Hi John,
Edit: Wow. I'm just into long posts, today.
My point was more that failure of an Apple device requires a visit to a
service center, where failure on a non-Apple (since I'm going to include
Windows and Linux based PCs on the other side) may often be handled by the
end-user, themselves. Not to mention that at the premium prices often paid,
I would expect Apple's service/warranty to be good. One is paying for at
least that.
The failure of PCs is often due to the fact that people "bottom feed"
regarding their PC purchase, buying the cheapest (in both senses of the
word, many times) machine possible. One hasn't the opportunity to do that
with the Apple products. You take what is offered--usually quality
equipment at a corresponding price. So it's truly not even a valid
comparison.
And finally, for quite some number of years the software for the PC world
vs the Apple world has rarely been comparable, either. The sheer volume of
devices available for the Windows world, and the fact that software for
those devices is not the product of Microsoft, but of third parties of
varying abilities, has mitigated against as easy an end-user experience.
That's changed, somewhat, and for the better, with Microsoft's more recent
certification processes for third party devices. However, that cuts both
ways, less stuff is available from fewer vendors than in the past. Contrast
with Apple's approach that the hardware is either from them, or from third
party vendors held to very strict, Apple-imposed standards; again at a
typically higher price.
My experience, though, is that a truly excellent PC can easily be built
using some care to choose quality components. I typically get 5-7 years use
out of my own "built" machines, over the 3-4 years I typically have found
with others' machines bought off the shelf.
The real problem most encounter with PCs are software-induced, not hardware
induced, and increasingly due to malware. It's simply a fact that until
recently, there was almost no malware targeted to Apple machines (it wasn't
worth writing software targeted to a tiny market--even for bad guys), and
there's still very little. I left the Windows world, personally, when the
quality of Microsoft's software--and their support, thereof--showed itself
to have sunk to a level that was unacceptable to me. My reasoning was that
if I was going to pay for software licenses, and have to pay on top of that
for support (the model used by both Apple and Microsoft), the software
better be at least as good as that sold by Apple, and the support likewise.
With Microsoft, however, that's not the case. Lots of very technical
reading over the years has convinced me that Windows CANNOT be made secure
enough, due to inherent design issues that can't be overcome without a
complete re-write.
If I only grokked the Apple interface I'd have been happy to switch to
them, at least as far as the Mac is concerned. In my case, however, my use
and perception of the Mac interface (and that for iOS, as well, I have
later found) most resembles Br'er Rabbit's struggle with the Tar Baby (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tar-Baby).
So off to Linux-land I went. I can still design/build a machine to my
specs, at my price-point. I don't pay lots of software license fees just
for the privilege of running some software, and I can, if necessary or
desired, pay a specific fee that nets me a specific solution to a problem,
or a specific amount of help. I can even, pay for a specific feature to be
added to many of the programs available, either alone, or by recruiting
other paying folks to my cause. I would not have recommended a switch to
Linux to most folks until relatively recently. But for at least the last 5
years, said switch entails no real pain to most end-users, any more than
the change from one Windows version to another. Things look a bit
different, have a different menu location, or a different name, but with a
very little guidance, most people can make the switch (which is much
easier, by the way, if one switches "clean", rather than trying to live in
both Windows (or Mac) and Linux worlds simultaneously).
But, as most people don't have more need of a PC/Mac/Linux computer than
one can get from a Chromebook, at a price point far lower than most
Windows, Mac, or Linux-based PCs (and still significantly lower than many
tablets or smartphones) I rarely recommend a new PC to most people, lately.
$199 to $299 for a Chromebook now buys a device perfectly capable of
handling the needs of some 75% of the people I know.
On Wed, Jun 18, 2014 at 2:38 PM, JOHN DUGGAN <john.duggan10@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
> Scott,
> In an earlier life I seemed to spend more time building /
> repairing "Windoze / PC computers than actually using them. Hard drive
> failures were common, as were memory issues and circuit board problems. The
> "Blue Screen of Death" was an acceptable - and expected hazard! Frequent
> re-installation of "Windoze" was the order of the day.
> With my Mac I just use the damn thing....No lockups , if a programme
> stalls you just shut it down with out the machine throwing a hissy fit.
> Three years total reliability . On Chuck's advice I re-boot it every couple
> of days. (I did destroy a motherboard on a previous machine twice - more of
> that later)
> Three Ipods with hard drives all still working... Gen 1 and 2 have had
> batteries replaced after a lot of use. All are full of music and are in
> daily use. My wife has had 2 years daily use from her iPad..no issues. My
> Iphone has also performed as expected.
> A Dell laptop I rebuilt last year using a 300 GB SSD to supplement the
> hard drive, running 64 bit "Windoze 7" has already suffered intermittent
> freezes...Very Frustrating!!
>
> Now an admission of guilt...I blew up my previous 24" Mac. Returned it to
> my Apple store 25mls away under it's 3 year guarantee. They changed the
> motherboard. Took it home...plugged it in and within a few hours it was
> defunct again. Returned to the Apple store they confirmed it was dead, ran
> diagnostic tests and were puzzled as to what the problem was. After
> discussion they offered to swop it for a higher spec NEW 27" machine. I of
> course agreed!
> When I set it up I started thinking carefully about what had changed. The
> only thing I could think of was a new D Links powered USB hub, bought in
> the States.I found that it was faulty, pushing megavolts into the computer
> USB port frying the circuits.!!!
> I was VERY lucky to get an exchange!!
> I am of course a very satisfied Apple user.
>
> Regards
> John Duggan,
> Wales, UK
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Scott Gomez <sgomez.baja@xxxxxxxxx>
> To: Olympus Camera Discussion <olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2014 9:21 PM
> Subject: Re: [OM] [OT] Appalling customer service
>
>
> Spoken like a man who has been fortunate enough not to have a Mac fail
> since they went to effectively un-user-serviceable units like the MacBook
> Air :-) Or any iPod, Iphone or iPad.
>
> ---
> Scott
>
>
> On Wed, Jun 18, 2014 at 12:07 PM, philippe.amard <philippe.amard@xxxxxx>
> wrote:
> > Le 18 juin 14 à 18:53, Ken Norton a écrit :
>
> > the one thing that the Windows world gives you is options
>
> > The first one of them (no opt-out there so it is none) being wasting your
> > time and ruining your nerves until irremediably crashing and needing a
> tech
> > to come in. Been there alright when I was younger and more daring. Won't
> > again if given any choice.
> > Of course, others my see life differently.
> > Amities
> > Philippe
> --
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>
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