"It just works"?

[Hatter The Mad]

How do you know this? That these problems are affecting the majority? Simply, you don't.

From the sheer numbers of people who post in threads on the Apple forums when they do come about. Or, like in some of the articles I have linked to, where journalists have done this research.

I don't expect you to browse Dell forums. My point is that all laptop manufacturers have quality issues.

Ok, nice point. Make your own thread about Dell.

Again with the 'it just works quote' which has been discussed. You're basically trolling in a very childish way.

Ah, the old "you're trolling response". Only the be handed out when one is caught flat-footed or without response.

 

[Hatter The Mad]

Because it refers to a system which is configured out the box with applications, drivers etc. , as was discussed earlier in the thread.

That is the whole point I am trying to make! Very often over the last 2 years, these "drivers etc" haven't worked first time! There are increasingly substantial and increasing problems with recent Apple products, compared to their past.

 

[likwid]

Ah the anti-trolling accusation response, bandied about by kids who pose provocative points of view with little merit in order to cause arguments.

I'm not saying there are no problems, just when you say things like:

Also for Apple harping on about them being at advantage (over other vendors like Microsoft) because they develop the hardware AND software, so they have "less problems" - this is simply not the case.

You don't know if they have more problems than other manufactures, as you state.

Also

Most of these "problems" have affected a majority of users.

You simply do not know this. In order to have this information, or even to make a guess, you would need to have statistics on units sold v faults developed, which you don't, otherwise you would have quoted them.

and

Apple products consistently have not worked out of the box

No, they do not. You may claim that in your experience this has proved to be the case, but you cannot say they consistently do not work. I know for a fact this because in my case they have consistently 'worked', and I imagine the same is true for the majority you claim.

 

[Fillado]

2Ghz Core Duo White MacBook...

Palm Rest Discolouration - Fixed at an Apple Store

Spontaneous reboots due to a stupidly wired wire that was passed next to the heatsink which caused the shielding to melt, create a short circuit and cut out the computer - eventually fixed via an SMC update.

Random backlight flickering - still ongoing although it doesn't happen that often and when it does it eventually goes away.

Apple Wireless Mighty Mouse

The scroll ball at the top got clogged up enough that I couldn't fix it - took it to an Apple Store whereby the genius couldn't fix it. I got a brand new one there and then.

New one lasted just over a year then got too clogged up again. Since it was out of warrenty I had to pop the thing open and give it a full and proper clean.

It truely is the worst design in history...

Mac OS X

Tiger - Perfectly good

Leopard - EVERY update (ie. 10.5.1, 10.5.2 etc.) has caused problems (broken iSync, LOADS of SUID errors when trying to repair permissions) due to Apple's inability to create a working delta update. Full Combo updates work fine.

iPods

All have worked great


So, not exactly "It Just Works"


Saying that Apple Store guys (one guy in the Meadowhall store particularly) have been great

 

[bigredshark]

2Ghz Core Duo White MacBook...

Palm Rest Discolouration - Fixed at an Apple Store

Spontaneous reboots due to a stupidly wired wire that was passed next to the heatsink which caused the shielding to melt, create a short circuit and cut out the computer - eventually fixed via an SMC update.

Random backlight flickering - still ongoing although it doesn't happen that often and when it does it eventually goes away.

Apple Wireless Mighty Mouse

The scroll ball at the top got clogged up enough that I couldn't fix it - took it to an Apple Store whereby the genius couldn't fix it. I got a brand new one there and then.

New one lasted just over a year then got too clogged up again. Since it was out of warrenty I had to pop the thing open and give it a full and proper clean.

It truely is the worst design in history...

Mac OS X

Tiger - Perfectly good

Leopard - EVERY update (ie. 10.5.1, 10.5.2 etc.) has caused problems (broken iSync, LOADS of SUID errors when trying to repair permissions) due to Apple's inability to create a working delta update. Full Combo updates work fine.

iPods

All have worked great


So, not exactly "It Just Works"


Saying that Apple Store guys (one guy in the Meadowhall store particularly) have been great

Because you've had problem you're more qualified to comment than the people who've had everything work fine?

This is just a trolling feast on both sides. There are hardware issues with some apple products, they do not affect all users, they affect some who tend to complain loudly. Expecting a manufacturer to have zero issues is living in fairyland, not going to happen. Same with pretending apple never have issues.

Personally I think it's abundantly clear that the 'it just works' tag is referring to software, in that you take a macbook out of the box and plug in your digital camera you have everything you need. That's how it's described on their site...

If some people choose to believe what they mean is that they will never have a unit with a fault or a unit DOA then...well actually I don't care about their unsupported random interpretation because it in no way affects me and their comprehension of the english language isn't something I'm going to loose sleep over.

 

[Adrianr]

in that you take a macbook out of the box and plug in your digital camera you have everything you need. That's how it's described on their site...

Not with my camera

(Sorry, sorry)

 

[rp2000]

There are hardware issues with some apple products, they do not affect all users, they affect some who tend to complain loudly.

Whenever there is any Apple "hardware" problems for macs (laptop and desktop) how come the software update/EFI fixes are for every single machine and not just the "few" that are affected?

Quite often they are actually software issues (otherwise software/efi fixes would not fix them).


rp2000

 

[Fillado]

Because you've had problem you're more qualified to comment than the people who've had everything work fine?

No, i'm equally "qualified". It's not just a problem, it's multiple problems with both hardware and software. That is my full experience of Apple hardware and software, and quite frankly I expected more from the company that has the balls to create ads like they do.

Apple designed and built my MacBook. They created Leopard. If, after a full format and reinstall, the first thing I do is Software Update and I still get errors means Apple spout a lot of ****.

The reason people complain loudly is because Apple have a "We're so awesome" attitude. Coupled with personal attachment to a company (like, without meaning to make a cheap dig, you seem to have) make for a very passionate user base. When quite frankly they're no better than any other manufacturer. Which is what you just said.

 

[bigredshark]

Coupled with personal attachment to a company (like, without meaning to make a cheap dig, you seem to have) make for a very passionate user base. When quite frankly they're no better than any other manufacturer. Which is what you just said.

Actually I don't give a damn what anybody else's opinion of apple is. I want the best laptop I can find, that's a macbook pro and I don't care if it costs £2000. Support wise all I care about it is that mine works and it always has, same as my mighty mouse has always worked reasonably well and I haven't had to take it apart and clean it in 2 years. I like the products, I like the 'not just another big corporate' vibe that apple cultivates even if it is a little fake. I honestly don't give a damn about what anybody else think, beyond them selling enough to keep apple going and making a laptop I can buy every few years.

They are statistically slightly better than most laptop manufacturers according to the last survey I read, having fewer DOA and fewer faults in the first year of ownership. But even if those statistics were exactly the same as Dell or HP I wouldn't care, failures affect tiny percentages of the user base and as long as they don't include me I'm not really interested.

As to why updates go to everyone, it's not exactly a hard question to answer and I suspect (hope) you know the answer. It's easier for one and a 'just in case' precaution in addition.

Your average apple user will never have downloaded a particular fix manually and applied it, they'll have taken whatever's in software update. I doubt software update can determine the exact date of manufacture for your machine so it doesn't know which exact fixes you need, so it gets them all, runs them and if they aren't required or actually relevant no harm done. Personally, I'd rather this approach to the Microsoft 'lets hunt the knowledge base for the hotfix which applies to this incredibly specific network throughput issue' approach which wastes hours of my life validating which hotfixes are actually needed for a system.

And once again, I think it's pretty clear the slogan is referring to compatibility and functionality with other devices (digital camera etc) out of the box. I don't think it has anything to do with software bugs or hardware QA because everybody suffers from those issues, their impossible to eliminate and god forbid somebody makes a minor coding error.

 

[Adrianr]

Interestingly enough, i'm pretty sure the bit on the Apple website that used to say "It just works" now says "It does what a PC does, only better". Which gives you scope for all sorts of material!!

"Breaks down quicker"
"BSODs quicker"
etc etc

Audacious marketing department, you can give them that much

 

[Spyhop]

This is just a trolling feast on both sides.

Yes! Throw the whole thread in to the sea!

 

[Slogan]

Because it annoys me they push it so hard when it is clearly not the case. As an Apple customer, I have a right to be annoyed.

No problem at all with you being annoyed and you have a right to complain. However you are happily throwing facts and sentences about as if your experiences mirror the majority of those Apple customers. I doubt this is true.

Apple are a technology company, as such and like all the others they will have problems. I don't think you are meant to take the "It just works" slogan entirely seriously otherwise if you have used Vista you will be demanding to know where the Wow is, if you've ate Pringles surely you can't stop at all and perhaps you are wondering why your Dyson loses suction when you remove its plug from the wall.

 

[LordSplodge]

Yes, but my point is that recently, Apple products consistently have not worked out of the box. I'm not talking about random web cam or printer - I am talking about the chipsets, touchpads, casings that they ship with. The stuff Apple put together.

Why am I being gunned down for making an observation?

Hardware revisions often come with some pain and not just for Apple. The have been a shedload of problems with the new Dell Latitudes. Your point isn't valid as all tech companies face similar issues.

What does Apple's claim that the software works out the box with all the hardware in the computer you got from Apple and most consumer peripherals out of the box with no extra software have to do with hardware issues?

Yet another unsubstantiated statement. This is why you're being gunned down.

But like OMG sometimes Apple products have faults! Or even quality control issues. LOOK Apple isn't perfect LOL LOL LOL.

No problem at all with you being annoyed and you have a right to complain. However you are happily throwing facts and sentences about as if your experiences mirror the majority of those Apple customers. I doubt this is true.

Apple are a technology company, as such and like all the others they will have problems. I don't think you are meant to take the "It just works" slogan entirely seriously otherwise if you have used Vista you will be demanding to know where the Wow is, if you've ate Pringles surely you can't stop at all and perhaps you are wondering why your Dyson loses suction when you remove its plug from the wall.

A friend of mine had to have three G5 iMac's before he got one that worked (OK two of the faults were minor) and he was annoyed but he didn't run to the Internets making wild claims about Apple kit not working out of the box. He got one that worked in the end (first gen Intel one actually!) and just got on with using it. He then went on to buy more Apple kit and that did work.

I've had lots of Apple kit and so far, touch wood, I haven't had one single hardware problem. Had quite a few software issues. Let's not talk about 10.0

Oh and a Dyson loses suction went the dirt chamber is nearly full but I haven't seen any threads in GD bad mouthing Dyson for making wild claims!

 

[likwid]

Err, what?

I never said that no problems existed, just that problems aren't as consistent as was stated.

 

[LordSplodge]

Err, what?

I never said that no problems existed, just that problems aren't as consistent as was stated.

If your posts was aimed at me then I feel I must tell you my response to your post was tongue-in-cheek.

 

[likwid]

Yeah, sorry.

I'm retiring from the internet as of now.

 

[LordSplodge]

Yeah, sorry.

I'm retiring from the internet as of now.

No worries!

 

[Deleted member 651465]

There is never going to be a product that does not fail at some point, such is the nature of hardware and software.

 

[Slogan]

There is never going to be a product that does not fail at some point, such is the nature of hardware and software.

Fanboi.

 

[Deleted member 651465]

Had a unibody since the release date and no issues at all

Google for "unibody wifi sleep", "unibody freeze on wake". Recall the click problems with the multi-touch pad, even more click problems with trackpads, and the still persisting "3.5 finger" click required in Bootcamp, Macbooks crashing when used with the Mac keyboard? Fan whine problems? The HDMI fiasco that wouldn't allow you to play video via the DisplayPort as it thought everything you tried to play was "unlicensed"? Problems sensing the power adapter (and not going into charge mode)? Oh, must not forget the cracking iPhone housings. Or how about the so-slow-it-is-unusable-without-a-restart typing bug in pre-2.0 iPhone firmware? Oh, and remember when Apple published an update which BROKE mail fetching completely? This went unpatched for a good few months.

I'm sure everyone remember the MobileMe problems, including push not being fully implemented until about 3 months ago.

I like how he said he'd personally not had problems, and you replied with a complete storm of links to try and change his opinion

I've had 6 laptops, 4 iMacs, 2 Mac Pros, 20x iPhones, and several iPods. 1 DVD drive failed on one of the iMacs in all that time, so while I wouldn't dismiss these problems (that you so kindly linked to) are not occurring, my personal experience with the products is good.

My counter argument would be that you generally only hear when things go wrong. Such is the nature of the internet; how many threads on here alone are "wow, my Mac is so amazing.. still going after 3 years" vs. "MacBook dead".. makes it seem the other way round.

Fanboi.

*adds to ignore list*