A couple of people have commented on how cranky I've been with respect to the Mac recently. For the record, I don't care what computer people choose to use, and I have family members who are very happy with their Macintosh computers. Dave Winer's positioning of me as a Vista advocate is incorrect. When it comes to computers, I'm just a guy trying to puzzle my way through the same choices as everyone else. I've definitely flirted with buying a Mac, and recently too.
No, this is something deeper. For many years I've had a very high opinion of Apple, dating back to the first computer I ever used — an Apple IIe. However, recently that view has become more negative. Why?
- We're replacing a battery in one of my kids iPod's right now. Because the unit is sealed it's taking a long time, and it's costing a lot of money. It's a battery. This should be easy, and it shouldn't be $70.
- I'm not an iTunes user. I don't personally have an iPod, and iTunes won't synch with anything but an iPod. But you know, every time the Apple updater sends me a QuickTime update, it tries to jam iTunes down my neck. Either make iTunes work with my music player, or stop sending it to me.
- I'd like an iPhone, but the callous disregard they show for their early adopters when they routinely brick unlocked iPhones floors me. The FCC says that carriers must unlock phones if requested. Why does Apple think they're different?
- The legions of Mac fanboy morons spreading half truths turn my stomach. It reminds me of the Windows vs OS/2 wars in the early 1990's. I thought, as an industry, we had grown out of that kind of behaviour.
I could go on. Suffice it to say that my opinion has shifted from positive to negative. I find their advertising arrogant and patronizing, their business ethics troubling, and their marketing tactics irritating. Oh… and I think I already mentioned this, didn't I? Their products are overpriced.
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