order.

$320 for all that.

Matt, that sucks. The over the counter service at their stores is a big part of the deal with Apple.

I've been a PC/android guy my whole life. I really don't have a problem with Apple with the exception of when it comes to money. Everything just seems to cost more. When you buy it, when you need to upgrade, when it needs to be repaired. It all seems to cost more.

ok, two problems. The time it takes for them to fix bugs is also annoying.

I always have to laugh when I read opinion pieces like this. I wish someone could post a couple examples of how iOS is easier to use, or iOS requires less user 'integration' (whatever that means), or the iOS is just better. Yeah right :rolleyes:

There is no question that Apple products cost more. I put that in the same category as other things in life that cost more, like better food/clothes/cars/sports equipment/etc.

Do you always get what you pay for in life? Of course not. It's up to consumers to vote with their wallets on the relative value of various products. Apple has done pretty well in the hyper-competitive marketplace of consumer electronic devices.

Yeah, but can you do this with a PC?
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1390078186.jpg

apple vs android
 

The first example i can think of is when a missed call or text pops up on an Iphone, you just slide the message, and youre calling back or in the text screen immediately, no opening the phone, going to the text or phone app, then finding the person you wish to contact. That's user integration, meaning i don't need to do as much s#*t to get to where I want to go on the phone or tablet. The second is the Galaxy has crashed, or froze 3 times in 60 days, the Iphone never did, whether it was the 4, 4S, or 5S. I would call this better, to say the least. I am more familiar with Apple's product yes, and didn't have any issues whatsoever in the 4+ years of ownership. This has been my experience, laugh all you want. ;)

I'm not sure how you were using your android phone but that is exactly how mine works, I can call the person back, send a personal text or send a pre-filled out text without having to unlock my phone:confused:

Try adding a 3rd person for a conference call on any I-phone. If that 3rd person doesn't answer, you cannot get back to the other party. No way. You have to disconnect everyone and call your person back. Very professional (not) when on with a client.

My Blackberry from 5 years ago had no problem with conference calls.

Easy as pie.......I don't know what you are doing but this is simple to do on an iPhone and always has been.

You sound like a person that has heard there are issues with this but has never tried it. I have been using this feature since my first iPhone and is quite intuitive....

How to Make iPhone Conference Calls

I've been an Apple user since my first Mac IIci. I like the computers and I liked my iPods because they were easy and intuitive to use and worked as they were supposed to. You can start getting work done without knowing much about how the computer is structured (ie you click on an icon that says, "Install" and it installs your software - no C: prompts, etc. and no chance of doing it wrong). The level of technical expertise needed match my abilities and desire to know more about the computer.
I suppose I would like my iPhone and iPad too, but they have taken the "Here let Apple do that for you" philosophy too far. Apple's iOS products make it is as easy for me to screw something up as it was fwith PCs back when I still used them.
I wanted to sync my calendar and contacts on all my devices - iPhone, iPad, 2 MacBook Pros, and a desktop - just my calendar and contacts, not every frikkin' think I ever stored on a computer. What a disaster. I ended up with iTunes trying to put all the photos from my laptop on my phone, and a full season of Homeland from my iPad to my phone and laptop - who the heck wants that and why should it be the default? Try deleting photos from an iPhone that have been exported to it. It's not impossible, but jeeze, you would think they would include something as simple as a "delete" button on the photo library. iTunes is beneath Apple's traditional level of easy, intuitive functionality. After over a decade of enjoying Apple's easy operability, I'm extremely disappointed in the OS for it's iPhone and iPad.

Although windows has started to dip its toe into the cross-platform world, I don't know of anyone who is pleased with it on all types of platforms...

Add to that, you still have to deal with the fact that hardware and OS are made usually by different corporations. Call on your Dell laptop - they will tell you to call Microsoft. Call Apple about your MacBook Pro - it gets solved.

My phone, laptop, desktop, tablet are all Apples - I like the ease of everything just working together, seamlessly...

I think they do need better vision now that Jobs is gone - however, someone like that comes once in a generation, hopefully someone else will step up... but they would probably start their own company, if they are a visionary, rather than 'improve' on someone else's vision.

I don't see Android or Windows or even Linux doing any better in the future either - I think it would take another seachange similar to the iPhone to really dig into Apple's share.

However, in the spirit of full disclosure - this was my first Apple :) - I have never owned any other type of computer or phone or tablet [however, I have had to deal with others (microsoft and android and blackberry) at work at one time or another]. WD we have something in common -

Oh, go cloud and photostream - it solves all your problems with regards to syncing - really easy -plus - you can delete your photos on your phone - it just happens in the camera roll under albums... read here...

http://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/...222-apple2.jpg

WIth the advent of website based applications the OS itself is becoming less and less of an issue.

Fortunately my needs are simple, I don't give a **** if the windows machine can run missile silo hacking programs written by a boy in Kazakhstan (windows user argument VS Mac) I just want it to be spam-free.

If Apple follows suit and starts becoming parasitic, it's gone.

PS anyone visit those MSFT stores yet? I love how MSFT thinks the world adores them- it ain't so, that's why all their cross-platform stuff crashes and dies. Microsoft phone? LOL. Microsoft tablet- can't give 'em away. LOL to the x power. :cool:

[QUOTE=foxpaws;7863609]

Oh, go cloud and photostream - it solves all your problems with regards to syncing - really easy -plus - you can delete your photos on your phone - it just happens in the camera roll under albums... read [URL="http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/ios-7-delete-photos-from-camera-roll-without-removing-from-photo-[/QUOTE]

It would have been nice if Apple hadn't created a problem that needed solving. That's my point.
I solved my problem. I use google calendar and contacts and deleted that ridiculous iPhoto from my computers. There no photos on my phone that I didn't take with my phone and I'm no longer getting prompts to buy more space for cloud backups.
I take thousands of photos and manage them with Lightroom. I don't need or want iPhoto getting in the way.

I would have said they just put it in a more obvious place for new users wd15 - and you really didn't need help anyway - so....

I should also disclose I bought a little hunk of Apple stock in mid 1997 - I might have an alternate motive for talking up Apple... ;)